MARCH 2026 MARCH 2026 The library app Have you gotten our app yet? With it you can review your account, renew your items, place holds, and so much more. One great perk of the app when you enter your barcode, you don’t need to carry your card, you don’t need to dig into your wallet among all the plastic for your library card—it’s for first page of the app. To find our app, scan this QR code. End of Watch Movie of the Month: Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal as Officer Brian Taylor Michael Pena as Officer Miguel Zavala And David Harbour as Officer Van Hauser Directed by David Ayer Reviewed by Alex Huizar End of Watch is a 2012 film that I just recently came across last month, and I am kicking myself that I never had the chance to watch the film when it originally came out instead of years later. End of Watch tells the story of two Los Angeles police officers that work on the South-Central Los Angeles area where we see their dayto-day patrol from their bodycams to surveillance video. The film shows the camaraderie between the two characters who are more than just partners in the police force, but essentially brothers to each other. We witness the dangers that these two go through every single day on patrol and their personal lives as well. Director David Ayer does a great job letting the audience become part the officer’s routine, mostly all the shots are eye-level, so you feel you are part of the danger, but also feel like you’re hanging out with them when the main characters are at social gatherings. Gyllenhaal and Pena give amazing performances as the two leads, you really believe in their tight friendship and the love and respect they have for each other. The only criticism I have towards the film is that even though most of the shots come from their bodycams, surveillance videos and other personal recordings, you begin to realize that some shots come from film cameras, plus there is also a musical score within the film. I wish Ayer would’ve stuck with bodycams and no musical score to give it more of a grounded feeling. If you never had the chance to see the film, I highly recommend it. I give End of Watch 3 and a half stars out of 5.
2 MARCH 2026 NEW RELEASES By Robin Vail The March winds are blowing new books into the Oak Harbor Public Library. Think about getting Holds put on soon for some of these: Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis; Felicia’s Favorites by Danielle Steel; Bloodlust by Sandra Brown and The Keeper by Tana French. Also arriving soon are Susan Mallory’s Bookstore Diaries; Yann Martel’s Son of Nobody; Lisa Unger’s Serves Him Right and Sandra Dallas’s Hired Man. Valerie Bertinelli has a new book coming called Getting Naked. And check out Hannah Dasher’s Stand by your Pan, a book of easy and affordable comfort food recipes. Children many look forward to Pizzasaurus by Tammi Sauer; Bear Fairy by Paul Coccia or Clyde by Jim Benton.
3 MARCH 2026 SNAPSHOTS New shelving And experiences And people Across the state, Ohioans view library services as everyday necessities. Stop by and see what we have to offer. Look at all the libraries! These are the Ohio libraries in our network—the SEO Network! And with your Oak Harbor Public Library card, you can borrow items from all these libraries!
4 MARCH 2026 PROGRAMS
5 MARCH 2026 LAST WORD By Kathy Huffman With hopeful hearts, the early settlers arrived with dreams of adventure and settlement within nature’s wild beauty. However, their romantic visions were quickly dashed by the foreboding Great Black Swamp which appeared to stretch endlessly into the horizon. Pioneer life within the primitive wilderness which made up the Swamp was a rude awakening and tested one’s strength, resolve, and luck. It is estimated that 2/3 of all early settlers did not endure this lifestyle. Many were lost to disease and sickness, some were lost to the hazards of the Swamp, others to the dangers of the homestead, and some simply gave up and moved on. It is interesting to note that in the 1850 Salem Township census only 7 of the original families from the 1840 census reappear. According to our records, in 1850 Hartford (Oak Harbor) had 38 dwellings and 187 people. The library has compiled a list of early settlers/families along with known occupations. Families include Gordon, Fought, Schimansky, and Maenlen. The list is on display in the Local History Museum. The everyday life of the early settlers revolved around priorities such as clearing the land, building a home, plowing and seeding, and livestock. Clearing the land was a dangerous, tough job accomplished by axe, saw, and horse. At every turn it seemed, the Swamp rebelled against the settler’s attempts at homesteading. The tree branches woven together, which could block out the sun, made falling a tree difficult. Once the tree was down, both human and horse became embedded in the thick muck and clay as they worked with the timber. It was a slow process. The first homes were not picturesque cabins nestled beneath stands of oaks but a simple dwelling which reflected the surrounding wilderness. Most cabins were modest 15 x 15 in size and constructed of round logs, bark and all. To keep out the wilderness, mud chinking was used as a seal between the logs. Windows were nothing more than small holes cut into the walls with greased paper to let in the light. During the colder months, they were covered with animal skins. The floor was either rough wooden planks or packed clay. The roofs, made to withstand the storms and seasonal change, were overlayed bark singles held in place with long poles. The furniture within shared the simplicity of the cabin. Beds comprised of two poles stuck into the cabin wall with the other ends tied together and supported by a post. Pins were driven into the poles then straps, made from bark or woven vegetation, were strung between the poles to form a mattress. Chairs were mainly a split bottom type and benches were short, wide planks driven into the wall with post for legs. The table was one piece of furniture which seemed out of place. It was generally the product of a cabinet shop and purchased at the closest woodwork shop or before leaving home. A chimney stood on the outside of the cabin and was built of poles imbedded in mud mortar on a foundation of stone. A large opening was cut out to form a fireplace with the fire-chamber built of stone (con’t on page 6)
6 MARCH 2026 (con’t from page 5) to keep the poles from burning. The smoke was normally forced up the chimney rather than drawn up. One or two kettles and a spider (a wrought or cast-iron frying pan with three legs and a long handle designed to cook directly over open flame or hot coals) made up the cooking furniture. Food consisted mainly of corn meal, potatoes, bread, pork, and wild game. Stews were a common meal. The following was taken from an 1820’s Ohio cookbook. Scrap stew. Take left over meats, beef, venison, rabbit, or duck, put in kettle with 3 pints water, ½ lb. split peas and 3 or 4 small onions; let boil until peas are soft then add 3 or 4 potatoes and boil till it thickens. ½ teaspoon celery seed can be put in with the peas and onions if liked. Serve hot. The homestead was not complete without a small clearing planted with flax, corn, or wheat. The rich organic soil of the Swamp and temperate climate provided favorable growing conditions. However, even the act of farming came with its own difficulties. A crop ready for harvest was quickly descended upon by flocks of birds, squirrels, turkeys, and coons. Whole crops could be devoured in a few days. Stock was allowed to pasture within the Swamp without fences. To keep track, every cow was given a bell and a flock of sheep given several. Cattle were prone to eating poisonous grass which caused milk sickness. This disease could kill the cow and would spoil the milk making it unsuitable to drink. At night, sheep were penned in an enclosure to protect them from wolves, which often came to the cabin door. Hogs were simply marked and allowed to roam freely to feed on nuts and acorns. A downside to the practice was that hogs bred in the woods became wild and dangerous. The following is an excerpt from a journal. “It was unsafe to go forth from the clearing with a dog for the sight of that animal aroused all the savage nature of a hog. An old settler assures us that an infuriated boar was a more dangerous enemy than a bear or wolf.” With the homestead prepared, it was time to look to the future. Look for the next instalment of A Journey Through Oak Harbor’s History in the April edition of the Oak Harbor Public Library newsletter. April 25, 2026 St. Paul’s UCC 165 Toussaint St Tickets are $40 at the library
7 MARCH 2026 OAK HARBOR PUBLIC LIBRARY 147 W. MAIN ST OAK HARBOR OH 43449 419-898-7001 Oakharborpubliclibrary.org ohpl@seolibraries.org
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