The U.S. Brig Niagara was reconstructed and sailed into Sandusky Bay from Erie, Pennsylvania. Participants in the grand celebration included former President William Howard Taft, Lieutenant-General Nelson A. Miles, and the governors of eight states:Governor James M. Cox of Ohio, Governor Samuel Ralston of Indiana, Governor James McCreary of Kentucky, Governor Woodbridge Ferris of Michigan, Governor John Kinley Tener of Pennsylvania, Governor Aram J. Pothier of Rhode Island, Governor Edward Dunne of Illinois, and Governor Francis McGovern of Wisconsin. Rev. A. J. Carey of Chicago honored the over one hundred African American seamen who served under Commodore Perry. The festivities concluded with a banquet for eight hundred guests at the Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point.
Perry’s Victory inspired books, songs, and paintings, and the city of Perrysburg was named after Oliver Hazard Perry in 1816. You can visit the Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial at Put in Bay. From atop the Doric column, one can see for miles across Lake Erie. On June 2, 1936 President Franklin Roosevelt established the Perry Victory and International Peace Memorial as part of the National Park Service.
1 comment:
We always assumed my ancestor Lola Blakesley Morgan (1872-1954) was an only child. But, when we got her father's Civil War pension file from the National Archives, we discovered she had a brother named Oliver Perry Blakesley (who evidently died young). Thanks for the post about his namesake!
Incidentally, Lola and Oliver's father Edson McClure Blakesley (1845-1931) grew up in Sandusky, and lived there until he enlisted in Company F of the 145th Ohio Volunteers. His parents were John and Isabel (McClure) Blakesley. I'd love to compare notes with anyone with more info on the Blakesley or McClure families of Sandusky.
Post a Comment