Kelleys Island in Erie County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Island House
Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019
1. The Island House Marker
Inscription.
The Island House. . Datus and Sara Kelley built their home here in 1843, known as the Island House. It was located up the hill from the steamboat landing and across the street from the island store (the Lodge, 1854). In 1873, Jacob Rush bought the property and built a 102-room hotel. This “pleasure resort” was 224 feet wide and three stories tall. It featured many amenities, including a bowling alley, billiard parlor, bath houses, laundry, barber shop, livery stable, and a dancing pavilion (the Casino) overlooking the lake. A fire destroyed the structure in November 1877. Later owners of the property where the hotel stood were Clara Fann and George Schardt in 1892, Frank Stang in 1895, Jacob Kuebler in 1899, and John Himmeline in 1905. Himmeline sold the property to the Village for use as a park in 1925.
Datus and Sara Kelley built their home here
in 1843, known as
the Island House. It was located up the hill from the
steamboat landing and
across
the street from the island store (the Lodge,
1854). In 1873, Jacob Rush bought the property and built a 102-room hotel.
This “pleasure resort” was 224 feet wide and three stories
tall. It featured many amenities, including a bowling alley, billiard
parlor, bath houses, laundry,
barber shop,
livery stable,
and a
dancing pavilion (the Casino) overlooking the lake. A fire destroyed
the structure in November 1877.
Later owners
of the property where the hotel stood were
Clara Fann and George Schardt in
1892,
Frank Stang in 1895,
Jacob Kuebler in 1899,
and John
Himmeline in 1905. Himmeline sold the property to the Village for
use as a park in 1925.
Erected 2016 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation, Village of Kelleys Island, and The Ohio History Connection. (Marker Number 31-22.)
series list. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1877.
Location. 41° 35.637′ N, 82° 42.649′ W. Marker is on Kelleys Island, Ohio, in Erie County. It is at the intersection of East Lakeshore Drive and Division Street, on the left when traveling east on East Lakeshore Drive. It is in Memorial Park. There is a car ferry with frequent service from Lakeside Marblehead (a 34 minute ride), and a hydrofoil passenger ferry from Sandusky (a 20 minute ride). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 112 Division St, Kelleys Island OH 43438, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Ohio’s Lake Erie Shore and in the Western Reserve. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies:
There is a light coating of snow on the street. The empty lot on the right before the first house is where the Island Hotel stood before it burned and where Memorial Park is now.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 7, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 612 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 31, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 3. submitted on November 7, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
