Kelleys Island, OH

Kelleys Island is both a village in Erie County, Ohio, and the island which it fully occupies in Lake Erie. The 2020 census counted 300 residents. During the beginning of the War of 1812, the island was used as a military rendezvous post, first by the British and later by the U.S. Military. Kelleys Island is the largest of the American Lake Erie Islands, and is a part of the Sandusky metropolitan area. Kelleys Island is primarily a vacation destination. Kelleys Island School serves the island and is located on Division Street. The village has a public library, a branch of the Sandusky Library system.

Kelleys Island makes sense once you see how its past, landscape, and current gathering spots overlap. The useful thing to know about Kelleys Island is that its older landmarks and current settings belong to one connected place. The first ferry to regularly serve the island was the Neuman Ferry, founded in 1907 by John Paul Neuman. The boat originally provided transport from Lakeside, Ohio to what is now East Harbor State Park on Catawba Island. Kelleys Island is home to Kelley's Island Wine Company, established in 1872.