Hotel Victory on South Bass Island

The Hotel Victory opened on South Bass Island in 1892. It was an enormous structure that accommodated 625 guests and had a capacity for 800 dinner guests. The owners believed the hotel, located on a bluff on the west side of the island, could compete with the prestigious summer retreats on the East Coast. Promotional materials boasted that the Hotel Victory was the largest seasonal hotel in the country. The hotel burned to the ground in a massive fire in 1919. Today the grounds are part of the South Bass Island State Park.

South Bass Island Toboggan Water Slide

This aerial view shows the toboggan water slide on South Bass Island. Many such water slides existed on bathing beaches on Lake Erie's islands during the 1920s. .

President William Howard Taft and First Lady Nellie Taft at South Bass Island

This picture shows President William Howard Taft and First Lady Helen Herron Taft readying to lay the cornerstone of Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial on South Bass Island in August 1912. The monument was built between 1912 and 1915 to commemorate Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's victory on Lake Erie over the British fleet in September 1813. It also represented the lasting peace between the U.S., Canada, and England.

Gibraltar at a Distance

This image shows Gibraltar Island on the horizon. This seven-acres island was owned for many years by Jay Cooke, who spent weeks each summer and fall fishing. It lies just across the bay from South Bass Island.

Put-in-Bay Harbor

This photograph shows Put-in-Bay Harbor with Gibraltar Island across the bay in the background. This image was made from a stereoview card created by A. C. Platt in the 1880s. South Bass Island was a popular destination in the 1880s for residents of Toledo, Cleveland, and Detroit.

Wine Cask Cottages

Builders competed with each other in constructing cottages with visual appeal. Vacation rentals designed to look like wine casks, seen here in the 1930s and 1940s were available on the shoreline between Vermilion and Huron, Ohio and on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.

Beebe House

The Beebe House was one of the first hotels built on South Bass Island. Constructed in the 1860s, it was expanded by Henry Beebe in 1869. Situated on Main Street in Put-in-Bay, the hotel accommodated 400 guests. It housed a billiard room, bowling alley, and dance hall. Rates were $14,00 per week and $2.50 per day. Servants and children were half price.

The Round House

The Round House has been a prominent landmark at Put-in-Bay for more tthan a century. The building was built as a residence in Toledo, Ohio. It was dismantled and brought to South Bass Island and rebuilt at the corner of Delaware and Lorain Avenues, where it began operations in 1873 at the Columbia Restaurant. It remains one of the most popular bars on the island. At right is the Park Hotel.

Foot of Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, Ohio

The foot of Columbus Avenue in Sandusky, Ohio was the location of Lake Erie steamer service during the years from 1870 to 1930. As this picture shows hundreds of men and women have arrived and parked their automobiles and are preparing to board steamers for Lakeside, Kelleys Island, Cedar Point, and South Bass Island.

The Steamer Pearl

This image, taken around 1880 shows the steamer "Pearl" readying to dock at the Put-in-Bay House on South Bass Island. Sandy beaches, warm waters, natural harbors, and wineries began attracting visitors to the Erie Islands in the 1860s. This picture shows the harbor at Put-in-Bay taken from Gibraltar Island.