Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial is pleased to announce a day of free admission. On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, the park will celebrate the 108th anniversary of the Memorial’s opening to the public. We encourage visitors to help us celebrate this special day by enjoying the spectacular views from atop the Memorial’s observation deck and contemplating why the Memorial was constructed to—honor those who fought and died in the Battle of Lake Erie and celebrate the long-lasting peace between the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Visitors will also have the unique opportunity to bring a piece of mail to be hand cancelled by Put-in-Bay Postmaster, John R. Domer, in the rotunda of the Memorial from 2-4pm on June 13. The park worked with Dave Gill to develop a new hand cancellation stamp under the US Postal Service Postmark America program. This new cancellation stamp will be used for the first time June 13, and afterwards will be available upon request at the Put-in-Bay Post Office. Artwork for this new hand cancellation stamp features the Memorial and was created by David Peltier.
“We are delighted Postmaster Domer will join us to unveil the new cancellation stamp and to offer this experience to the public. The $10 entrance fee to the Memorial’s observation deck will be waived for the entire day so the cost on June 13 will be very close to the price of admission in 1915 which was 25 cents,” said Superintendent Barbara Rowles.
Made of Milford pink granite and rising 352 feet above Lake Erie, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial offers inspiring views of the Lake Erie Islands and the shorelines of Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario. The Memorial was constructed between 1912 and 1915 and houses the remains of three American and three British officers killed in the Battle of Lake Erie. While there was minimal fanfare when the Memorial opened in 1915, the park is excited to welcome the public to the Memorial on this special fee-free day. A ticket with a reserved time is required to visit the observation deck–these are available in the Visitor Center located at 180 Toledo Avenue, Put-in-Bay.