A history of Silver Lake,
since 1918
Postcards, papers and photographs of Silver Lake from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Beginning in 1874, the lake and the land surrounding it was a popular amusement park in the Akron area. The lake was acquired in 1874 by Ralph H. Lodge, and he subsequently also purchased the land surrounding the body of water. It was originally a picnicking and swimming area, but before it closed, the 600-acre Silver Lake Amusement Park featured animal exhibits, a roller coaster, sport facilities, a dance hall, and a hotel, becoming one of the "biggest attractions in Ohio." In its prime, the Silver Lake Amusement Park received over 10,000 visitors per day. It was sold in 1917 and subdivided for residential development, leading to the incorporation of the village in 1918.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Silver Lake’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewSilver Lake, Cuyahoga Falls, near…, 1907: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Silver Lake
See all 21 →
Silver Lake, decade by decade
CommonsBase ball park, Silver Lake, Ohio, 19051905
CommonsGeneral view of Silver Lake, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 19051905
CommonsSilver Lake Ohio1905
CommonsSilver Lake from the north hill, 19051905
CommonsSilver Lake, Cuyahoga Falls, near Akron, Ohio1907 · postcard
CommonsSilver Lake, Cuyahoga Falls, near Akron, Ohio1907 · postcard
CommonsLog House at Silver Lake, Akron, Ohio1908 · postcard
CommonsLog House at Silver Lake, Akron, Ohio1908 · postcard
CommonsSilver Lake Park evening illumination -- from across the la…1908 · postcard
CommonsSilver Lake Park evening illumination -- from across the la…1908 · postcard
CommonsThe Pavillon, Silver Lake, Cuyahoga Falls, near Akron, Ohio1908 · postcard
CommonsThe Pavillon, Silver Lake, Cuyahoga Falls, near Akron, Ohio1908 · postcard1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Base ball park, Silver Lake, Ohio, 1905 (1905) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.