Perry’s Victory Monument on Put-in-Bay, Ohio
Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial is one of the most striking features on Put-in-Bay Ohio. This 352-ft massive doric column is a powerful symbol of everlasting peace between nations. Perry’s Monument is a part of the national park service (NPS) of the United States.
Completed in 1915, it is the tallest Doric column in the world. Doric columns are noted by their simple capitals atop the column. The monument recently underwent a series of renovations and reopened in 2006. It also closes intermittently for cleaning and repairs. This national monument on South Bass Island serves as a lasting peace memorial between Canada, the United States, and Great Britain. The Great Lakes formed a large part of the War of 1812’s history where Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led his fleet to victory in the Battle of the Lake Erie Islands.
Visiting Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial
Located minutes from downtown on an isthmus, a narrow piece of land between two larger ones, Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial is easily accessible from the downtown docks and the Jet Express terminal. The rotunda of the monument commemorates the brave men who served this great country.
To get to the observation deck, visitors walk up 37 steps to the visitor center. Once they pay admission, a park ranger takes them up an elevator to the deck. The views are absolutely breathtaking from this height. Lake Erie and the border of Canada spreads before them, the longest undefended border in the world.
Park rangers are on hand to answer any questions visitors may have and inform them of the history of the monument.
Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial is one of the tallest monuments in the United States. It is also the only international peace symbol in the National Park Systems. Higher than even the Statue of Liberty, the observation deck is also 12 feet higher than her torch. The Washington Monument is the only other doric column that stands taller than Perry’s Monument.
History of the War of 1812
On September 10, 1813, the Battle of Lake Erie took place. The British had six vessels and the Americans had nine vessels with the objective of taking control of Lake Erie. When the battle first started, the British were taking a heavy toll on the American ships. This was in part due to the fact that British cannons were much more accurate at far distances than the American’s cannons. The British destroyed the Lawrence forcing Perry to transfer to the Niagara with the Lawrence’s flag. Once Perry moved to the Niagara, the Americans started to win because the Niagara had hardly engaged the British fleet prior to Perry’s arrival.
The Niagara began to inflict heavy cannon fire on the British. All of the commanders of the British were either killed or wounded on their ships, leaving the British vessels under command of junior officers that had little experience. Perry too advantage of this and rammed the Niagara into the British lead ship while both crews exchanged fire. By nightfall, the British surrendered to Perry and lowered their flag.
The History of the Monument
On September 10, 1813, Naval Commander Oliver Hazard Perry and his troops sailed from Put-in-Bay to fight against the British in the Battle of Lake Erie. They successfully defended the border against invasion. This battle also turned the tide of the War of 1812.
Severely outnumbered, Commodore Perry instructed his troops to “don’t give up the ship!” This rallying cry to all those who fear defeat is memorialized on flags and t-shirts throughout the island. American officers and British officers alike remembered as we remember the lessons of international peace the War of 1812 taught us.
The Monument was commissioned to also be the burial place of three American and three British soldiers, and it was for a time. This was to serve as a reminder of the losses incurred on both sides in the Battle of Lake Erie. However these bodies were eventually exhumed and then re-interred at the cannon memorial in DeRivera Park.
About Put-in-Bay Island
Put-in-Bay is Ohio’s most popular vacation destination. The Lake Erie Island hosts visitors from Cleveland, Sandusky, New York, Michigan,and all over the United States. Although Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial is considered to be one of the island’s main attractions, there is still so much to explore. Your Put-in-Bay experience awaits. Just stop in the Perry Visitor Center, ask a few questions you might have, and begin your island exploration.