During the War of 1812, Put-in-Bay was the strategic port on South Bass Island from which Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry sailed to defeat the British fleet. In the latter half of the 19th century, the small island emerged as a tourist destination, with steamships regularly ferrying city-dwellers to the village�s relaxing hotels and resorts. In its heyday, it was home to the largest hotel resort in America, the Hotel Victory, before it perished in a fire.
