Lakeside is a private community and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in Danbury Township, Ottawa County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States, on the shores of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

. It was formed in 1873 by members of the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Church and remains a church-affiliated vacation resort and

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

Annual Conference site. It is one of only a few continuously operating Independent Chautauquas that persist in the 21st century. Located just west of the village of Marblehead, the community is approximately one square mile in size. The entire community is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as the Lakeside Historic District. As an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

, Lakeside is governed by the Lakeside Association, a company whose

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

is the '' de facto'' leader of the community. Its current CEO is Charles Allen.

History

Lakeside was established under the jurisdiction of the Central Ohio Conference of the UMC in August 1873. It was first founded as a tented revivalist camp, where it served as a hub for

teachings. Meanwhile, the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

movement began to gain popularity. Lakeside soon thereafter became a

, allowing its popularity to pick up over time and gain popularity with other denominations. The first permanent building was erected somewhere near the Hoover Auditorium, with the first residential cottages being built at the shores of

. Despite this increase in popularity and permanent habitation, the bulk of services had yet to be provided until 1875, when the first part of Hotel Lakeside was built.

Residential land and usage

The first

residential A residential area is a land used in which houses, housing predominates, as opposed to industrial district, industrial and Commercial Area, commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include ...

buildings were cottages, which were sold out on plots of land with renewable 99 year leases. Over the years, residents built cottages and houses on their plots. Most

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

s are in the Victorian style, although different styles are present throughout.

Restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

s and shops also opened around the downtown park of Lakeside. The Lakeside Association eventually purchased additional land on the eastern side, enabling the community to grow. Recreation facilities, meeting halls, places of worship, and

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

s have been added over the years. The Lakeside Association is responsible for the upkeep of all roads and

public service A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing available to private busin ...

s within Lakeside. Lakeside has had its own

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

since its founding in 1963 with its current conductor, Daniel Meyer. One of its most famous activities is

shuffleboard Shuffleboard (Deck shuffleboard) is a game in which players use cues to push weighted discs, sending them gliding down a narrow court, with the purpose of having them come to rest within a marked scoring area. As a more generic term, it refers t ...

, with its courts hosting lots of national tournaments throughout its history.

Architecture

Lakeside contains many well-preserved historic buildings. Many are in their original Victorian style. The Lakeside Association owns and operates a number of large assembly buildings: * Hoover Auditorium (Third St. between Walnut and Central) * South Auditorium (Sixth St. between Walnut and Central) * Orchestra Hall (corner of Second and Walnut) * Wesley Lodge (Fifth St. between Walnut and Central) Places of worship: * Lakeside United Methodist Church (corner of Fifth and Central) * Chapel in the Woods (outdoor space along Maple past Seventh) * Hoover Auditorium (Third St between Walnut and Central) Lakeside's main auditorium, with a seating capacity of 3,000 persons, is used for worship services on Sunday mornings and headline events during the week. * Steele Memorial Bandstand & Pavilion, are used for Sunset Worship services (and other entertainment), Pavilion for early-to-middle late summer, and Pavilion in late summer.

Notable visitors

Because Lakeside has historically been a summer vacation destination with few year-round residents, the listed here made at least one stop to Lakeside during their lifetime. One person who still spends many summers here is

Steve Hartman Stephen Robert Hartman (born April 14, 1963) is an American broadcast journalist. Hartman earned a degree in broadcast journalism at Bowling Green State University, graduating in 1985. Hartman lives with his wife, Andrea, and his three childr ...

. Famous people who have been to Lakeside & Hoover Auditorium are the likes of: * Susan B. Anthony *

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

Rose Woodallen Chapman Rose Woodallen Chapman (1875–1923) was an American lecturer, author and editor. Early life and education Rose Maria Wood-Allen was born at Lakeside, Ohio near Toledo. She was the only daughter of Dr. Mary Wood-Allen. Chapman attended various ...

(born in Lakeside) *

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

Robert McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Sr. (March 19, 1921 – November 24, 2006) was an American operatic baritone, notable for being the first African-American man to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. His voice was described by critic Albert Gold ...

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

Champ Clark James Beauchamp Clark (March 7, 1850March 2, 1921) was an American politician and attorney who served as the 36th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1911 to 1919. He was the only Democrat to serve as speaker during the P ...

* Drew Pearson * J.C. Penney *

Lowell Thomas Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29, 1981) was an American writer, Television presenter, broadcaster, and documentary filmmaker. He authored more than fifty non-fiction books, mostly travel narratives and popular biographies of ex ...

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, philosopher, and author. She was a leader in the history of s ...

References

External links