Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Location	Put-in-Bay, Ohio, U.S.
Nearest city	Sandusky, Ohio
Coordinates
Area	25.38 acres (10.27 ha) 24.97 acres (10.11 ha) federal
Established	June 2, 1936
Visitors	155,689 (in 2005)
Governing body	National Park Service
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial U.S. National Register of Historic Places Designated October 15, 1966 (original) April 28, 2015 (increase) Reference no. 66000118, 15000185

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

The Memorial Column

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 5 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 Service and stands 47 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. The upper deck platform is 12 feet taller than the statue of Liberty’s torch.

View from the top of the Column at Perry's Memorial

To visit the observation deck near the top, visitors must walk up 37 steps, pay the minimal admission cost ($3.00 cash only for adults over the age of 15 in 2015) 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 mainland of Ohio and other islands nearby in the U.S. and Canada.

Inside the rotunda at the base of the column

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

2013 "Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial" Quarter

The 2013 "Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial Quarter" shows Oliver Hazard Perry in the reverse design, depicting the site's statue of Perry with the International Peace Memorial in the distance.

Structural concerns

Next to Perry's Monument, the flags of the three countries are at the same height representing peace between them.

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.

Other Navy memorials

The memorial column can be seen from the visitor's center through the window behind the statue of Commodore Perry.

• United States Navy Memorial#Other Navy memorials

The Memorial Plaque on the Floor of the Rotunda

References

• The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
• Toledo Blade: "Perry memorial to reopen"
• Toledo Blade: "Monument shut after granite falls"
• Toldeo Blade: "Monument remains shut pending study"
• Toledo Blade: "Time chips away at Perry memorial"

Further reading

• Downloadable resources regarding Oliver Hazard Perry, including orations at the opening of the Put-in-Bay monument, American Library Association.

External links

• National Park Service: Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
• Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial Passport Stamp
• 

  Steps inside Perry's Monument
  3D model