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History · Put-in-Bay Township

Put-in-Bay Township’s post office opened in 1860, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

11 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 30 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1880.

1860first post office
11on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Put-in-Bay Township began

When was Put-in-Bay Township founded?

1860

The Put-in-Bay Township post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, North Bass Island (1864), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 381 in 18802020 census: 813166 years
Founding year: the first Put-in-Bay Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Put-in-Bay Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Put-in-Bay Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1969. Watch Put-in-Bay Township change.A historic districtThe Middle Bass Club Historic District takes in 27 historic buildings.Landmarks on the Register11 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Put-in-Bay Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Put-in-Bay Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Put-in-Bay Township on the map, 1901 to 1969

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Put-in-Bay Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Put-in-Bay Township on the 1901 USGS mapPut-in-Bay Township on the 1959 USGS mapPut-in-Bay Township on the 1969 USGS map1901Put-In-Bay sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Put-in-Bay Township.

On the National Register

11 listings protect 50 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
11
National Historic Landmark
1
none yet
historic buildings protected
50
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Middle Bass Club Historic District
South Bass Island Light, built 1895Green Island Light, built 1855North Bass SchoolMiddle Bass Club Historic DistrictGolden Eagle Wine CellarsEast Point ManorFoster-Gram HouseCharles Andres House
BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructures

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival3
Italianate3
Smith, Lt1
Graham, T.N.1
Gothic Revival1
Second Empire1
South Bass Island LightSmith, Lt · Built 1895
Green Island LightGraham, T.N. · Built 1855
North Bass SchoolBuilding
All 8 listings
Middle Bass Club Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985Golden Eagle Wine CellarsBuilding · listed 1986East Point ManorDistrict · listed 1990Foster-Gram HouseBuilding · listed 1992Charles Andres HouseBuilding · listed 1995

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Put-in-Bay Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Put-in-Bay Township.

Read it all →

The first known people to use the island were various groups of Native American tribes, including the Ottawas, Miamis, Shawnee, Senecas, Iroquois, and the Eries. The island provided shelter during crossings of Lake Erie. Some remains were discovered when a section of the island was plowed.

In 1679, Robert LaSalle and thirty-two of his men were the first to sail a large vessel in the Great Lakes: the Griffon. They would transport fur and pelts from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Queensland, Ontario. Stopping at Middle Bass Island, they found unique undiscovered flowers. They named the island Isle des Fleurs because of the flowers; this name was used for the next 200 years.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Put-in-Bay Township, 1855 to 1901

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855BuiltGreen Island Light is built
  3. 1864Post officeThe North Bass Island post office opens
  4. 1866Post officeThe Middle Bass post office opens
  5. 1874Post officeThe North Bass Island post office closes
  6. 1874Post officeThe Isle Saint George post office opens
  7. 1895BuiltSouth Bass Island Light is built
  8. 20th century
  9. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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People over time

Put-in-Bay Township, census by census

010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 381

Between 128 and 381 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Put-in-Bay Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, North Bass Island, opened and closed inside today’s town.

North Bass Island
1864–1874
Middle Bass
1866–today
Isle Saint George
1874–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Isle Saint GeorgeMiddle Bass
Gone or out of use
Lonz Airportairport
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Put-in-Bay Township
Crown HillMaple LeafMiddle Bass IslandNorth Bass Island

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Jerusalem Township1 historic placeA−Catawba Island Township3 historic placesC+Carroll Township1 historic placeB+

Questions about Put-in-Bay Township’s history

What year was Put-in-Bay Township founded?

The Put-in-Bay Township post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Put-in-Bay Township?

11 listings: 4 buildings, 2 historic districts, the Middle Bass Club Historic District and the East Point Manor, with 30 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 1 structure. 50 historic buildings in all.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.