The History of the Lake Erie Islands Region

The War of 1812 and the naming of Put-in-Bay

In September 1813, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry sheltered his fleet in the natural harbor of South Bass Island before sailing out to meet the British squadron. The harbor where his ships "put in" gave the village its name. Flying a battle flag that read "Don't Give Up the Ship," Perry defeated the Royal Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie and sent General William Henry Harrison the most famous dispatch in American naval history: "We have met the enemy and they are ours."

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the victory, a 352-foot Doric column above Put-in-Bay that the National Park Service administers. Three American and three British officers who died in the battle lie beneath its rotunda, and the monument marks the long peace between the United States, Canada and Britain. Note for 2026 visitors: the observation deck and plazas are closed for renovation through the 2026 and 2027 seasons, though the grounds and visitor center stay open. For late summer, the visitor center is open daily 10 am–6 pm through September 6, then 10 am–5 pm daily through September 28; verify future dates on the NPS hours page.

Johnson's Island: a Civil War prison in Sandusky Bay

A mile offshore in Sandusky Bay, Johnson's Island held a prisoner-of-war camp the Union built in 1862 specifically for Confederate officers. Over the course of the war more than 10,000 men passed through the stockade, including more than two dozen Confederate generals. Harsh lake winters made escape attempts across the ice both tempting and deadly. The island's Confederate cemetery, with its rows of government headstones and bronze statue, is one of the most visited Civil War sites on the Great Lakes and is open to the public via the island causeway.

Lighthouses of the limestone coast

The Marblehead Lighthouse has guided ships since 1822, making it the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes. It anchors a small state park at the tip of the Marblehead Peninsula and is the region's most photographed landmark. Across the South Passage, the 1897 South Bass Island Lighthouse stands above the cliffs near the Miller Ferry dock; Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory now owns it.

The Lakeside Daisy

The abandoned limestone quarries of the Marblehead Peninsula shelter the Lakeside Daisy, a federally threatened wildflower whose only natural United States population grows here, with the nearest relatives on Ontario's Bruce Peninsula. For two weeks in early to mid May the bare quarry rock turns brilliant yellow. The 19-acre Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve protects the population and opens to visitors during bloom.

Port Clinton and Ottawa County

Port Clinton's Veterans Park, the old Upper Market Space where farmers once sold their harvest, holds a marker to Company C, 192nd Tank Battalion, the local National Guard unit that Japanese forces captured at the fall of the Philippines in 1942 and forced onto the Bataan Death March. A few blocks away stands the 1901 Ottawa County Courthouse, its lobby displaying a copy of William H. Powell's painting of the Battle of Lake Erie, whose original hangs in the United States Capitol.

Chautauqua on the lake

Neighboring Lakeside, which dates to 1873, is one of the last intact Chautauqua communities in America, a gated summer colony of Victorian cottages, lectures, concerts and lakefront porches that earned the peninsula its "most beautiful mile" reputation. For the lighthouse, ferry dock and places to stay, see our Marblehead and Lakeside guide.

Walk the history

Every event above maps to a site you can visit today. Here is where to go, what it costs, and when it is open.

Plan the full trip with our attractions guide, Put-in-Bay lodging, and ferry guide.

Lake Erie history FAQ