Lakeside Inn, the old Gilchrist house on Huron Street in 1916

"The City of Captains"

"Welcome to Vermilion", a vacation city in its own right. The home of more than 50 Lake Captains in the later 1800s, Vermilion thrived on shipbuilding, fishing, and the lumber industry. Today it's an exciting little city with plenty to see and do.

The Captain Gilchrist House was built in 1885 by lumber and shipping magnate, J. C. Gilchrist, owner of the largest fleet on the lakes. The gracious Victorian home sits shaded beneath majestic buckeye trees on Lake Erie's southern shore. Listed on the National Historic Register, this lovingly-restored home was featured in the 1992 book, "America's Painted Ladies".