"Perry's Memorial and Flags" by NPS , public domain
Perry's Victory and International Peace MemorialNational Memorial - Ohio |
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie that took place near Ohio's South Bass Island, in which Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet to victory in one of the most significant naval battles to occur in the War of 1812. Located on an isthmus on the island, the memorial also celebrates the lasting peace between Britain, Canada, and the United States that followed the war.
A 352-foot (107 m) monument — the world's most massive Doric column — was constructed in Put-in-Bay, Ohio by a multi-state commission from 1912 to 1915 "to inculcate the lessons of international peace by arbitration and disarmament." The memorial was designed after an international competition from which the winning design by Joseph H. Freelander and A.D. Seymour was chosen.
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Map of the U.S. National Park System. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System with DOI's Unified Regions. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
brochures
Official Brochure of Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial in Ohio. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/pevi/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry's_Victory_and_International_Peace_Memorial
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie that took place near Ohio's South Bass Island, in which Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet to victory in one of the most significant naval battles to occur in the War of 1812. Located on an isthmus on the island, the memorial also celebrates the lasting peace between Britain, Canada, and the United States that followed the war.
A 352-foot (107 m) monument — the world's most massive Doric column — was constructed in Put-in-Bay, Ohio by a multi-state commission from 1912 to 1915 "to inculcate the lessons of international peace by arbitration and disarmament." The memorial was designed after an international competition from which the winning design by Joseph H. Freelander and A.D. Seymour was chosen.
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial was established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie, during the War of 1812, and to celebrate the long-lasting peace among Great Britain, Canada and the U.S. The Memorial, a Doric column, rising 352 feet over Lake Erie is situated 5 miles from the longest undefended border in the world.
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial is located within the Village of Put-In-Bay, Ohio on South Bass Island. The most common way to reach the island is by the Jet Express or Miller Boat Line ferries. When traveling east, use Ohio Turnpike to US 250 north to SR 2 west. When traveling west, use Ohio Turnpike to SR 53 north to SR 2 east. From SR 2 take the SR 163 exit OR the ST 250 exit for the Jet Express passenger ferry, Or take the SR 53 exit for Miller Boat Line vehicle and passenger ferry.
Visitor Center
The visitor center is open mid-May through mid-October. Enjoy a 15-minute film on the Battle of Lake Erie and Perry's Victory. Exhibits trace the events of the War of 1812, the armament of the time and more. A 2-story window offers a view of the 352-foot marble memorial. An interactive exhibit explores the memorial's construction and the peace that has endured since the War of 1812 between the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. Purchase tickets to the memorial observation deck.
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial is located in the Village of Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island. Access the island by ferry, airplane, airboats, and private boats. Several taxi companies, island tour trains, and a bus line are available for travel around island.
International flags at Memorial
9-3'x5' international flags line sidewalk that leads to a white building with green roof. Tall stone
International flags at Memorial
It is tall!
352 foot tall stone memorial column rises up to touch blue sky. In front a 5' urn on pedestal
It is tall!
Night Sky and Memorial
Night sky with Memorial Column in the middle with sun just starting to come up in lower right corner
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
The Memorial Column with the United Kingdom, Canadian, and US Flags flying from poles on the lawn.
Carronade Fire Ball
Carronade fires with 5 people standing around it. Fireball from muzzle is 10 long and 4 foot tall.
Boom
Sun setting over the Bay
Sun setting over Put-in-Bay Harbor
Visitor center and spring garden
Tulips in a variety of colors in a garden in front of a light tan building that has an arched entry
Tulips welcome spring and park staff back to the island.
Visitor center porch and window
A tan building with a 2-story center window, porch and columns, surrounded by trees and a lawn
Just as welcoming as the front door the back side of the visitor center offers amazing views through the 2-story window.
Commemorative Cultural Landscapes of the Midwest
Behind the scenes at every NPS memorial site, a team of preservation professionals works to plan, design, and specify the type of treatment that is needed to preserve the physical place and the associated memories. Here are just a few examples of commemorative landscapes in the Midwest Region along with their treatment documents.
Trees line both sides of a rectangular plaza of short grass, leading towards a tall flagpole.
Who Was Oliver Hazard Perry?
Commodore Perry was born in Rhode Island in 1785. At the age of thirteen he followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the U.S. Navy. Answer questions to uncover a secret message.
Black and white portrait of a man in naval officers uniform.
Build Your Own Carronade
Have you ever wanted to have your own piece of naval artillery from the War of 1812. Now is your chance and all you need is a piece of paper, glue, scissors, and a printer.
Completed paper carronade ready for action. Paper cylinder on paper box structure.
Design a Memorial for War and Peace
In 1911 architects from around the US entered a competition to design the Memorial that became Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial. Now it is your turn. So, gather your supplies, pencils, pens, crayons, clay, cardboard, or whatever you chose and make a design for what you think the Memorial should look like.
Tall stone memorial with plazas at base. Side plazas extend to two other stone structures.
"We have met the enemy and they are ours"
The Battle of Lake Erie, otherwise known as the Battle of Put-in Bay, was one of the crucial turning points of the War of 1812.
Illustration of boat shuttling sailors
The enemy is ours: American freshwater victories turn the tide of war
If the ocean-going navy buoyed American confidence and patriotism with its victories in salt water, the navy’s performance on fresh water altered the outcome of the war. The Great Lakes were vital arteries to transport men and supplies for the armies of the time. Neither side could prosecute a major land invasion without first securing one or more of the Great Lakes.
Perry crossing Lake Erie in a rowboat, surrounded by tall ships
Letting bygones become bygones
Changing circumstances and current demands—particularly the challenges of a world war—seemed to encourage former combatants to forgive and forget.
Cornerstone laying of Perry's Victory and International Peace National Memorial
National Park Service Commemoration of the 19th Amendment
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment the National Park Service has developed a number of special programs. This includes online content, exhibits, and special events. The National Park Service’s Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems (CRGIS) announces the release of a story map that highlights some of these programs and provides information for the public to locate and participate.
Opening slide of the 19th Amendment NPS Commemoration Story Map
Series: Legacies: The War of 1812 in American Memory
If the War of 1812 played a more important role in American public memory, it would likely have earned a less generic name. The war is the only one in American history designated simply by the year of its commencement, and for nearly a hundred years after it ended in 1815, its name hardly even qualified as a proper noun. Historian Matthew Dennis examines the legacies of the War of 1812 and the space it occupies in American memory.
War of 1812 Veterans
Series: “The Luxuriant Shoots of Our Tree of Liberty:” American Maritime Experience in the War of 1812
Thomas Jefferson was never more wrong. In late June 1812 he wrote to his friend Thaddeus Kosciuszko that no war had been "entered into under more favorable auspices" and that "[o]ur present enemy will have the seas to herself, while we shall be equally predominant at land, and shall strip her of all her possessions on this continent." The American army quickly experienced a series of horrendous reverses, while the navy gained triumph after triumph.
Portraits honoring naval heroes of the War of 1812
Things to Do in Ohio
Find things to do, trip ideas, and more in Ohio.
Steam fog lifts up from grass-covered mounds surrounded by trees.
Series: Things to Do in the Midwest
There is something for everyone in the Midwest. See what makes the Great Plains great. Dip your toes in the continent's inland seas. Learn about Native American heritage and history. Paddle miles of scenic rivers and waterways. Explore the homes of former presidents. From the Civil War to Civil Rights, discover the stories that shape our journey as a nation.
Steep bluff with pink sky above and yellow leaves below.
Perry s Victory
and International Peace Memorial
Ohio
Perry's Victory
Lady Prevost
Chippawa
At the decisive moment
of the battle of Lake Erie,
Perry transferred from
the crippled Lawrence to
the relatively undamaged
Niagara and broke
•Bmaaai
Niagara
While monuments to peace are rarely associated with military victories, Oliver Hazard Perry's
victory over a British fleet in the War of 1812 so
contributed to a lasting peace that the Perry's
Victory and International Peace Memorial on
Lake Erie is a fitting tribute to both.
By defeating the British—the first time an entire British fleet was captured—the Americans
took control of Lake Erie and with it most of the
old Northwest. The victory helped persuade
the British to cease hostilities and enabled the
United States to claim the Northwest at the
peace talks in Ghent a year later. Washington
Irving put it concisely: "The last roar of cannon
which died along the shores of Erie was the
expiring note of British domination."
The battle was one of the few American successes in a war that was far from popular. The end
of the fighting produced no clear winner, but for
the United States, the Northwest was secure and
its boundaries undisputed, giving Americans
room to expand. Ironically, the British embargo
on shipping, meant to cripple American com-
through the British line.
The two largest British
ships, Detroit and Queen
Charlotte, became entangled and took the Niagara's raking fire for 15
Queen Charlotte
merce, became a spur to America's infant industries, which faced no foreign imports during
the blockade. Just as important were the less
tangible benefits. Both parties at the talks sensed
that the United States had emerged from the
conflict full of confidence, with a stronger sense
of nationhood and rid of the last vestiges of
dependence on Europe. The Treaty of Ghent
was signed not in bitterness but with a newfound respect between Britain and the United
States. Both sides gained from the Rush-Bagot
Agreement signed 2 years later, which limited
the number of warships on Lake Erie. That
agreement, though strained several times in the
following years, paved the way for the permanent disarmament of the 4,000-mile border between the United States and Canada in 1871.
For over a century, the two nations have shared
a continent with little more than a line on a map
to separate them. This memorial is therefore no
contradiction. It honors not only the principle of
settling differences between nations by negotiation but also the naval battle that helped create
the mutual confidence and trust necessary to
the success of that principle in North America.
minutes before striking
their colors.
Metropolitan Toronto Library
Scorpion
Detroit
The Memorial
The Doric column rising
352 feet over Lake Erie
was built between 1912
and 1915 with money
raised by a commission
formed by nine States,
with matching funds from
the Federal Government.
The column, designed by
Joseph Freedlander, con-
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
sists of 78 courses of pink
Milford, Mass., granite
topped by an 11 -ton
bronze urn. At the 1913
dedication on the centennial of the victory, the
three British and three
U.S. officers killed in the
battle were reinterred
beneath the memoria
floor.
Ariel
General Hunter
Trippe
Caledonia
About Your Visit
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
was designated a national
monument in 1936. The
25-acre site is on South
Bass Island in Lake Erie
about 3 miles from the
mainland. Ferries operate
daily from April through
November from Catawba
Point (3 miles) and Port
Clinton (10 miles), making frequent roundtrips in
summer. There is yearround airservicefrom Port
Clinton and Sandusky airports. The memorial is
open daily from late April
to late October and by
appointment the rest of
the year.
After a 37-step climb, an
elevator (fee) takes you
to an observation platform
317 feet above the lake.
On clear days you can
see 10 miles northwest
to the battle site.
Tigress
Somers
Lawrence
Porcupine
More Information
Write: Superintendent,
P.O. Box 549, Put-in-Bay,
OH 43456-0549; or call
419-285-2184. More information is available at
www.nps.gov/pevi/ on
the Internet.
For Your Safety
The historic nature of the
memorial poses many
hazards. Stairways are
steep and floors can be
slippery when wet. Keep
both feet on the observation deck and do not
throw objects over the
side. Exercise care at all
times. Eating, drinking, or
smoking in the memorial
are not allowed.
o GPO:1999-^l54-767/00050 Reprint 1997
Printed on recycled paper.
The Battle of Lake Erie
War in the Northwest
Free Trade and Sailors
Rights" was the cry that
rallied public support tor
the War of 1812. Behind
this slogan were the British attacks on American
neutral shipping and impressment of American
sailors during the Napoleonic Wars. These were
the official reasons for declaring war on Britain in
June 1812, but the struggle over the old Northwest Territory on the
Great Lakes