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Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) | |
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| Location: | Put-in-Bay, Ohio, USA |
| Nearest city: | Sandusky, Ohio |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 25.38 acres (24.97 federal) 102,700 m² |
| Established: | June 2, 1936 |
| Total Visitation: | 155,689 (in 2005) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie, near Ohio's South Bass Island, in which Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry won the greatest naval battle of the War of 1812.
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." Beneath the stone floor of the monument lie the remains of three American officers and three British officers. It is among the tallest monuments in the United States (the Gateway Arch, San Jacinto Monument, and the 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.
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Established as Perry's Victory National Monument by Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 2, 1936; 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. It is the only peace memorial within the National Park Service.
The Memorial had been closed for most of the summer of 2006 after a 500-pound piece of granite broke off of the southeast face of the observation deck, falling 315 feet 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. A comprehensive study is planned and the results will be used to determine what repairs are necessary and how much the work will cost.