Near Put-in-Bay in Ottawa County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Jay Cooke Mansion
Completed in 1865, this home was the vacation retreat of Jay Cooke and his family. Known as the "financier" for the Union states during the Civil War, Cooke organized a program to sell millions of dollars worth of bonds to support the war effort. The house is of a high Victorian Italianate mode with a Gothic style tower topped with crenellations. Distinctive hood moldings outline windows and over-scaled and ornamental brackets support crowning cornices. The house, commonly known as Cooke Castle, hosted many notables of the time, including William T. Sherman, William Howard Taft, Rutherford B. Hayes, Salmon Chase and John Brown, Jr. Born in Sandusky in 1821, Cooke, an avid fisherman, acquired the island for $3,001 in 1864. University trustee Julius Stone gave the island to The Ohio State University in 1925. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1966.
Erected 2003 by The Ohio State University and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 14-62.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Government & Politics • Man-Made Features • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #27 William Howard Taft, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.
Location. 41° 39.506′ N, 82° 49.182′ W. Marker is near Put-in-Bay, Ohio, in Ottawa County. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Put in Bay OH 43456, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Gibraltar Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); The Doller House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Within This Enclosure (approx. 0.4 miles away); Amareta Mosher Anchor (approx. 0.4 miles away); First Ship-To-Shore Radio Broadcast (approx. 0.4 miles away); Joseph De Rivera St. Jurgo, 1813-1889 (approx. 0.4 miles away); Gibraltar Island (approx. 0.4 miles away); Oelschlager's Dry Goods Store (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Put-in-Bay.
Regarding Jay Cooke Mansion. Gibraltar Island is owned by The Ohio State University and is home to OSU's Stone Laboratory, the oldest freshwater biological field station in the country. Public access to the island is restricted to the lab's annual Open House day, which can be found at the link below.
Also see . . . Jay Cooke House. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on March 28, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 20, 2010, by Jamie Abel of Westerville, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,468 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 20, 2010, by Jamie Abel of Westerville, Ohio. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.