Tour Highlights

ou are invited to join veteran military historian Bill Potter — a graduate of both Cedarville University and the University of Dayton — to explore some of the most important historic sites of Northern Ohio.

As the bicentennial of the War of 1812 comes to a close, we will visit the location of the headquarters of one of the most important American officers in that war, a man whose eponymous middle name suggested what he would become best known for: courage and victory, Oliver Hazard Perry. From his base at Put in Bay in Lake Erie, Perry launched one of the most successful campaigns of the war, a great victory over the British Lake fleet at a time when American successes were few and morale had faltered. Join us to learn the lessons that the life of Perry can teach us.

The Mother of Presidents

Ohio has often been called “The Mother of Presidents” and among the best of them is Rutherford B. Hayes. Elected in a monumental controversy and scandal over the election results from Florida in 1876, Hayes followed his victory with the termination of reconstruction in the south, civil service reform, and a reassertion of the power of the presidency. At the end of his life he said his service in the Civil War, where he was wounded five times as Colonel of the 23rd Ohio Infantry, was the greatest honor of his life, having also served as both Governor of Ohio and President of the United States. We will visit both the elegant home and the Presidential Museum of Rutherford Hayes in Norwalk and discuss the providential events in the life of the 19th President.

Johnson’s Island

Ohio provided several large Civil War POW camps in the War Between the States. Johnson’s Island Prison in Lake Erie housed many officers and other Confederate soldiers and was the scene of a few incredible prison breaks across the ice of the lake, as well as significant spiritual awakening among the men housed there. Join us to hear the stories and remember the unusual providences and controversies of prisoner incarceration and the bitter hardship of such life during the war.

Thomas Edison

The history of science and invention rarely take their place among the most visited historic sites. The home of inventor Thomas Edison is an exception. Though his workshop was uprooted and transported to Michigan, his home remains in Milan, the birthplace of one of the great geniuses of America and the location of his early education and formative years.

Event Schedule

Note: Schedule times are subject to change.

Note: Following the tour, Bill Potter will be speaking at the Teach Them Diligently homeschool convention in Sandusky. Those desiring to attend will need to register separately through the TTD web site.

Accommodations

For those attending the Teach Them Diligently Conference at the Kalahari Resorts, convention rates are available through Teach Them Diligently. If you are coming just for the tour, there is a wide variety of accommodations throughout the Sandusky area.

Ticket Pricing Information

* Unlimited immediate family members of the same household, please. Note: Early Bird rates shown above available through May 13. If you have any questions, or if we can be of service in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Study Preparation

Recommended Reading List

• A Signal Victory: The Lake Erie Campaign, 1812-1813 by David Curtis Skaggs
• The War of 1812, by Benson Lossing
• Oliver Hazard Perry: Honor, Courage and Patriotism, by David Curtis Skaggs
• Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War, by Lonnie R. Speer
• Rebels on Lake Erie, by Charles Frohman
• Johnson’s Island Prison During the Civil War, by Shepherd
• Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior and President, by Ari Higgenboom
• The Fraud of the Century, by Roy J. Morris
• The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Edison Invented the Modern World, by Randall Stross