Johnson Island is a 300-acre island located in Sandusky Bay.

In 1861, it was chosen to be the site of a Civil War prisoner-of-war camp to incarcerate captured Confederate soldiers. The first prisoners arrived at Johnson’s Island in 1862. More than 9,000 (in some estimates up to 15,000) captured soldiers were held at the prison before it was decommissioned in September 1865. The 1.2-acre Johnson’s Island Confederate Soldier Cemetery, which is the only remaining vestige of the prison, includes 206 marked grave sites. The exact number and location of all graves is unknown.

The bayside cemetery has a parking area and three monuments dedicated to the soldiers who died at the prison. There are no amenities at the site.

The island is accessible via Gaydos Road/Johnson’s Island Causeway (toll), which is accessible from Bay Shore Road (OH-163) in Marblehead.

Johnson Island is located in Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie. It is a part of Marblehead Village and lies between the Marblehead peninsula, Cedar Point, and the city of Sandusky. Visitors are less than 30 minutes from Cedar Point and the Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky. While visiting the area, we recommend that you also visit the nearby Marblehead Lighthouse Museum (Marblehead), Follett House Museum (Sandusky), Maritime Museum of Sandusky (Sandusky), the Veterans Home Museum (Sandusky), and The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center (Fremont).

Johnson Island is a private residential area accessible by a causeway. The only area open to the public is the Confederate cemetery. No other areas are open to the public. The cemetery is the only site remaining from the original Prisoner of War Depot that is open to the public. There are neither comfort stations nor public picnic areas on the island. Traffic regulations are strictly enforced.

Please remember to bring $2.00 (payable by either dollars or quarters) to pay the toll to the island.