Hayes family's Lake Erie island listed for $3.8M after $5M ask

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.