LIA trustees Donna Grube and Brian Miller gave a fun Halloween-themed presentation recounting dark tales from Grand Lake’s past at the October 2026 Lake Improvement Association meeting.
Grand Lake Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem
5 dark tales from Grand Lake’s past
1900 Lakeside Saloon/Brothel Murder
- On March 30, 1900, a body was found floating in the lake – known as Lake Mercer at the time
- The body was that of John R. Dilley, a retired lumberman from Beaver Dam in Allen County. The body was identified by a local druggist
- He had injuries from a blunt instrument to the head and was “undoubtedly murdered and his body thrown into the lake”
- According to the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, Dilley was known for always carrying a large sum of money with him – but there was none found on his body – prompting the headline “Murdered for Money”
- A liberal reward was offered to catch the killers
- On April 11, 1900, six people were arrested in connection with his murder at the Lakeside saloon and “Bawdy” house (brothel) at the foot of Main Street in Celina
- According to the History of Mercer County, published in 1959, the building sat on what was then (in 1959) the park area between the Nickle Plate and the shelter house at the water’s edge
- Their names were Millie Quigg, Clyde McGraw, Georgia Ed- wards, Charles Martin, Alice Sowers and Nellie Black
- However, none were convicted, and there were widespread rumors of “official protection”
Sources
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-tribune-mar-31-1900-p-1/
History of Mercer County: https://accessgenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/History-of-Mercer-County-Ohio-1.pdf
1904 Attempt to Blow Up Grand Lake
- On August 22, 1904, an attempt was made to drain the lake by dynamiting the gates of the East Bank Bulkhead near St. Marys. The explosion tattered the gates, but not enough to release the water
- At the time, many people wanted to return the lake to farmland. Newspaper accounts at the time surmised that the dynamiters were trying to do just that after the state passed legislation to reinforce the banks and retain the lake. Other accounts state locals were upset over flooded farmland during spring high water periods
- It was believed that the plotters targeted the bulkhead so water would flow down the feeder channel, into the canal, and to the St. Marys River
- The plot likely failed because they placed the dynamite on top of the stone walls
- If they had placed the dynamite between the gate posts, it might have worked
- If they had tunneled into the East Bank and sparked the dynamite there, it was stated that St. Marys would have been wiped from the map
- Shockwaves traveled 9 miles through the water and rattled Celina, but was not felt one mile away in St. Marys – though it destroyed a two-story house that was located just 50 yards away (the family inside survived)
- There are conflicting reports – some say the perpetrators were never caught, but the 1959 History of Mercer County states that a Riley Colton was arrested and sent to prison. Several others were suspected but never tried
- In 1918, Riley Colton shot himself through the eye with a .22 caliber rifle in his room at the County Home. If there were others involved in the plot, their identities died with him
A photograph of the East Bank Bulkhead near St. Marys depicting the gates after a dynamite explosion threatened to drain Grand Lake St. Marys. Notice the tattered wooden gates in the center and the onlookers on the left. Photo from George Neargarder’s collection.
Sources
Lake Improvement/Celina Daily Standard: https://lakeimprovement.com/history/
https://lakeimprovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/bulkhead-1.pdf
History of Mercer County: https://accessgenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/History-of-Mercer-County-Ohio-1.pdf
1843 Reservoir Rebellion
- In 1843, local landowners complained that farms were being submerged and that they hadn’t been compensated for flooded land. They were also concerned about standing water carrying disease. A small group petitioned the state to compensate landowners and to drain the extra water
- They were told by the Board of Public Works in Piqua, Ohio, to “Help yourselves if you can.”
- When the group then threatened to cut into the west bank and drain the water themselves, they were told that the Piqua guard would “be with you and rout you on that day.”
- On May 15, the group made a cut into the west bank to drain the water. This wasn’t a couple of vandals – it was an organized revolt against the State of Ohio involving between 100 and 150 residents who showed up with shovels, spades, picks, and wheelbarrows
- They worked for a day and a half, cutting the embankment about six feet below the water level
- Water rushed through the opening into Beaver Creek and the surrounding lowlands, and took about six weeks to subside
- The act resulted in 34 arrests, including those of the county officers, sheriff, judges, clerks, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, farmers, merchants, and private citizens
- Despite the fact that the damage cost the state more than $17,000 to repair (around $662,000 today), the Grand Jury refused to indict those arrested and the matter was settled
Sources
Lake Improvement/Celina Daily Standard: https://lakeimprovement.com/history/
https://lakeimprovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/bulkhead-1.pdf
History of Mercer County: https://accessgenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/History-of-Mercer-County-Ohio-1.pdf
Mortuary Man Mystery
- When unidentified bodies are found today, police use forensics such as DNA to identify who they are
- Back in the day, they used a different tactic
- According to the 1959 History of Mercer County, an itinerant known only as “Brown” was shot through the eye at a rooming house adjoining the CH&D railroad in Celina
- Authorities couldn’t establish his identity, so…
- His body was placed in the window of a Main Street mortuary for several days so passersby could look at him in the hope that someone would recognize him
- Nobody did
- Unfortunately, the History of Mercer County does not give a date for this incident
- But imagine the scene on Main Street as you stroll toward the lake – window shopping isn’t what it used to be
Source
History of Mercer County: https://accessgenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/History-of-Mercer-County-Ohio-1.pdf
Are There Forgotten Graves Along Grand Lake?
- Everyone knows the lake was dug by German and Irish immigrants who were given a jigger of whiskey each day to combat malaria
- But a Wright State publication that references other sources details grisly conditions for those workers
- It references an Inquirer article that states around 1,700 immigrants worked 12-hour or longer days
- The laborers were housed in boarding shanties that were built at various places along the line
- The document states that:
- “According to local legend, thousands of workers died from disease, accident, and exhaustion during the grueling construction and were buried next to the lake”
- The document goes on to suggest that we need sources to lend legitimacy to that legend, but the mystery remains…
- How many people did die constructing Grand Lake?
- How many of them were buried along the shore?
- Was that really a stump you hit?
Source
Wright State University: https://lake.wright.edu/sites/lake.wright.edu/files/page/attachments/EAdams%20GLSMArchive.pdf