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Mouse Island For Sale

Mouse Island, the small island a few hundred yards off Miller’s Catawba Dock and formerly owned by President Rutherford B. Hayes, went up for sale this past month. The asking price for the seven-acre, wooded island is a mere $5 million. 

The island has been uninhabited for years, but prior to World War II, the Hayes family had a summer cottage on it since 1874. While its owner was away serving in World War II, the cottage was vandalized and left in ruins. Today only the fireplace and chimney of the cottage remain. The Hayes family sold the island in 1966.

Referring to Treaty of Ghent surveys conducted in 1820-21, early maps show the island’s first name as Hat Island. A map from 1863 shows it as Mouse Island. When viewed from above, the resembles the shape of a mouse swimming east toward Kelleys Island with a short tail at its western end. According to reports, the new owner can change the island’s name.

If you’re in the market for your very own Lake Erie Island, pick up your phone and  contact your favorite Realtor.

OhioMeansJobs Coming to Put-in-Bay

OhioMeansJobs staff will be traveling to Put-in-Bay to provide in-person workforce services for residents and seasonal workers. Services include help with unemployment questions, required OhioMeansJobs and RESEA activities, resumes and career profiles, and education and training information.

The next on-island visit is Tuesday, February 10, with appointments available from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Appointments are preferred. To schedule, email OhioMeansJobs at omjottawa@gmail.com or call Monica Metcalf at (419) 707-8615.

OhioMeansJobs plans to be on the island once per month, as needed, from October through March, with fewer visits expected in spring. Employers preparing for the 2026 season are also encouraged to connect with staff to learn about services available to support hiring. 

Community Foundation Accepting Grant Applications

The Ottawa County Community Foundation (OCCF) is currently accepting grant applications for the 2026-27 grant cycle. OCCF grants support special projects in the fields of education, health and social services, economic development, natural resources and the arts.

“Today’s struggles in our communities are greater than ever,” says OCCF Grants Chair Mary Coffee. “OCCF looks forward to partnering with our county nonprofit agencies in 2026 to help those in need.”

Last year, the Foundation awarded 44 grants totaling more than $108,000 to local nonprofit organizations. According to Coffee, $90,000 of that total was awarded to 34 nonprofits as part of the annual community grants cycle.  Additional grants throughout the year supported efforts such as skilled trades training for high school students, science field trips to Stone Lab for each school district in Ottawa County, dyslexia training for schoolteachers, the Top Ten Scholarship Banquet, and Rapid Response needs to nonprofits experiencing special hardships or increased demand for services.

Several Put-in-Bay–based organizations were among those receiving OCCF funding last year, including:

  • Lake Erie Islands Conservancy — Preservation of historic agricultural buildings and installation of interpretive signage
  • Lake Erie Islands Nature & Wildlife Center — Development of a display highlighting migratory bird pathways and sounds
  • Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau — Redesign of the Chamber’s member portal
  • The Perry Group — Printing of event flyers and marketing materials

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations located in or serving Ottawa County are invited to submit a request for grant funding. OCCF Community Grant applications will be accepted until Sunday, March 1, 2026, 11:59 pm, via an online application portal. For a link to the portal, visit the OCCF website at www.ottawaccf.org/grants. Note: OCCF utilizes the Greater Toledo Community Foundation’s (GTCF) grant portal to accept its community grant applications. Applicants will see GTCF information to begin the process and must click on the Ottawa County Community Foundation description to access the logon page. First-time applicants must create an account to begin; previous grant applicants should log in to their existing account to start a new application.

OCCF has supported community efforts since 2003, with the goal of “Doing Good. Forever.” For questions regarding a grant submission, contact Grants Chair Mary Coffee, coffee.occf@gmail.com, 419-341-7400.

The previous piece is published in this month’s Put-in-Bay Gazette. The Gazette has been producing incredible independent Put-in-Bay island news for over 40 years. If you have any interest at all in what is happening on South Bass Island, we urge you strongly to subscribe to the Put-in-Bay Gazette. One-year online subscriptions are only $15, and print subscriptions are available as well. To subscribe please click here.

This piece of Put-in-Bay journalism has been provided to putinbayonline.com courtesy of the Put-in-Bay Gazette, Put-in-Bay’s only local newspaper. Visit their website putinbay.news for more information and to subscribe!