Whiskey Island (Cleveland)
Encyclopedia
Whiskey Island is a peninsula
at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River
at Lake Erie
in Cleveland, Ohio
. Its current configuration was created in 1827 when the river's mouth was moved to its present location. The western half of Whiskey Island is occupied by the Cleveland Bulk Terminal and the eastern section is home to a marina
and public park. It is one mile (1.6 km) long and one-third mile at its widest, bounded by Lake Erie to the north, West 54th Street on the west (roughly), and the Cuyahoga River to the south and east.
Whiskey Island was the first piece of solid land amid the swamp
s lining the river one-quarter mile down the Cuyahoga when Moses Cleaveland
visited the area in 1796. Lorenzo Carter
built his family farm on Whiskey Island, which got its name after a distillery was built on the site in the 1830s.
The area was settled, largely by Irish immigrants
, when the Ohio and Erie Canal
was constructed in 1825 and the river was rechanneled in 1827. In 1831 the Buffalo Co. and the New Harbor Co., representing investors from Buffalo and Brooklyn, purchased the Carter farm and divided its 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) into allotments along 22 streets. Manufacturing plants and docks were constructed. The Lake Erie Iron Works made steamboat
shafts and railroad axles on the island and thirteen saloons were located in the area.
Cleveland's second hospital, the "pest house," was built on Whiskey Island following the Cholera
epidemic of 1832. The Cleveland and Toledo Railroad (later the New York Central) ran its northern division through Whiskey Island "stopping at the river to ferry its passengers across the Cuyahoga because the city refused permission for the railroad to connect to the eastbound line".
The Irish moved from Whiskey Island when better employment and housing opportunities became available and except for a Depression-era Hooverville
, Whiskey Island was left largely to the railroads, a salt mine
owned by Cargill
, and the set of four large Hulett
ore unloaders at the Pennsylvania Railway Ore Dock, which when built in 1911 was the largest ore-unloading dock on the Great Lakes. The Huletts were dismantled by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority in 2000 to create room for additional bulk storage
. Two of the Hullets were scrapped, and the other two were disassembled and remain on the site.
The Coast Guard
built its Cleveland station at the end of a pier north of Whiskey Island. A second station, designed by architect J. Milton Dyer
, opened in 1940. The Coast Guard operated at the site until 1976, when they relocated the Ninth District headquarters to new facilities near North Coast Harbor
. It has sat unused since then, except for a brief period in the early 1990s when it served as a nightclub. The City of Cleveland purchased the station for $1 in 2003, and is developing plans for its restoration and reuse.
In the early 2000s, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority pursued the purchase of the eastern portion of Whiskey Island in order to expand port facilities. However, the port did not buy the land. The open space and marina were purchased by Cuyahoga County
in 2004 and preserved as a public park. The area's protection was due in large part to the efforts of activist Ed Hauser
, known as the "Mayor of Whiskey Island." Wendy Park at Whiskey Island opened to the public in 2005, and includes sand volleyball courts, a prairie garden, and a restaurant/bar.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River
Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...
at Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Its current configuration was created in 1827 when the river's mouth was moved to its present location. The western half of Whiskey Island is occupied by the Cleveland Bulk Terminal and the eastern section is home to a marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
and public park. It is one mile (1.6 km) long and one-third mile at its widest, bounded by Lake Erie to the north, West 54th Street on the west (roughly), and the Cuyahoga River to the south and east.
Whiskey Island was the first piece of solid land amid the swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s lining the river one-quarter mile down the Cuyahoga when Moses Cleaveland
Moses Cleaveland
Moses Cleaveland was a lawyer, politician, soldier, and surveyor from Connecticut who founded the U.S. city of Cleveland, Ohio, while surveying the Western Reserve in 1796.-Early life:...
visited the area in 1796. Lorenzo Carter
Lorenzo Carter
Major Lorenzo Carter was the first permanent settler in Cleveland, Ohio.Born in 1767 Lorenzo Carter spent his early years in Warren, Connecticut. Where he visited the local library frequently and developed an appreciation of books. His father, Lieut...
built his family farm on Whiskey Island, which got its name after a distillery was built on the site in the 1830s.
The area was settled, largely by Irish immigrants
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
, when the Ohio and Erie Canal
Ohio and Erie Canal
The Ohio Canal or Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed in the 1820s and early 1830s. It connected Akron, Summit County, with the Cuyahoga River near its mouth on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Scioto County, and then...
was constructed in 1825 and the river was rechanneled in 1827. In 1831 the Buffalo Co. and the New Harbor Co., representing investors from Buffalo and Brooklyn, purchased the Carter farm and divided its 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) into allotments along 22 streets. Manufacturing plants and docks were constructed. The Lake Erie Iron Works made steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
shafts and railroad axles on the island and thirteen saloons were located in the area.
Cleveland's second hospital, the "pest house," was built on Whiskey Island following the Cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic of 1832. The Cleveland and Toledo Railroad (later the New York Central) ran its northern division through Whiskey Island "stopping at the river to ferry its passengers across the Cuyahoga because the city refused permission for the railroad to connect to the eastbound line".
The Irish moved from Whiskey Island when better employment and housing opportunities became available and except for a Depression-era Hooverville
Hooverville
A 'Hooverville' was the popular name for shanty towns built by homeless people during the Great Depression. They were named after the President of the United States at the time, Herbert Hoover, because he allegedly let the nation slide into depression...
, Whiskey Island was left largely to the railroads, a salt mine
Salt mine
A salt mine is a mining operation involved in the extraction of rock salt or halite from evaporite deposits.-Occurrence:Areas known for their salt mines include Kilroot near Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland ; Khewra and Warcha in Pakistan; Tuzla in Bosnia; Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland A salt mine...
owned by Cargill
Cargill
Cargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. If it were a public company, it would rank, as of 2011, number 13 on the Fortune 500,...
, and the set of four large Hulett
Hulett
The Hulett automatic ore unloader was invented by George Hulett of Ohio in the late 19th century; he received a patent for his invention in 1898. The first working machine was built the following year at Conneaut Harbor in Conneaut, Ohio...
ore unloaders at the Pennsylvania Railway Ore Dock, which when built in 1911 was the largest ore-unloading dock on the Great Lakes. The Huletts were dismantled by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority in 2000 to create room for additional bulk storage
Bulk material handling
Bulk material handling is an engineering field that is centered around the design of equipment used for the handling of dry materials such as ores, coal, cereals, wood chips, sand, gravel and stone in loose bulk form...
. Two of the Hullets were scrapped, and the other two were disassembled and remain on the site.
The Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
built its Cleveland station at the end of a pier north of Whiskey Island. A second station, designed by architect J. Milton Dyer
J. Milton Dyer
J. Milton Dyer was a prominent Cleveland, Ohio architect.-Background:Dwyer was born in Middletown, Pennsylvania where his father had a hardware business...
, opened in 1940. The Coast Guard operated at the site until 1976, when they relocated the Ninth District headquarters to new facilities near North Coast Harbor
North Coast Harbor
North Coast Harbor is a district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie. It includes the Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Steamship William G...
. It has sat unused since then, except for a brief period in the early 1990s when it served as a nightclub. The City of Cleveland purchased the station for $1 in 2003, and is developing plans for its restoration and reuse.
In the early 2000s, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority pursued the purchase of the eastern portion of Whiskey Island in order to expand port facilities. However, the port did not buy the land. The open space and marina were purchased by Cuyahoga County
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Cuyahoga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It is the most populous county in Ohio; as of the 2010 census, the population was 1,280,122. Its county seat is Cleveland. Cuyahoga County is part of Greater Cleveland, a metropolitan area, and Northeast Ohio, a...
in 2004 and preserved as a public park. The area's protection was due in large part to the efforts of activist Ed Hauser
Ed Hauser
Ed "Citizen" Hauser was a citizen activist in the Cleveland, Ohio area.-Early life and education:Hauser was the fourth of five children born to Walter and the late Theresia Hauser...
, known as the "Mayor of Whiskey Island." Wendy Park at Whiskey Island opened to the public in 2005, and includes sand volleyball courts, a prairie garden, and a restaurant/bar.