South Bass Island Light

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, August 17, 2003

1. South Bass Island Light Marker

Inscription. Constructed and first lit in 1897, the South Bass Island Light was in continuous operation until 1962 when the U. S. Coast Guard built an automated light tower to replace it. Significant for its contribution to transportation and commerce on Lake Erie, the South Bass Island Light was built to safely guide vessels through the crowded South Passage. Although many light stations were constructed with a dwelling as a separate structure, the keeper's dwelling of the South Bass Light was attached to the 60-foot tower. The dwelling was designed in the Queen Anne style with red brick laid in Flemish bond. Outbuildings, a barn and oil house, were built in 1899. In 1967, The Ohio State University acquired the property for support of the F. T. Stone Laboratory programs for research, education, and outreach. South Bass Island Light was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Erected 2002 by The Ohio State University and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 9-62.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Education • Landmarks • Waterways & Vessels.

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In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.

Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 41° 37.733′ N, 82° 50.436′ W. Marker was near Put-in-Bay, Ohio, in Ottawa County. It was on Langram Road, on the left when traveling west. This historical marker is on the southwestern tip of South Bass Island, just east of the lighthouse. If you take the Miller Ferry boat service from Catawba Island to South Bass Island, once you arrive on the island, immediately proceed to the first street (Langram Road), turn left onto Langram and travel west for about 2 to 3 tenths of a mile and you will arrive at both the lighthouse and the historical marker. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 2360 Langram Road, Put in Bay OH 43456, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was on the Lake Erie Shore

and in the Toledo Metropolitan Area.

It was also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it was in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

South Bass Island Light image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, August 17, 2003

2. South Bass Island Light

View of backside of lighthouse looking southward, with a view of Lake Erie, just beyond the lighthouse.

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Call to Duty Salute (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Call to Duty Salute (approx. 1.1 miles away); Ohio Department of Natural Resources 75th Anniversary (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Doller House (approx. 2 miles away); Joseph (Jose) DeRivera St. Jurgo (approx. 2 miles away); Oelschlager's Dry Goods Store (approx. 2 miles away); Within This Enclosure (approx. 2 miles away); Joseph De Rivera St. Jurgo, 1813-1889 (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Put-in-Bay.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, August 17, 2003

3. South Bass Island Light

View looking northward of the frontside of the lighthouse.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, July 5, 2006

4. South Bass Island Light

View of the lighthouse as seen from a boat in the water sitting just offshore from the lighthouse.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, July 5, 2006

5. South Bass Island Light Marker

Another view of lighthouse, from the boat sitting in the waters of Lake Erie, just offshore from the lighthouse.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,013 times since then and 32 times this year. Last updated on July 11, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 1, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.