Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial was constructed between 1912 and 1915 to commemorate Oliver Hazard Perry's naval victory over a British fleet in the Battle of Lake Erie, fought on September 10, 1813 during the War of 1812.  The Monument consists of 78 courses of pink, Milford, Massachusetts granite and stands 352 feet above Lake Erie.  The walls are 9 1/4 feet thick at the base and taper to 5 3/4 feet near the top.  Capped by an 11 ton bronze urn, the Memorial is the largest Greek Doric column in the world.

The observation gallery offers a panoramic view of western Lake Erie.  South Bass Island  on which the monument stands, is the second largest of the American islands.  South Bass, commonly referred to as Put-in-Bay, has a permanent population of approximately 400 people, although this swells to about 1299 in the summer.  In addition to the numerous shops downtown, other points of interest are:  Heineman's Winery, Perry's and Crystal Caves, and South Bass State Park, site of the once famous Victory Hotel.

It was Put-in-Bay that Oliver Hazard Perry used as a base for his fleet and from here that he sailed to fight his historic battle.  Directly across the bay is Gibraltar Island.  One of the early owners of Gibraltar was a Civil War financier named Jay Cooke.  The domed building on the eastern half of the island, commonly referred to as Cooke's Castle, was built by him as a summer residence.  Cooke later sold Gibraltar to Franz Theodore Stone, and it was eventually donated to the Ohio State University.  The three story building on the western edge of Gibraltar is Stone Laboratory, used primarily for research by university graduate students.

Rattlesnake Island, consisting of 85 acres, is located 2 miles northwest of Put-in-Bay, past Gibraltar Island.  Some claim the name was once covered with rattlesnakes, while others say the name is derived from the shape, with the two tiny islands off its western tip representing the rattles.  Today Rattlesnake is a privately owned resort.

Looking in a westerly direction, 15 miles distant, is West Sister Island.  Currently a National Wildlife Refuge and a haven for many species of shore birds, it was near West Sister that the Battle of Lake Erie came to an end, and American control of Michigan, northern Ohio, and the Old Northwest was assured.

To the left, just off the western tip of South Bass, is Green Island.  Lighthouses on Green have guided vessels through the islands for decades.  It is also the scene of some of the best walleye fishing on the Great Lakes.  Green Island is owned by the State of Ohio.

Legend had it that Starve, the tiny 2 acre island off the southern shore of South Bass, is the site where a sailor once starved to death after having been shipwrecked and stranded there.  How and when this is supposed to have occurred though is unknown.  Starve is also known as Gull Island and is a favorite nesting ground for the local species of Sea Gull.

Also visible in a southerly direction is Catawba Point and Marblehead Peninsula.  Marblehead Light, at the entrance to Sandusky Bay, dates back to 1812 and is the oldest lighthouse in continuous use on Lake Erie.  Inside Sandusky Bay, off the south shore of Marblehead, is Johnson's Island.  In October, 1861, Johnson's Island was designated a Confederate prisoner of war camp and by 1863, when in full operation, as many as 2,600 Confederate officers and men were imprisoned there. Just off the northern tip of Catawba, near Miller's boat dock, is Mouse Island, named for its small size.  At one time belonging to the Rutherford B. Hayes family, Mouse is now owned by a private corporation.

Having nearly 3,000 acres, Kelley's Island to the southeast is the largest of the American islands, being twice the size of South Bass.  The most famous glacial grooves in the U.S. are found at Glacial Grooves State Park; evidence of the powerful erosional forces that shaped thousands of square miles of our landscape.  Kelley's is also the site of Inscription Rock, 32 feet long and 21 feet wide.  Inscription Rock is a pictographic history of the Erie Indian tribe.  The Erie's, who gave their name to the lake, were wiped out on Kelley's Island in the 18th century by the mighty Iroquois nation.

Canada lies just five miles away. Between the United States and Canada is the longest undefended border in the world, over 4,000 miles, and the friendly relations between these two countries is symbolized by Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.  Middle Island to the east is the nearest Canadian island, and is also the southernmost land mass in Canada.

Another Canadian neighbor is Pelee Island, just under 10 miles to the northeast.  At 36 square miles Pelee is by far the largest island in the lake, dwarfing Put-in-Bay's 2 square miles.  Pelee is primarily farming land, but is also a famous fishing resort, having been patronized by Presidents Cleveland, Harding and Taft.

The residential area to the east of the Monument is called East Point and just across the channel to the northeast is Ballast Island.  Legend has it that Perry stopped here upon the arrival of his fleet and collected rocks along the shoreline for use as ballast on his vessels.  Ballast is also privately owned.

To the north lie the other Bass islands, Middle and North Bass.  During the latter part of the nineteenth century the Bass Islands were known as the wine islands due to the quantity of grapes and the fine wines produced here.  Although prohibition severely curtailed operations the wine industry continues to operate today.  Most of North Bass, as well as parts of South and Middle Bass, are devoted to grape production.  Lonz Winery on Middle Bass is a famous landmark which was recently purchased and is open again to the public, as is Heineman's Winery on South Bass.

Other islands visible to the North on clear days include: Hen and Chicken Islands, and also the East Sister and Middle Sister, all in Canadian waters.  The Middle Sister was used by Perry as a stopover when transporting General William Henry Harrison's army prior to the capture of Fort Malden and the Battle of the Thames on the Canadian mainland.

We have just made a complete circle, giving you a capsule history and a birds-eye view of the Lake Erie islands.  Many changes, some good and some bad, have taken place since the days the Indians first visited and the days Oliver Hazard Perry's fleet navigated these waters.  As you roam the area, we hope you enjoy it, not only for what it is, but also for what it once was.