Silver Lake / Silver Lake Amusement Park

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]: 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.