Gibraltar Island (or the "Gem of Lake Erie") is an island in Ohio, located within Lake Erie. This small 6.55-acre (2.6 ha) island is just offshore of South Bass Island. It is part of Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio.
The rocky island is named for its resemblance to the Rock of Gibraltar.
History
Gibraltar Island became a lookout point for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in the fight against the British during the War of 1812. Perry and his men defeated a fleet of British sailing vessels during the famous Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. As a result, the lookout point on Gibraltar Island became known as Perry's Lookout.
Ownership of the island remained with Connecticut until Pierpont Edwards, a New York City banker, purchased the deed in 1807. Sandusky, Ohio native Jay Cooke bought the island from Edwards in 1864 and immediately began construction of a 15-room Victorian-Gothic mansion (now known as Cooke Castle). The Cooke family entertained a variety of notables, such as William Tecumseh Sherman, Salmon P. Chase, Rutherford B. Hayes, Grover Cleveland, and Benjamin Harrison. John Brown's son Owen, whose brother John Jr. lived on neighboring South Bass Island (Put-In-Bay), was caretaker during the winter and when the Cookes were away. In the early 1880s Cooke's daughter, Laura Barney, sold it to Julius Stone, who eventually gave it to the Ohio State University.