Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
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The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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117 parks in 7 regions

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

Put-in-Bay · South Bass Island · Lake Erie
A 352-foot column for the Battle of Lake Erie
National Park Service siteWar of 1812

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.
Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
Official page
Location confidence
Verified entrance or visitor center
Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial, 93 Delaware Ave, Put-in-Bay
Seasonal access
Open seasonally, roughly from spring to early fall; check the NPS page for the current schedule and for ferry service to Put-in-Bay.
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
Tickets or admission info

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

A tall stone column on a Lake Erie island that marks the naval battle that won Lake Erie and the peace that followed.

Battle
September 10, 1813: Oliver Hazard Perry's American fleet defeated a British squadron on Lake Erie
Memorial
A 352-foot Doric column built 1912 to 1915 on South Bass Island, opened June 13, 1915; a National Park Service site since 1936
Under the floor
The remains of three American and three British officers killed in the battle
Message
Perry's report: 'We have met the enemy and they are ours'
Sailors
The National Park Service says some 20 percent of early U.S. naval crews were African American, and Perry's Lake Erie squadron was no different
Peace
Honors more than a century of peace on the U.S.-Canada border

The story

On September 10, 1813, Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry's squadron met a British squadron under Commander Robert Barclay near the islands west of Sandusky. His flagship Lawrence was shot to pieces, and Perry moved to the Niagara and continued the fight, capturing the entire British squadron. The National Park Service notes that about 20 percent of early U.S. naval crews were African American and that Perry's Lake Erie squadron was no different. The victory gave the United States control of Lake Erie and let General William Henry Harrison invade Upper Canada and defeat the British and the Native confederacy led by Tecumseh, whose defeat opened the way to the treaties and removals that followed. The victory also improved the American bargaining position at the peace talks in Ghent. Perry sent Harrison the report, 'We have met the enemy and they are ours.'

The memorial on South Bass Island is a 352-foot Doric column built between 1912 and 1915, opened June 13, 1915, and it honors the battle and the lasting peace among the United States, Britain and Canada. The enlisted men killed in the battle were buried at sea, and on September 11, 1913 the remains of six officers, three American and three British, were reburied in a crypt at the memorial, marked by a stone in the rotunda floor. The National Park Service runs the site, with a visitor center and an observation deck near the top of the column.

Related sites

The Column and the Six Officers

Beneath the floor of the great column lie six officers, three American and three British, killed in the same battle and buried together in the same place. It is the point of the memorial: a war that ended in a peace so long that the border it drew is famously undefended.

The column rises 352 feet above an island that in summer is a party town.

Behind the legend

The date, the column's height and the crypt of six officers are from the National Park Service, and the Perry quotation is widely documented. The share of Black sailors is the National Park Service's statement about early U.S. naval crews, including Perry's squadron. The construction dates, June 13, 1915 opening and 1936 transfer to the National Park Service are from Touring Ohio and NPS pages.

If you go

Take the ferry, ride to the observation deck for the view of the islands and read the exhibits on the sailors.

Visiting

Status
Open seasonally
Managed by
National Park Service
Hours
Open seasonally, roughly from spring to early fall; check the NPS page for the current schedule and for ferry service to Put-in-Bay.
Admission
There is a fee for the observation deck; check the NPS page.
Phone
See the National Park Service
Please note
Reached by ferry or plane from the mainland.
Address
93 Delaware Ave, Put-in-Bay, OH 43456
Official information →DirectionsFind trails nearby on AllTrails →

Hours and prices change. Confirm with the site before you go.

Parks nearby

South Bass Island State Park
About 1 miles · South Bass Island State Park, a camping park by the memorial.
Open
Middle Bass Island State Park
About 4 miles · A quiet island park with a marina.
Open
Kelleys Island State Park
About 8 miles · Glacial grooves and Inscription Rock.
Open

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.