Oliver Hazard Perry & the Battle of Lake Erie-- Part 4

Instead of striking his colors, much to the surprise of the British, Perry lowered his flag on the USS Lawrence and rowed across the water to the USS Niagara, which was still in the fight.   He then raised his colors, a flag with the inscription "Don't Give Up the Ship," the last words of his friend James Lawrence.  He then continued the fight.

He forced the British to surrender.

His victory at the Battle of Lake Erie was a decisive turning point of the War of 1812.  The American people had something positive to cling to and celebrations in dozens of cities took place.  Now there was hope that the momentum of the war would shift.

And it sure did.

Today, Perry's legacy lives on, and perhaps most symbolic of this is the Victory and International Peace Memorial, which was built in 1936  in Put-In-Bay, Ohio, on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.  This dedication to Perry represents lasting peace between Canada, the United States and Great Britain, which in turn created stability and made it possible for surrounding  areas such as Trumbull County to thrive and grow.

--Brock-Perry

Standing Tall on Lake Erie-- Part 1: Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

From the Summer Hallowed Ground Magazine, American Battlefield Trust.

Just five miles south of the Canadian border, on an isthmus near downtown Put-in-Bay, Ohio, on South Bass Island in Lake Erie, stands a 352-foot-tall monument towering over the town and lake.  Free-standing, Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial is the world's tallest Doric column -- a plain, thick column that is a common sight at federal buildings throughout D.C..

The monument stands 47 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty when measuring  the New York Harbor landmark from the ground to the tip of Liberty's torch.

It is indeed a striking sight, usually simply referred to as Perry's Monument.  It is also the only international peace memorial overseen by the National Park Service.

However, it is so much more than these pieces of trivia.

--Brock-Perry

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial-- Part 3

The monument was dedicated July 31, 1931.

In 2004, $2.4 million was spent on a new visitor center.  The monument receives some 200,000 visitors a year, despite the fact that it is on an island.

It was featured on a 2013 U.S. quarter, along with Oliver Hazard Perry.

It was closed most of the summer of 2006 after a 500 pound piece of granite broke off the southeast corner of the observation deck.  In 2009 it was closed for repairs and reopened in 2013.

More recently, it was closed in the summer of 2017 for repairs and cleaning.

Story of a Monument.  --Brock-Perry

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial-- Part 2: Mighty Tall Monument

From Wikipedia.

The memorial is 75 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty and its upper deck platform is 12 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty's torch.  Only the Gateway Arch, San Jacinto Monument and Washington Monument are taller of our national monuments.

Entering the column, the visitor goes up 37 steps and then a National Park Service ranger will operate an elevator to the viewing deck.  From there you have an incredible view.

Perry's fleet of American ships sailed out from Put-In-Bay before the big victory at the Battle of Lake Erie, a major turning point of the War of 1812.

The tower was mostly finished by 1915, but problems kept it from completion until the federal government assumed control in 1919 and provided the additional funds to finish it.

--Brock-Perry

Perry's Victory and Peace Memorial-- Part 1: 352-Feet Tall

From Wikipedia.

This monument is located on an isthmus of South Bass Island (Put-In-Bay).  At 352-feet tall, it is the largest Doric column in the world.  Its construction was run by a multi-state commission from 1912-1915 "to inculcate the lessons of international peace by arbitration and disarmament" between the United States and Canada.

It honors Oliver Hazard Perry and six officers (three British and three American) who died during the Battle of Lake Erie). The six officers are buried under the rotunda of the monument.  Perry, however, is buried in Newport, Rhode Island.  Carved into the walls of the rotunda are the names of soldiers and sailors who were killed or wounded in the battle.

--Brock-Perry

Put-In-Bay Celebrates Reopening of the Perry's Victory and International Memorial Today

From the May 16, 2018, Toledo (Ohio) Blade.

Local dignitaries will be on hand at the Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial in Put-In-Bay, Ohio, on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.  It will open today, Saturday, May 19, 2018.

The 353-foot tall tower was off limits to visitors since last summer.  The museum and visitors center, outside of it, however, was open.  Workers cleaned and repointed the granite column and replaced broken tiles inside the structure.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at 10 a.m. and three U.S. and state congressmen are to be in attendance.

The tower is to honor the dead of the Battle of Lake Erie as well as Oliver Hazard Perry's victory as well as peace between the United States and Canada for all these years since the War of 1812.

The project cost $2.4 million.

--Brock-Perry

War Hero Perry Keeps Popping Up While Traveling-- Part 1

From the August 29, 2015, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch by Steve Stevens.

Newport, Rhode Island--  There is a statue of Oliver Hazard Perry in Washington Square near the Colony House which was once Rhode Island's Statehouse.

Next to the statue is the Buliod-Perry House.  Perry, a Rhode Island native, bought it shortly after his victory at the Battle of Lake Erie.  The house was built around 1750 and has been restored and preserved by the Newport Restoration Foundation.

Perry died of yellow fever on another Navy ship in 1819 on his 34th birthday.  He is buried in Newport's Island Cemetery near his brother, Matthew C. Perry, another famous Newport Navy hero.

Put-in-Bay, Ohio--  Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial,  At 352 feet tall, it is the world's most massive Doric column.

--Brock-Perry