{"nrhp_refnum":"73001432","name":"Inscription Rock","other_names":[],"category":"object","location":{"address":"Kelleys Island","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kelleys Island","county":"Erie County","state":"OH","lat":41.592837716000076,"lon":-82.70697856699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-06-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Prehistoric","Art"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Inscription Rock is a limestone boulder carved with petroglyphs, located on the south shore of Kelleys Island (formerly Cunningham's Island) in Lake Erie, Erie County, Ohio. It measures about 32 by 21 feet and is a state memorial.","why_significant":"The carvings, showing stylized human figures, pipes and abstract designs, are attributed to the Erie Indians, a late prehistoric group living in northern Ohio from about A.D. 1000 to 1654. Pipe images tie the rock to the late Erie culture. It is regarded as an excellent example of prehistoric American art, and its meaning is still not correctly interpreted.","narrative":"Inscription Rock is a large limestone boulder on the south shore of Kelleys Island in Lake Erie, covered with carved figures. It measures roughly 32 feet east to west and 21 feet north to south, and its surface bears stylized human figures, pipes and abstract designs. The carvings are attributed to the Erie Indians, a late prehistoric people who lived in northern Ohio from about A.D. 1000 to 1654. Pipe images of types associated with Erie culture help place the rock late in Ohio's prehistory. The images may record a meeting or negotiation between tribes, though the rock has not been correctly interpreted. Nearby stood earthen enclosures, of which a crescent-shaped remnant survives about 200 feet away. Today the rock is a state memorial under the care of the Ohio Historical Society, sheltered by a roof and ringed by a walkway to protect the carvings. Rising lake levels threaten the site, and a breakwater may eventually be needed.","period_of_significance":"A.D. 1000 - A.D. 1654","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent, unaltered condition at its original site; owned and cared for as a state memorial, with a roof and walkway protecting the carvings. Rising Lake Erie levels threaten the shoreline site.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.815371-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/73001432.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001432/b9ade1d30d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001432/b9ade1d30d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"LeeG7144","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inscription_Rock.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">LeeG7144</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inscription_Rock.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"75001380","name":"Kelleys Island South Shore District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/kelleys-island-south-shore-district-75001380/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988092","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inscription_Rock_(Kelleys_Island,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48835667"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/erie-county/inscription-rock-73001432/"}