Museums & Properties
Silver Lake
Silver
Lake Historical Society
2879 Silver
Lake Blvd.
Silver Lake,
OH 44224-23019
Phone: 330.928.8362
The Silver Lake Historical Society preserves artifacts and
photographs of
Silver
Lake Amusement
Park which closed after World War I.
Originally purchased in 1874 by Ralph H.
Lodge, the Park included
Silver
Lake and thirty acres of
land at its southwest corner.
In 1918
the Park was sold for residential development.
2896 Silver Lake Boulevard
Ohio Historical Marker here states:
Silver Lake was previously known as Wetmore's Pond, named for Judge William
Wetmore, an agent for the Connecticut Land Company. In 1808, Wetmore
built a
cabin overlooking the spring-fed lake, which was then a part of Portage County.
Local lore records his friendship and conscientious dealings with the Native
Americans, likely Seneca, who inhabited a populous village between the lake and
the Cuyahoga River. The tribe left the area to join the British during the War
of 1812, but later sided with the United States.
Side B : "Silver Lake Amusement Park"
Cleveland businessman Ralph Hugh
Lodge opened Silver Lake Amusement Park on this site in 1875. A popular regional
resort easily accessible by rail, Silver Lake featured boating, swimming, and a
large pavilion with a 15,000 square-foot dance floor. Other attractions included
a freshwater aquarium, an airfield, and a "Chautauqua park" that featured
prominent speakers. The Lodges successfully bred and raised black bears, a rare
feat documented by the Smithsonian Institution in 1903. The Lodge family sold
the park after World War I curtailed train visits. The Village of Silver Lake
incorporated on its site in 1918.