From old wineries to ice boats, Kellys Island on Lake Erie is full of more than 200 years of history.
"You would be surprised at how full the island is with history, you can't turn the corner without bumping into a little island history," said author Leslie Korenko.
Much of the history gets passed down from generation to generation and is featured in Korenko's book.
"It's written by the islanders themselves, with the chronicles they kept and their letters to the newspapers," Korenko said.
When it comes to a real collection of the island's past, you can also visit the brand new museum that opened in June 2010.
For the past 29 years, island natives donated artifacts which were placed in this old German Church.
"We are non-profit all volunteers, and of course from 1981 to 1983 we worked on restoring the church. It was in very bad shape and after 1983 we had a small gift shop for the idea of raising funds to build a new museum next door," said Sharon McIntire, of the Kelleys Island Historical Association.
There are a lot of artifacts, and it took a long time for it all to come together.
"As a result, it's only taken us 29 years of hard work to make the new museum next door," McIntire said.
The collection includes everything from the original deeds to the island, to photos of ice fisherman from long ago, to items from the original Native American settlers, ONN's Mark Taylor reported.
"The whole time, the artifacts we had were in storage here at the church. So with our new building, of course, we can ensure we preserve the history of the island," said McIntire.
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