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Put-in-Bay is a village located on South Bass Island in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States 35 mi east of Toledo. The population was 138 at the 2010 census.

The village is a popular summer resort and recreational destination. Ferry and airline services connect the community with Catawba Island, Kelleys Island, Port Clinton, and Sandusky, Ohio.

The bay played a significant role in the War of 1812 as the location of the squadron of U.S. naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry, who sailed from the port on September 10, 1813, to engage a British squadron just north of the island in the Battle of Lake Erie.

History
The first known people to use the island were different groups of Native American tribes. The island provided great shelter for when they crossed Lake Erie. Early historic evidence and records show that the Ottawas, Miamis, Shawnee, Senecas, Iroquois, and the Eries were amongst the different Native American tribes to visit and use the island. 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, named the Griffon. They would transport fur and pelts from Queensland, Ontario to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Stopping at Middle Bass Island, were they found unique undiscovered flowers. They named the island Isle des Fleurs because of the flowers, and the name stayed for the next 200 years.

During the War of 1812, Put-in-Bay was an important base of operations for the US Naval fleet, commanded by Oliver Hazard Perry. Captain Perry and his fleet arrived at the island on August 16, 1813. They used the island to train and spy on the British, who were located at Fort Malden, Ontario, Canada. The 32 month long conflict was not looking good for the Americans. Detroit was surrendered to the British and every attempt to invade Canada was unsuccessful for the Americans. September 10, 1813, Captain Robert H. Barclay, the commander for the British was seen by a lookout on Captain Perry's flagship, the Lawrence. Captain Perry and his fleet hid behind the Bass islands and waited for the British to unknowingly cross their path. The British fleet was caught off guard by the surprise attack from the Americans. The battle began at 11:45 am about eight miles away from Put-in-Bay. Around 3:00 pm in the afternoon, on the same day Captain Perry and his fleet defeated the British. The British lost control of Lake Erie and their entire fleet of ships were captured. The fleet consisted of 6 ships. This event single handedly was the turning point in the war. Captain Perry’s used Put-in-Bay and the surrounding islands to his advantage, which resulted in a victory over the British. This was the first and only time in history the British Navy was defeated, changing the face of the war in a single day.

Two iconic American Navy slogans came from The Battle of Lake Erie. "Don't Give Up The Ship" and "We have met the enemy and they are ours," was said by Oliver Hazard Perry.

During the years of 1820 and 1830, the island was under the jurisdiction of Huron County, Ohio; but later joined to Ottawa County, Ohio. Put-in-Bay Township was finally established after 1830. The island was only very sparsely inhabited and there was no actual village prior to the creation of the township. The first known Caucasian resident on the island was Alexander Ewen, who had about 1,000 hogs roaming the island in 1810.

Origin of it's Name
The name "Put-in-Bay" originally only referred to the harbor because it was "shaped like a pudding bag with a soft bottom," showed in a 1879 journal. In the later-1700s, the schooners sailing on Lake Erie would put in to this bay, to wait out bad weather on Lake Erie. (Many of the unfamiliar sailors used the slang phonetic term, puddin' (or pudding) bay, resulting in later local-historians' attempt to attribute various explanations for the term "pudding bay", which, in reality, had no meaning, but was simply a slang phonetic variant of "Put-in-Bay".) Put-in-Bay is located 15 mi northwest of Sandusky, at 41.65306°N, -82.8175°W (41.653006, -82.817620).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.63 sqmi, of which 0.45 sqmi is land and 0.18 sqmi is water.

Memorial
Put-in-Bay is the site of Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorating Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's September 10, 1813, naval victory over British ships in the War of 1812. Construction of the monument began in 1912 and it opened to the public on June 13, 1915. It is 352 feet (107 m) tall and made up of 78 layers of pink granite, topped with an eleven ton (10 metric ton) bronze urn. Its height makes it the highest open-air observatory operated by the U.S. National Park Service. The remains of six naval officers, three British and three Americans, were interred beneath the floor of the monument's rotunda.

Census
As of the census of 2010, there were 138 people, 70 households, and 43 families residing in the village. The population density was 306.7 PD/sqmi. There were 263 housing units at an average density of 584.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 100.0% White.

There were 70 households of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.94 and the average family size was 2.44.

The median age in the village was 54.7 years. 15.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 2.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.1% were from 25 to 44; 38.4% were from 45 to 64; and 29% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 52.9% male and 47.1% female.

Education
The village is home to Put-in-Bay High School. Aside from South Bass Island, Put-In-Bay Local School District covers the Lake Erie Islands of Buckeye Island, Gibraltar Island, Green Island, Mouse Island, Rattlesnake Island, and Starve Island, even though most of these islands are uninhabited.

Airport

 * Put-in-Bay Airport offers a single, unlit, paved 2870-foot runway in addition to a helipad.
 * North Bass Island Airport located on North Bass Island, offers a 1804 ft (549.9 m) paved airstrip.

Tourism
For most of its history, the island's primary industry has been tourism and continues to be today. The tourist season runs roughly between April and October. The most common methods of transportation to and from the island are via ferry boat, propeller-driven aircraft and private boat.

One of the world's largest hotels, the Hotel Victory, opened its 625 rooms to the public in 1892. The four-story hotel featured a one-thousand-seat dining room. However, on August 14, 1919, the giant hotel burned to the ground. Today only parts of the foundations can be seen at the state campground.

Other historical sites include:


 * Stonehenge Estate &#x2013; An estate with 19th-century buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 * Perry's Cave &#x2013; Cave discovered by Native Americans. Perry sent men here during the War of 1812 (Battle of Lake Erie). Has an underground lake from which Perry's men obtained drinking water, after previously drinking from the bacteria filled Lake Erie water and getting sick. The water in the cave was clean and thus by drinking it, his men returned to health in order to win the battle.
 * Heineman's winery and Crystal Cave &#x2013; the world's largest geode.
 * Lake Erie Islands Historical Society &#x2013; 6,000 square foot (560 m²) museum that houses artifacts, memorabilia and genealogical data pertinent to the Lake Erie Islands.

There are under 150 full-time (South Bass Island) residents, most of whom remain on the island over the winter. Supplies and perishables are flown to the island during the winter months along with the mail, parcels and bank employees who staff the island's only bank (for one day a week) until the spring. The island has a single school that is used for grades kindergarten through 12 and serves the educational requirements of Middle Bass and North Bass islands. These students arrive by plane, boat or ATV across the frozen lake depending on the season and weather.

Put-in-Bay has one grocery store, one hardware store, one school - which houses the one lending library branch - one gas station, a post office, one bank and two cemeteries. It has one seasonal franchise restaurant, Subway. There is no cinema. The island does not have a hospital, but does have an Emergency Medical Service that can use a Life Flight helicopter to transport critically ill patients to mainland medical facilities.

In 1952–1959, as well as 1963, the island held road races around a 3 mi course. In 2011, the Put-in-Bay Road Races Reunion returned to the island. The temporary road course set up at the Put-in-Bay Airport during the 2011 event was a key step in pointing the way to the return of real vintage sports car racing to the island for 2012.

The Boy Scouts of America hold an annual camporee at the base of Perry's Monument.