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.

 

Overview

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."

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 Britain, Canada, and the U.S. The

Memorial column, rising over Lake Erie, is situated five miles from the

longest undefended border in the world.

Although the monument bears the name of Oliver Hazard Perry and six

officers slain during the battle are buried under its rotunda, Perry is buried

in Newport Rhode Island. Beneath the stone floor of the monument lie the

remains of those three American officers and three British officers. Carved               

into the walls inside the rotunda are the names of soldiers and sailors who             

were killed or injured in the battle.The Doric Column is the only international  

peace memorial in the United States National Park System and stands 47                   View from the top of the

feet taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. The upper deck                 Column at Perry's Memorial

platform is 12 feet higher than the statue of Liberty’s torch.       

To visit the observation deck near the top, visitors must walk up 37 steps, pay the minimal admission cost ($5.00 cash only for adults over the age of 15 in 2016) then a National Park Ranger will transport them by elevator to the top. Rangers are stationed at the observation deck to answer questions and speak about the history and surrounding area. Views span Lake Erie, the islands and main-land of Ohio, and nearby islands in Ontario, including Middle Island, the southernmost point of land in Canada, and part of Point Pelee National Park.

The column is among the tallest monuments in the United States (the Gateway Arch, San Jacinto Monument, and Washington Monument are taller). Although substantially completed in 1915, funding problems prevented the proper completion of a fully realized memorial complex. In 1919 the federal government assumed control of the monument and provided additional funding. The official dedication was celebrated on July 31, 1931. In 2002, 2.4 million dollars was spent on a new visitor center. The memorial is visited by 200,000 people each year.

 

Administrative history

Established as Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial National Monument by Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 2, 1936 (Proclamation No. 2182); redesignated a National Memorial and renamed on October 26, 1972. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966; the listing's boundaries were increased in 2015.

 

2013 US quarter coin

 

                                                     Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial were selected to represent Ohio in

                                                     the multi-year America the Beautiful Quarters series, honoring a national site from

                                                     every US state, district, or territory. Its design shows Oliver Hazard Perry on the coin's

                                                     reverse, depicting the site's statue of Perry with the International Peace Memorial in

                                                     the distance. The design was selected from eleven proposals, none of which

                                                     included the words "International Peace".

 

                                                   The 2013 "Perry's Victory" quarter dollar

 

 

 

Structural concerns

The Memorial had been closed for most of the summer of 2006 after a 500

pound (230 kg) piece of granite broke off the southeast face of the

observation deck, falling 315 feet (96 m) and leaving a crater in the plaza

in June. No one was injured. Following a structural assessment that

deemed it safe for visitors, the memorial reopened on August 26, 2006,

with a fence surrounding it.

The monument closed on September 30, 2009, for repairs, and reopened

on July 3, 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The memorial column can be seen     

from the visitor's center through the    

window behind the statue of         

Commodore Perry.      

        

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