PUT-IN-BAY (A PART OF OTTAWA COUNTY)

Exact locations if each of these Historic Markers, as well as additional photos and maps can be found at www.RemarkableOhio.org. As always, hours change and access may be limited, so be sure to check the website and Facebook pages before your visit.

SOUTH BASS ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
End of Langram Road, Put-in-Bay
(419) 285-1800
https://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/visit/south-bass-lighthouse

Located at the southwestern tip of South Bass Island, the lighthouse became operational in 1897. It provided direction for boats entering the South Passage between Kelleys and South Bass islands and the Marblehead Peninsula, an area of the lake with high levels of both commercial and recreational boating traffic. The South Bass Island Lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It is owned by the Ohio State University and managed by Stone Laboratory, which uses the facility in conjunction with its Great Lakes research and education program on Gibraltar Island. The Lighthouse is open for tours on a very limited basis.

PERRY’S VICTORY & INTERNATIONAL PEACE MEMORIAL
93 Delaware Avenue, Put-in-Bay, Ottawa County
P O Box 549, Put-in-Bay OH 43456
(419) 285-2184
www.nps.gov/pevi
Facebook: Perrys Victory and International Peace Memorial

The memorial, at 352 feet the largest Doric column in the world, is also the third highest national memorial. The memorial was established to honor those who fought during the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812 and to celebrate the long-lasting peace between Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. Visitor center includes film presentation of the battle, bookstore, and artifacts from the battle. Visitors can access the viewing platform at top of Memorial.

LAKE ERIE ISLANDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
443 County Road 215, (25 Town Hall Place) Put-in-Bay
(419) 285-2804
Email: [email protected]
www.leihs.org
Facebook: LEIHS Museum

This museum tells the story of life on the Lake Erie Islands from initial settlement to the modern era through photographs, various documents, and artifacts. The focus of the museum is South Bass Island and Middle Bass Island, particularly the Village of Put-in-Bay.

COOKE CASTLE
Gibralter Island, near Put-in-Bay
https://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/visit/cooke-castle

Located on Gibralter Island, this magnificent house was constructed in 1864/5 by Civil War financier Jay Cooke.  The castle was constructed using local limestone, and original carpentry work in the library and plaster features on the ceiling still remain today. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1966. The island, which is located within Put-in-Bay harbor on South Bass Island, served as a summer residence for Cooke and his family until it was acquired by Ohio State University in 1925. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1966. The interior of Cooke Castle is not currently open to the public. But you can view the inside of Cooke Castle by downloading this brochure

JOSEPH DeRIVERA ST. JURGO-DeRIVERA PARK
De Rivera Park, 2 Bayview Avenue, Put-in-Bay, OH 43456

Joseph De Rivera St. Jurgo, 1813-1889 – Entrepreneur and philanthropist Joseph (Jose) de Rivera was born in Barcelona, Spain, and built an import business in New York City. In 1854, he bought six Lake Erie Islands and had South Bass Island surveyed and subdivided into ten-acre lots. De Rivera traveled between New York and South Bass Island, initially turning Put-in-Bay into a sheep farm. He encouraged settlement on the island and its wine industry by helping German immigrants purchase land to plant vineyards. He donated five acres for this waterfront park, the site for the first school, and the land for the first church. To promote travel to the island, de Rivera opened the island’s largest cave as a tourist attraction. He is buried in the island’s cemetery, which is on land he donated for that purpose. READ MORE

FIRST SHIP TO SHORE RADIO BROADCAST
Bayview and Hartford Avenues, near the Jet Express Dock

On July 18, 1907, Dr. Lee deForest broadcast the first ship-to-shore radio message from the steam yacht Thelma. The communication provided quick, accurate race results of the Annual Inter-Lakes Yachting Association (I-LYA) Regatta. Frank E. Butler, a Monroeville, Ohio, native and assistant to deForest, was stationed in the pavilion at Fox’s Dock (known today as

The Jet Express Dock) and received the radio transmission. The creation of the vacuum tube by deForest permitted the rapid development of radio and eventually television. The inventor disliked the existing term “wireless,” and chose a new moniker — “radio.” On this site wireless-transmission radio broadcasting was born.

THE HOTEL VICTORY
located in the South Bass Island State Park Campground

In 2023 this marker was installed on the site of the incredible Hotel Victory. The hotel’s main building was 600 feet long, 300 feet wide, and surrounded a courtyard. It featured a giant lobby that connected the main building to the dining rooms, kitchen, and the servants’ quarters. A whopping 1,200 guests could dine at once in the two dining rooms. A 30-foot bar kept cocktails flowing late into the evening (and early morning). 625 guest rooms and 80 private baths made Hotel Victory the premier destination on Put-in-Bay. The halls were decorated with one mile of carpeting, and the rooms were accentuated with 20,000 yards of it. 16.5 acres of flooring, 1,700 doors, and 2,500 windows graced the palatial estate. Equally impressive was the property’s landscape. A beautiful bridge stood overlooking a ravine. A lavish fountain enamored hotel guests. An extravagant boardwalk connected vacationers to the shore. A few years later, a gigantic swimming pool (100 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 8 feet deep with a roof to shield the sun’s rays) appeared on the grounds. The hotel’s construction totaled over $1 million, which would be equivalent to about $30 million dollars today. READ MORE.