Kelleys Island in Erie County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Inscription Rock

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 30, 2005

1. Inscription Rock Marker

Inscription. Between three and four hundred years ago, Ohio pre-historic Indians, believed to be of the Erie tribe, pecked numerous inscriptions or pictographs on the top surface of this large native limestone rock. The figures, now nearly obliterated by the elements, measured and drawn in detail by Captain Seth Eastman, United States Army, in 1850. This relief of the Inscription Rock was made from the original Eastman drawing. Scale is approximately 1 to 15. The meanings of the pictographs are not known. There are at least eight human figures, all with headdresses and some smoking pipes; also animal and bird forms.

Erected 1968 by Ohio Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Landmarks • Native Americans. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.

Location. 41° 35.52′ N, 82° 42.444′ W. Marker is on Kelleys Island, Ohio, in Erie County. Marker is at the intersection of Lake Shore Road and Addison Road, on the right when traveling east on Lake Shore Road. This historical marker is located on Kelleys Island, in Lake Erie. To see this marker one must travel to Marblehead, Ohio and catch the ferry boat service to Kelleys Island. The historical marker is located on the south

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

shore of the island. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kelleys Island OH 43438, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Island House (approx. ¼ mile away); The German Reformed Church / The Church Parsonage (approx. half a mile away); Glacial Grooves State Memorial (approx. 1.7 miles away); USS Wasp CV7 Memorial (approx. 3.7 miles away); First Congregational Church (approx. 3.7 miles away); Danbury Township Veterans Memorial (approx. 3.7 miles away); Donald & Coralen Bettinger Park (approx. 3.8 miles away); The View From Here (approx. 3.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kelleys Island.

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 30, 2005

2. Inscription Rock Marker

Close-up view of the scale model reproduction of Inscription Rock that is affixed to this historical marker.

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 30, 2005

3. Inscription Rock Marker

View of the Ohio Historical Society property marker situated in front of Inscription Rock, which can be seen in the background along the Lake Erie shoreline.

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 30, 2005

4. Inscription Rock Marker

View looking west along the island's Lake Erie shoreline of the structure built to protect Inscription Rock.

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 30, 2005

5. Inscription Rock Marker

A more distant view, looking west along the island's Lake Erie shoreline, of the structure built to protect Inscription Rock and the adjacent shoreline.

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 30, 2005

6. Inscription Rock Marker

View looking north, from a watercraft in the waters of Lake Erie, of Inscription Rock.

Inscription Rock Itself image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

7. Inscription Rock Itself

Inscription Rock , Kelleys Island—Lake Erie, Ohio image. Click for full size.

Ektachrome by Helen S. O’Brien. J.J. Prats Postcard Collection., undated

8. Inscription Rock , Kelleys Island—Lake Erie, Ohio

Postcard showing the previous historical marker at this location. The inscription is difficult to read but appears to be the same as the current marker. The back of the postcard reads, “Between three and four hundred years ago, Ohio prehistoric Indians believed to be of the Erie tribe, pecked numerous inscriptions or pictographs an the top surface of this large native limestone rock.” Undated postcard published by Gainsborough Studio, Sandusky, Ohio, No. 91-K-26/64675. It is a Dextone card “made direct fromKodachrome and Ansco Color by Dexter Press, Inc., West Nyack, N. Y.”

Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 26, 2010. This page has been viewed 1,841 times since then and 40 times this year. Last updated on October 30, 2020, by Robert Baughman of Bellefontaine, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 26, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 7. submitted on November 3, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 8. submitted on November 7, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.