Sneak Peak Inside the Benson Ford Ship House Private Residence

I recently attended a travel influencer workshop on the beautiful South Bass Island (Put-In-Bay, Ohio).  It was jam packed and amazing training hosted by Social Influencer Media, LLC aboard the Benson Ford Ship House.

One of the perks of the event was staying in the private residence of the historic Benson Ford Ship House.  It was a honor to be allowed to stay aboard the ship, which sits on the island over looking Lake Erie. The Benson Ford is not available to the public, it is a PRIVATE residence.

The ship stills looks on the inside like it would have in 1924.  The doorways are small, fixtures are original and everything is small.  This is a ship it’s so charming.  The bottom floor has been modernized with a bar and laundry, but it still maintains the ship motif.  It is like stepping back in time and living the life of a ship man. If you opened the doors to your room, you can hear the waves crashing on the shore outside.

Brief History of the Benson Ford Ship House

The Benson Ford was built in 1924 and named after one of Henry Ford’s grandson.  The ship was used to transport iron ore and like materials across the Great Lakes for the motor company. After a long life on the Great Lakes, the ship was sold to Frank J. Sullivan and renamed John Dykstra II (so the Benson Ford name of the ship could be released to another ship in the Ford fleet. The entire forward (front) of the ship was removed and placed on a barge and taken to South Bass Island in 1986. The ship was sold in 1999 to the current owners and renamed back to Benson Ford.  The ship has 5 bedrooms and 5 full bathrooms and sits ontop of a gorgeous view of Lake Erie.

Photographic Tour

Just a few pictures of the Benson Ford.

This is a nice view of the ship sitting on Victory Point on Put In Bay.

The pilot house sports gorgeous views of Lake Erie. You can watch boats pass by hear the sounds of the water crash against the shore. A great place to watch the sunset.

I loved this room.  It was the captains and just outside the quarters I slept in, below the pilots house.

Can you imagine all the decisions that were made in this room?  Navigating and plotting the course along the Great Lakes.

This is the quarters that I slept in, the captains quarters! The bed was full size and comfy.

Moving downstairs to the lounging area off of the bar area. A great place to chill and relax after touring the island.

I love the history of this ship and that it is untouched in many ways, and modernized where needed. You can see how far technology has come by looking at where we are now. It’s great that this ship still has all it’s charm and character.

Staying here was a wonderful time and I will remember it forever.