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| 1857 Map of Black River survey township, which in 1857 simultaneously reflected its civil township boundaries. (For an explanation of the difference between a civil township and a survey township, see Part 1 of this blog series.) |
By June of 1963, there were only three small sections of Black River Township that were not yet annexed to the city of Lorain. City Council gave the go-ahead to proceed with the process of annexation of two of them, as noted in this article from the Chronicle-Telegram of June 18, 1963.
Finally, by late July 1964, the handwriting was on the wall for Black River Township.
This article from the July 20, 1964 Lorain Journal notes that the township would cease to exist on August 1. Thus it was necessary to decide how to divvy up the township’s assets.
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Lorain Gets 99 Percent Of Black River Assets
ELYRIA – County, city and township officials met this morning for talks on the final disposition of Black River Township assets.
According to two resolutions, which will be passed today by the Board of County Commissioners, the appraisal total of assets amounts to $117,100.
Of that amount, according to a breakdown by County Auditor Joseph Mitock, 99.996 percent goes to the city of Lorain with .004 to be allocated to Amherst Township.
Included in the total is the Black River Township Fire Station building appraised at $53,000; land $15,000; house $13,000; and three fire trucks worth $18,000 as well as other equipment. Officials were attempting to determine this morning whether or not to allocate $468.40 in cash or a piece of equipment to Amherst Township on the basis of the formula.
Black River Township will cease to exist as a political subdivision on Aug. 1. The 10-day period will be the transition period.
J. Norman Thompson, county commissioner, pointed out that it was the intent of the board to pass the resolution today so the Lorain City Council could have the legislation tonight for its meeting. The formula will go into effect on Aug. 1.
Attending the meeting were Lorain City Solicitor, Adrian F. Betleski; Fire Chief Alfred H. Nickley; Sheffield Township official Eugene Balogh; Black River Township Trustees Floyd E. Holloway and Thomas L. Johnson and Clerk Jackson F. Smith; Mitock; Amherst Mayor Marvin R. Davis; County Prosecutor Paul Mikus and Commissioners Ludwig M. Pincura, James P. Horn and Thompson.
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On August 1, 1964, Black River Township was officially ‘wiped off the county map,’ as reported in the article below from the Chronicle-Telegram that day. It had existed since 1817. As Lorain County Prosecuting Attorney Paul J. Mikus pointed out, “the event marked the first time in Lorain County history that a township had gone out of existence.”
wiped off the county map
By DONNA HAYES
The final page in the history of Black River Township was written last night as township trustees held their final meeting to sign over township assets to the city of Lorain.
At midnight the township went out of business.
The area is now part of Charleston Township, created April 15, with boundaries conforming to those of the city of Lorain.
Black River Township has slowly dwindled in size in the last several years through annexation to Lorain. After the recent annexation of the remaining few parcels of land, amounting to about 10 acres, the township had no further reason to exist.
Property transferred
Titles to four parcels of property were transferred to Lorain at last night’s meeting at the Black River Fire Station, Leavitt and Meister Rds.
Three form the site of the fire station, which is within the Lorain City Limits. The other is the location of Lorain Fire Station Number One on Fourth St., purchased by the township in the early 1890’s. Half interest in the property was later transferred to Lorain for the fire station, but the township retained use of one room for meetings.
Total assets are valued at $117,100, including $21,081 in the township treasury. All township records will go to the office of Lorain City Auditor Antone Ujhelyi.
Also transferred were titles to the fire station building and an adjoining house, three fire trucks and other fire equipment.
Township legal advisor and Lorain County Prosecuting Attorney Paul J. Mikus pointed out that the event marked the first time in Lorain County history that a township had gone out of existence.
Trustees out-of-office
The trustees who went out of office at midnight are Floyd E. Holloway, Thomas L. Johnson, Charles P. Toth, chairman, and Jackson Smith, township clerk.
The gavel used at the final meeting was presented to the board of Lorain County Commissioners, represented at the meeting by J. Norman Thompson. Thompson said he would recommend that it be marked with the date and occasion and presented to the Lorain County Historical Society.
The first township officials were elected in 1817 when a total of 17 voters cast their ballots for 15 candidates.
In addition to Ujhelyi, the City of Lorain was represented by Solicitor Adrian F. Betleski. Also present were Joseph Zahorec, zoning inspector.
A small part of township assets will go to Amherst Township, according to a distribution worked out by the county commissioners. Lorain received 99.996 per cent and the remaining .004 per cent, or about $468, goes to Amherst Township.
A motion thanking the township volunteer fire department and other employes for their many years of service was made by Toth, and approved by the trustees.
Volunteer firemen
Fire chief since 1947 has been Walter Wilker, who was one of the original volunteers when the department formed in 1941.
The department ceased to exist with the township. The station will be manned by a force from Lorain Fire Department, Lorain Fire Chief Alfred G. Nickley said.
Much of the work on the fire station was done voluntarily by members of the Black River Fire Department. One of the department’s most popular traditions also now ended has been an annual Halloween party at the station that attracted between 1,000 and 1,500 person every year.
In past years the department has been in a unique position of having only four parcels of property that it could legally serve. Since the station itself is inside Lorain, the firemen would have technically had to call on the Lorain Fire Department in the event of a fire in the station.
In spite of this, the department had about 25 active volunteer members who continued to drill as usual, as well as a long list of inactive members. All of the fire department members also lived within the Lorain department’s jurisdiction and would have had to call it in case of fire at their homes.
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Black River Township iswiped off the county map
By DONNA HAYES
At midnight the township went out of business.
The area is now part of Charleston Township, created April 15, with boundaries conforming to those of the city of Lorain.
Black River Township has slowly dwindled in size in the last several years through annexation to Lorain. After the recent annexation of the remaining few parcels of land, amounting to about 10 acres, the township had no further reason to exist.
Property transferred
Titles to four parcels of property were transferred to Lorain at last night’s meeting at the Black River Fire Station, Leavitt and Meister Rds.
Three form the site of the fire station, which is within the Lorain City Limits. The other is the location of Lorain Fire Station Number One on Fourth St., purchased by the township in the early 1890’s. Half interest in the property was later transferred to Lorain for the fire station, but the township retained use of one room for meetings.
Total assets are valued at $117,100, including $21,081 in the township treasury. All township records will go to the office of Lorain City Auditor Antone Ujhelyi.
Also transferred were titles to the fire station building and an adjoining house, three fire trucks and other fire equipment.
Township legal advisor and Lorain County Prosecuting Attorney Paul J. Mikus pointed out that the event marked the first time in Lorain County history that a township had gone out of existence.
Trustees out-of-office
The trustees who went out of office at midnight are Floyd E. Holloway, Thomas L. Johnson, Charles P. Toth, chairman, and Jackson Smith, township clerk.
The gavel used at the final meeting was presented to the board of Lorain County Commissioners, represented at the meeting by J. Norman Thompson. Thompson said he would recommend that it be marked with the date and occasion and presented to the Lorain County Historical Society.
The first township officials were elected in 1817 when a total of 17 voters cast their ballots for 15 candidates.
In addition to Ujhelyi, the City of Lorain was represented by Solicitor Adrian F. Betleski. Also present were Joseph Zahorec, zoning inspector.
A small part of township assets will go to Amherst Township, according to a distribution worked out by the county commissioners. Lorain received 99.996 per cent and the remaining .004 per cent, or about $468, goes to Amherst Township.
A motion thanking the township volunteer fire department and other employes for their many years of service was made by Toth, and approved by the trustees.
Volunteer firemen
Fire chief since 1947 has been Walter Wilker, who was one of the original volunteers when the department formed in 1941.
The department ceased to exist with the township. The station will be manned by a force from Lorain Fire Department, Lorain Fire Chief Alfred G. Nickley said.
Much of the work on the fire station was done voluntarily by members of the Black River Fire Department. One of the department’s most popular traditions also now ended has been an annual Halloween party at the station that attracted between 1,000 and 1,500 person every year.
In past years the department has been in a unique position of having only four parcels of property that it could legally serve. Since the station itself is inside Lorain, the firemen would have technically had to call on the Lorain Fire Department in the event of a fire in the station.
In spite of this, the department had about 25 active volunteer members who continued to drill as usual, as well as a long list of inactive members. All of the fire department members also lived within the Lorain department’s jurisdiction and would have had to call it in case of fire at their homes.
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In 2017, I did a five-part series on the little brick schoolhouse that preceded the Black River Township fire station on that corner (here). 
3 comments:
Nice series that shows how complicated a seemingly simple task can be! But I disagree with this statement from 1963:
“...the event marked the first time in Lorain County history that a township had gone out of existence.”
In 1930 there were 21 townships and now there are 18.
HI Dennis,
Yes it looks like Mikus didn’t consider Avon or Ridgeville Townships. Avon Township was split into Avon Lake and the Village of Avon (by 1917), and Ridgeville lasted until 1958 (according to https://www.nridgeville.org/History.aspx).
Maybe he meant no other township had ‘disappeared’ quite like Black River Township, since it lost a piece here to Lorain, a piece there to Amherst, etc. until it was pretty much gone, instead of becoming a new city (or cities) like Avon Township.
IF it is indeed accurate that Lorain City simultaneously had both its own CITY civil-district PLUS a TOWNSHIP civil-district WITHIN its city boundaries .....that would ostensibly mean, that, even today...with enough public support....Black River Township CIVIL DISTRICT could potentially be restored within the unchanged existing physical boundaries of old original Black River township SURVEY-DISTRICT, and thereby both civil-districts would function simultaneously within the City’s present judicial-district.
[Therefore the Black River Twp. judicial-district, could potentially be accurately described as having simply been dormant all of these years......instead of the dramatic, but very misleading, “wiped off the map”.!]
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