It hardly looks like the Taj Mahal, but Lake Erie’s South Bass Island Lighthouse in Ottawa County, Ohio, was considered luxurious living for a lighthouse keeper at the turn of the last century. The 2-1/2 floors of living space, basement and attached tower — not to mention such conveniences as a laundry room and kitchen range — made the dwelling downright spacious compared to similar ones around the country.
Today, The Ohio State University owns the unique property and hosts both South Bass Island Lighthouse & Gibraltar Island Tours during the summer months. South Bass Island was militarily significant during the War of 1812; the increased boat traffic sparked the need for a lighthouse, which was built in 1895. Visitors can climb the 26 steps to the lantern, as well as explore the quaint rooms that appear exactly as they did when the lighthouse keeper lived there. Currently, the lighthouse is a meeting place, laboratory, meteorological station and faculty housing facility.
For more maritime adventure, Gibraltar Island tours are accessible by water taxi from the Boardwalk in Put-in-Bay on South Bass. The island is aptly named, since its eastern edge rises out of the water in a manner similar to the more famous rock in the Mediterranean. The island is overflowing with the history of Jay Cooke and his family, who purchased the island in 1864 for $3,001.
The two-hour tour includes the massive, stone Cooke Castle (his original home) with its octagonal tower overlooking the island, and a handful of other buildings he constructed, along with a glimpse at the fascinating science and freshwater research taking place at OSU’s Stone Laboratory.