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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 led a fleet to victory in one of the most significant naval battles to occur in the War of 1812.[1] The memorial also celebrates the lasting peace between Britain, Canada, and the United States that followed the war.
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.[2] 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.
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.
At dawn on the morning of September 10, 1813, a lookout spotted six vessels to the northwest past rattlesnake island. Immediately Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry made preparations to sail forth to engage the British. Just before the engagement opened Perry hoisted his battle flag inscribed "DONT GIVE UP THE SHIP" and the Battle of Lake Erie began. Before the day ended, Commodore Perry had defeated and captured a British squadron of warships and secured control of Lake Erie for the United States. This victory enabled General William Henry Harrison to conduct a successful invasion of Western Upper Canada. 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, but in equal part it is here to celebrate the long-lasting peace between Britain, Canada and the U.S.