1818 ad: SANDUSKY, OHIO - the year the city was founded! - rare; Merrimac River

Description

the founding of
Sandusky, Ohio
1818
This is a Boston newspaper from
March 11, 1818
. It was
published over 200 years ago
! It measures 15 x 20 inches in size, and is 4 pages long. It came from a bound volume and shows typical disbinding marks at the spine, with its two sheets almost separated at the spine. It has several light creases, along with some rubbing and soiling, and
one short, old piece of archival tape on the back side of the Sandusky ad
(see photos), but was printed on a good quality rag paper, and is still in good and readable condition. The name of the subscriber who was the original owner of the paper is written in old ink in the blank upper margin on the front page.
It will be shipped folded once, in a poly bag to help preserve the paper in the future.
The paper includes a variety of news stories and lots of advertisements for local Boston businesses, auctions, and legal notices, etc. The news items are mostly coverage of happenings around the country and internationally, rather than focusing on local coverage, except for a lengthy column on shipping news, which gives lots of details on the ships which arriving and leaving Boston Harbor.
The item of most interest in this issue is a great ad featured in a column on the paper's third page, titled
“Sales By Auction.”
It presents a significant piece of Ohio history, offering its readers an opportunity to buy the land used to establish the new city of Sandusky, Ohio, in 1818. At the time, this area was practically part of the western frontier of America.
The ad measures 2.25 x 4.5 inches in size, and consists of 42 lines of text that remains very readable, more than two centuries after it was published. Although small, the ad makes a wonderful example of local history (see photo below).
It says, in part:
CITY OF SANDUSKY,
IS situated on the South shore of Sandusky Bay, about three miles from the entrance thereof; on a site of ground as beautiful as can be found in the United States.
Sandusky Bay, is the best harbor on the South shore of Lake Erie, and affords a sufficient draught of water for the largest vessels which are navigated on the upper lakes . . .
It is surrounded by as fine a country of land as can be found . . . well settled, under good improvement, and is accommodated with Turnpike and other public Roads . . .
The advantages of this situation for
Commercial
and
other purposes
, are already too well knownto require a more particular description.
It is however, second to none in
Western America
, except the city of New Orleans; and in point of health, greatly its superior.
A Steam Boat Wharf will be completed early in May next, for the accommodation of Steam Boats now building at Buffalo . . .
The Proprietors have taken great pains in laying out this city, to unite
beauty
with
utility
; and it is believed, there is not in this country, a town or city in which both are more happily affected.
A map of the city and chart of the bay, together with a small chart of Lake Erie, and the country adjoining, may be examined at the Exchange Coffee House, in this place.
The Proprietors propose to sell at Public Auction, the
City
and
out lots
, at Cleveland, in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, on Tuesday the 9th day of June next. The terms of payment will be reasonable, and made known at the time of sale.
For the Proprietors,
Munson & Barnard, Boston.
******************
The paper's front page has an article on Massachusetts penal laws and the state prison, and a long piece on South American affairs. Page 2 has reports on major flooding at Albany, N.Y., and on the Merrimack River, plus the opening of a new session at the Connecticut Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, at Hartford.
[p10240]
_gsrx_vers_856 (GS 7.0.20 (856))