Kelleys Island Ohio Chamber of Commerce

 

Alvar Preserve
The shoreline of the State Park North Shore Loop Trail is known as The Alvar.  Alvars are unusual landforms which occur in glaciated regions of the Northern Hemisphere.  They were once thought of as barren but are now known to contain numerous and distinctive plants and animals.  The formation of soil and resulting growth of woody plants are hampered by drought-induced by the porous bedrock.  Alvars are subject to constant scouring by waves and ice and temperature extremes. The trail head is located in the State Park fisherman's parking lot.

East Quarry
Kelleys Island State Park East Quarry’s main entrance is about a mile East of Division on Ward Road. Additional entrances for hikers can be found on Monagan and Woodford Roads. This quarry was part of a much larger quarry to the west of Division. The Kelleys Island Lime and Transport Company began quarrying this area around 1933 and continued until 1940. The quarry started at Division Street and ended at the head of Horseshoe Lake. The quarried material was hauled west under a bridge on Division Street via a narrow gauge railway. Some of the tracks of the abandoned rail line can still be seen beneath the waters of the lake.
 

Glacial Grooves
Located adjacent to the Kelleys Island State Park Campground and Public Beach on the island’s north side, Glacial Grooves are the finest example of glacial scouring an scoring in North America and probably the world.  The example shown here at about 430 foot in length, 15 foot deep, 35 foot wide and is only a small sample of the grooves that at one time extended into the lake. 

 


Inscription Rock
This large limestone rock is on the south shore of Kelleys Island just east of downtown. The remains of at least two Native American villages were found very near the rock. The 32 x 21’ surface of the rock is covered with one of the finest examples of aboriginal art in the Great Lakes region. Known as a petroglyph, no one is sure what the unusual drawings depicted. The most widely accepted theory is that the large rock was used as a "message stone" where various Native Americans would make drawings noting that they’d been there, how the hunting or fishing had been and/or where they were headed next.

 

Historic District
The entire island is on the National Register of Historic Places.  Kelleys Town Hall a "gift" to the community in 1861 from Datus Kelley, The Old Stone Church, which is now the home of the Kelleys Island Historical Association, and Estees School opened in 1901are just a few of our historic gems located along Division Street.  For more information of the historic significance of the homes and businesses on the island look for "Kelleys Island, A Tour Guide" prepared by the Kelleys Island Historical Association and sold at many of the gift shops on the island.

 

 

Kelleys Island Historical Association
Organized to preserve our significant relics of the past and to provide residents and visitors with information on our unique island heritage, the Kelleys Island Historical Association is housed in the Old Stone Church located on Division Street.  Visit the gift shop and enjoy the displays depicting island culture. And if you have the time stroll along the Nature Trail which meanders behind and along the building.

 



 

Kelleys Island State Park
The family campground contains 45 non-electric and 84 electric sites, showers, flush toilets, and a dump station. A volleyball court and playground offer more to do. The camp office loans games and sports equipment to registered campers. Pet camping is permitted on designated sites. A youth group camp is available by reservation for organized groups. Six miles of hiking trails lead to scenic vistas, and historic sites offering excellent locations for watching wildlife. Picnic areas, a picnic shelter, launch ramps, fishing access areas and a 100-foot swimming beach are also available. Limited hunting is permitted in designated areas of the park. Check with the park office for details.

 

 

North Pond Nature Preserve
The North Pond located on Ward Street, a 30-acre sanctuary with forest, marsh and hiking trail, board walk, and viewing tower, is Ohio’s only state-managed, lake embayment natural pond. Lake embayment ponds occur within the coastal zone of the Great Lakes. These ponds’ water levels rise and fall with the lake.

 

 

 

 

North Shore Loop Trail
This approximately, one-mile hiking trail provides a pleasant and informative look at a diverse mix of Kelleys Island’s flowers, trees, shoreline, glacial markings and architectural history. Located on the northwest end of the island and part of the Kelleys Island State Park, the North Shore Loop Trail entrance is just to the west of the state park boat and trailer parking lot. 

 

Scheele Preserve
One of five parcels of land owned and managed by The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, this 24-acre preserve is located on the northeast side of the island, on Monagan Road, just west of Hamilton Road. The preserve is home to a cluster of the island’s only rock elm trees, which are an Ohio-threatened species, found only in four other locations in the state. In addition to the rock elms there are wafer ash and prickly ash, members of the citrus family, the only two Ohio citrus-family trees.
 

 

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Last updated on Tuesday April 15, 2008