In 1873, Rutherford B. Hayes began buying a 7-acre Lake Erie island that became his family's...

A private seven-acre island in Lake Erie once owned by former US President Rutherford B. Hayes has had a major price cut. The asking price for the property has dropped to $3.8 million from its original $5 million listing price. Mouse Island is located about 1,500 feet off the coast of the Catawba Island peninsula in Ottawa County, Ohio. The property is a rare private island with a direct connection to 19th-century presidential history. It is currently listed through real estate company Howard Hanna. Hayes, an Ohio native who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, first started buying parts of the island in 1873. Along with his law partner Ralph Buckland and local doctor L.Q. Rawson, Hayes initially purchased shares of the property. Over time, Hayes became more attached to the wooded island. Around 1900, he bought out his co-owners and gained full ownership of the island for his extended family.Decades of presidential family ownershipDuring his one term in the White House, Hayes visited the island only a few times. His family, however, turned it into a summer retreat that remained in use for generations. According to historical records kept by the Hayes...