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On the Way to Put-in-Bay
A visit to the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society Museum this season is more than a chance to see historical exhibits, it’s an opportunity to view “On the Way to Put-in-Bay,” the display put together by museum curator Dan Savage dedicated to how visitors came to the island on big lake steamers before World War II.
Many of these steamers dwarf the size of today’s ferries. Many carried more passengers than service the islands today, plus many had live entertainment aboard as passengers enjoyed riding in comfort from cities like Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit to Put-in-Bay. It was different from anything we know today.
There are models of just a couple of the scores of steamers that came to the islands with hundreds of passengers who poured off the grand ships looking for fun, excitement, adventure and most likely a taste of the grape. Along with photos and paintings of the steamers are some interesting artifacts rescued from a few of the steamers before their era ended and they were scrapped. There are also old souvenirs from the boat rides once purchased by someone who treasured their steamer experience. If these souvenirs could only talk!
When you see the “On the Way to Put-in-Bay display, it will give you a peek into the past and the way we were. Please stop by the island museum, check out the steamer and the many other displays, and see if you’d really have liked living in the past.
A visit to the LEIHS Museum is an extraordinary value. The cost is a mere $5, with discounts for children and veterans gaining free admission. And if you’re a member, you get in free. The museum is located downtown Put-in-Bay on Catawba Ave. Enter the large driveway between the Put-in-Bay Brewery and the PIB Town Hall. The museum is located behind the Brewery on the left. Once you’ve visited the museum, go around to the back of the building and check out the bargains at the museum’s Resale Shop.
The previous piece is published in this month’s Put-in-Bay Gazette. The Gazette has been producing incredible independent Put-in-Bay island news for over 40 years. If you have any interest at all in what is happening on South Bass Island, we urge you strongly to subscribe to the Put-in-Bay Gazette. One-year online subscriptions are only $15, and print subscriptions are available as well. To subscribe please click here.