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 Replies: 12 / Views: 964 |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12811 Posts |
A few days ago my family and I visited Put-in-Bay, a village on a Lake Erie island called South Bass Island in northwestern Ohio. In addition to being a sort of Key West (i.e., party / spring break) place, it is also home to the Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial, which is the subject of the 2013 Ohio America the Beautiful Quarter. I had no idea about the latter part until we set foot on the island and saw the monument, which is shown on the 2013 quarter, in the distance. I said to myself, "self, that looks familiar". A quick Google search confirmed it. So after breakfast we trotted on down to the visitor center and learned all about the naval battle and persons for which the monument was erected. Per the U.S. National Parks Service site: Quote:
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 Great Britain, Canada and the U.S. The Memorial, a Doric column, rising 352 feet over Lake Erie is situated 5 miles from the longest undefended border in the world. The Battle of Lake Erie was a crucial battle in the War of 1812, in which the United States had declared war on Great Britain a mere 30 years after the American Revolution. You can purchase tickets to go to the top of the tower but we opted to not do that as we were tight on time to get back to the ferry. If you're interested in reading more about this National Memorial, click here. I'm also happy to answer any questions you may have about it or Put-in-Bay if you have any. I took some photos without thinking that I'd post about it, so perhaps these aren't framed as well as they could have been. Nevertheless, here they are.    P.S. I wasn't sure in which forum this would be most appropriate, so I picked the commemorative one. Edited by CelticKnot
07/12/2025 3:12 pm
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Moderator
 United States
34393 Posts |
Pretty cool looking @celt. Thx for posting. I bet the view would be pretty sweet from the top!
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
United States
12252 Posts |
I'm jealous! I've wanted to visit the Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial for a number of years. I started planning a visit years ago, and then learned that the Memorial was closed for maintenance! Oh well, maybe someday! 50+ years ago, there was an effort to have the US Mint strike a commemorative medal for the Battle of Lake Erie Sesquicentennial (in 1963). You can read about it here: What If? 1963 Battle Of Lake Erie Sesquicentennial. Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Valued Member
United States
283 Posts |
I have lived within 60 or so miles of the monument for about 54 of my almost 59 years and never visited. I have been to Johnsons Island many times though. It was a former Confederate POW camp. If you are in the area, it is a suggested visit.
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17883 Posts |
Thanks for posting, CelticKnot!  There is a 'Coins depicting Places' thread that you could put this in, with a photo of the coin as well as the monument. From the coin you can't really judge the size of the column. |
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Moderator
United States
15386 Posts |
I'm glad you had an opportunity to city to visit. I as well would enjoy going there someday.
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12811 Posts |
Quote:
I bet the view would be pretty sweet from the top! I bet you're right @Spence. However, we rode a few of the big coasters at Cedar Point the day prior to our visit to Put-in-Bay, and the weather was better that day, so I think I had a nice dose of the view. Quote:
50+ years ago, there was an effort to have the US Mint strike a commemorative medal for the Battle of Lake Erie Sesquicentennial (in 1963). You can read about it here: What If? 1963 Battle Of Lake Erie Sesquicentennial. @commems, I stumbled across that very article you wrote when I was did a search to see if there was already a thread out there on Perry's Victory. It's a great read. Quote:
commems: I started planning a visit years ago, and then learned that the Memorial was closed for maintenance! Oh well, maybe someday!
Nycstlrr: I have lived within 60 or so miles of the monument for about 54 of my almost 59 years and never visited.
nickelsearcher: I'm glad you had an opportunity to city to visit. I as well would enjoy going there someday. Do it! It's a lot of fun. The ferry ride is a short 20 minutes from Catawba Island. Besides the fantastic Memorial itself, there are plenty of great restaurants sprinkled in amongst the shot bars. There is a winery, a brewery, a natural cave and a butterfly preserve! Also, Put-in-Bay boasts the (previous) Guinness World Record holding longest bar in the world at over 405 feet long. The building looks like it is right out of the 70's. You can smell the smoke seeping out of the upholstery and ceiling tiles. It's...something. Quote:
I have been to Johnsons Island many times though. It was a former Confederate POW camp. If you are in the area, it is a suggested visit. We visit Cleveland every summer to see my mom. I want to visit Kelly's Island as well, perhaps we'll make a day of Kelly's and Johnson's. Quote:
There is a 'Coins depicting Places' thread that you could put this in Good suggestion! I'll do that a bit later. Edited by CelticKnot
07/13/2025 1:44 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2606 Posts |
Sounds like a fun trip! I'd love to be able to visit the memorial. I enjoyed researching and writing about the War of 1812 in college. It's definitely little-studied and under-appreciated. Quote:
I said to myself, "self, that looks familiar". I got too big a kick out of that.  |
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Moderator
United States
187582 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12811 Posts |
Done. Also, wanted to add a photo that I borrowed from Wikipedia of the statue of Commodore Oliver Hazzard Perry that is in the visitor's center. The statue is also on the quarter and is actually more prominent than the monument in that particular vignette. Also an image borrowed from the web out there of the 5oz version which is pretty close to the Wikipedia photo:   |
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Moderator
United States
187582 Posts |
Very nice! |
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
United States
12252 Posts |
While I consider the America the Beautiful Quarter series thematic vs. commemorative, this is one of the coins from the series that is a "sort of" commemorative as it was issued during the 200th Anniversary year of the the Battle of Lake Erie. Enjoyed the thread! Thanks! Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12811 Posts |
Quote:While I consider the America the Beautiful Quarter series thematic vs. commemorative, this is one of the coins from the series that is a "sort of" commemorative as it was issued during the 200th Anniversary year of the the Battle of Lake Erie. Indeed. I struggled briefly deciding in which forum I would post this. But since it was about the subject matter related to a U.S. coin and not the coin itself, I figured this one was close enough. Quote:
Enjoyed the thread! Thanks! Glad to be able to contribute! |
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Replies: 12 / Views: 964 |
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Posted 07/12/2025 3:09 pm
