Lake Erie Islands Historical Society & Museum

Lake Erie Islands Historical Society & Museum The first museum opened in 1987 at the historic Put-in-Bay Bottling Works building. WE offer six levels of membership, and anyone interested is invited to join.

The Lake Erie Islands Historical Society welcomes you to explore the varied history of the beautiful islands of Lake Erie's Western Basin through our many displays. Originally the Put-in-Bay Centennial Celebration Committee (PIBCCC) established in 1975, this organization was renamed the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society in 1985 when a group of dedicated island residents formed to make their vis

ion of an island museum a reality. A new 6,000 square foot museum building with a research library and archive was opened in 1998. The LEIHS's mission is to educate about Lake Erie Islands history, and to protect and preserve island history for future generations. The museum hosts events for members, fundraising events open to everyone, history programs, and collaborative events with island partners. Open daily in the summer months and weekends in the spring and fall, the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society museum welcomes school groups, with advance notice please, to explore the history and mystery of the Lake Erie Islands and island life.

02/26/2026
02/25/2026
The annual foggy days as warm air meets disintegrating ice.
02/19/2026

The annual foggy days as warm air meets disintegrating ice.

A century ago, ice fishermen sold their catches to Lay Brothers of Sandusky, who also had a boathouse for commercial fis...
02/16/2026

A century ago, ice fishermen sold their catches to Lay Brothers of Sandusky, who also had a boathouse for commercial fisherman near today’s State Park dock.

The Heritage Resale Shop building is closed but that won't stop our intrepid Volunteer Anne Auger from accepting donatio...
02/13/2026

The Heritage Resale Shop building is closed but that won't stop our intrepid Volunteer Anne Auger from accepting donations for the shop on Saturday, February 14, from 10 am to 1 pm at the Historical Society Museum where we'll also have the Museum Gift Shop open and an array of fine items curated from Heritage Resale's inventory. Happy Valentine's Day! Spread the love.

East Point turnaround. East Point in the 1800s was covered by vineyards planted by German immigrants from Baden-Baden wh...
02/13/2026

East Point turnaround. East Point in the 1800s was covered by vineyards planted by German immigrants from Baden-Baden who built their own wine cellars.

We cried when this fell…
02/11/2026

We cried when this fell…

Ohio has incredible geologic wonders that are part of our Geoheritage. Unfortunately, some of these wonders have been lost to time. Since it’s the week of Valentine’s, we are going to take you back in time and share five beloved 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘩𝘪𝘰 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺.

Today’s feature is Needle’s Eye, a natural arch. A natural arch is a rock exposure with a hole completely through it, created by natural removal of rock with an intact rock frame around the hole. There are several different types of arches—Needle’s Eye was a vertical crevice arch that was tall and narrow, formed by weathering and enlargement of a vertical crevice.

Made of Silurian-age (~430–423 million years ago) dolostone, Needle’s Eye was visible from Gibraltar Island in Lake Erie. Needle’s Eye collapsed in the winter of 2020 as a result of natural weathering.

Photo: 1910 postcard of Needle’s Eye, published by Hugh C. Leighton Company, from the Ohio Geological Survey archive.

South Bass Lighthouse, built in the 1890s, allowed the light keeper to stay inside their warm house while climbing the c...
02/08/2026

South Bass Lighthouse, built in the 1890s, allowed the light keeper to stay inside their warm house while climbing the circular staircase to the tower. Fresnel lens at our Museum.

Wild Caves: 20-some emit heat, growing moss Commercial Caves: Heineman’s & Crystal, plus the closed Mammoth & Paradise o...
02/04/2026

Wild Caves: 20-some emit heat, growing moss Commercial Caves: Heineman’s & Crystal, plus the closed Mammoth & Paradise of former days

Hotel Victory ghost? South Bass Island State Park dock. (2024)
01/30/2026

Hotel Victory ghost? South Bass Island State Park dock. (2024)

Stone’s Cove. Settler John Stone built his vineyard and house nearby. His wine cellar still stands in the hillside behi...
01/28/2026

Stone’s Cove. Settler John Stone built his vineyard and house nearby. His wine cellar still stands in the hillside behind the South Bass Island State Park office.

Address

443 Catawba Ave., P.O Box 25
Put-in-Bay, OH
43456

Telephone

+14192852804

Website

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