GREAT OUTDOORS: Stone Lab celebrating its 100th anniversary

In 1895, Ohio State University professor David S. Kellicott recommended that the university establish a field station on Lake Erie to study the lake's biology. Accordingly, OSU spent $350 to add a second story to the state fish hatchery in Sandusky and offered the first classes of the "Lake Laboratory" in 1900. In 1903, they moved to a new building constructed for the price of $3,387 at Cedar Point and continued to offer classes and conduct research. For reasons not clear today, the lab staff were asked to leave this location well ahead of the expiration of a 50-year lease, so they moved to the state hatchery at Put-in-Bay in 1918. Recognizing the need for their own facility, Julius F. Stone, who served 28 years on the OSU Board of Trustees, bought the entire 6.5-acre Gibraltar Island and immediately donated it to the university to house the lake laboratory "for research, education and public outreach." The university's Board of Trustees named the Gibraltar Island field station "The Franz Theodore Stone Laboratory," after Julius Stone's father. Jay Cooke was born in Sandusky, became a prominent banker in Philadelphia, then the chief financier for the Union during the Civil War. At the time, Jay Cooke's summer mansion (Cooke's Castle), Barney Cottage (built by Frank and Laura (Cooke) Barney) and a boathouse stood on Gibraltar Island. The historic Cooke Castle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 due to the significance of Jay Cooke to the nation's survival and the prominent guests that visited him there, including Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, Salmon P. Chase, and Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison and William Howard Taft. Cooke's Castle was used as a men's dormitory until the 12-room brick building (Harborview) was built in 1985 for coed housing. Barney Cottage has been used by the university for housing. The Stone Lab classroom building was constructed during 1926-1928. Gibraltar House, overlooking Put-in-Bay Harbor, was built in 1930 for year-round caretaker use. Each overlooking the lake, the dining hall and Stone Cottage, built to host OSU Board of Trustee meetings, now faculty and guests, were built in 1929. The current Friends of Stone Lab President Bruce Stone, the great-grandson of Julius Stone, will preside during lab's 100th anniversary and annual homecoming weekend meeting in September. Public toursEach Thursday until August 14, Stone Lab staff will give tours of Gibraltar Island for $12 ($6 for kids) at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Meet at the Boardwalk dock 15 minutes ahead of those times, where their water taxi will transport visitors to Gibraltar Island for a round-trip fare of $10 (cash only). Guests of Gibraltar Island will receive a walking tour that includes historic Perry's Lookout, the island's impressive glacial grooves and get to peek into Cooke's Castle before hearing about some of the lab's research projects. On September 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the lab hosts a free open house on Gibraltar Island. Take an OSU boat from the Stone Lab dock next to the Put-in-Bay State Fish Hatchery for free or use the Boardwalk water taxi. Guest lecturesThursdays at 7 p.m., Stone Lab hosts a webinar series of guest speakers that faculty and students attend in the building and are broadcast live. Go to ohioseagrant.osu.edu/news/calendar to view the titles of upcoming presentations and view previous talks in their archives. South Bass Island Lighthouse toursOn Fridays and Saturdays until August 29, the Queen Anne-style South Bass Island Lighthouse, built in 1897, is open for free tours, educational sessions and the opportunity to take the spiral steps to the top of the tower and enjoy the scenic views from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.