The price tag on a seven-acre private island in Lake Erie just took a $1.2 million hit. Kyle Recker, the listing agent at Howard Hanna, slashed the asking price of Mouse Island to $3.8 million on October 15, 2025. It was originally listed for $5 million back in September. The island sits roughly 1,500 feet off the Catawba Island peninsula in Ottawa County, Ohio, and its pedigree is unmatched.
Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president of the United States, started buying shares of the island in 1873. He bought out his partners around 1900, making the wooded land a summer retreat for his extended family. For 93 years, the Hayes family used the island as a holiday camp. Birchard Hayes, the president's son, built two wooden cabins, a boathouse, a dock, an ice house, a tennis court, and even a hand-operated ferry to connect the island to the mainland.
The family sold the property in 1966 to Marianna H. Mercer of Rocky River, Ohio, for just $16,500. Decades of disuse, fires, and natural decay have stripped the island of its original structures. Today, only stone chimneys and parts of the cabin foundations peek through the mature trees. Regional tourism authority Shores & Islands Ohio confirms the island's current state.
The property lacks modern utility connections, but local zoning allows for private residential use. Howard Hanna is marketing it as an off-grid retreat or a site for a custom private compound. Access is restricted to private boats from nearby marinas. Boaters must navigate a shallow limestone reef that sits between the island and the mainland. This reef poses a serious hazard for any vessel drawing more than three feet of water.
Despite the price drop, Mouse Island remains one of the few private islands available for purchase along the Lake Erie shoreline. The $3.8 million price point makes it a significant investment, but its historical significance and secluded location offer a unique proposition. The next step for potential buyers is to secure a marine survey and verify the navigational risks before making an offer. The island's future depends on whether a buyer is willing to take on the challenge of preserving a piece of presidential history.