Silver Lake Park

In 1895, Thomas Walsh, president of the Akron & Cuyahoga Falls Rapid Transit Company, established a competing park near the north shore of Silver Lake that he called Randolph Park. Encompassing several acres of land including what is known today as Crystal Lake, this park featured a theater, dancing, and other attractions, including firework displays and a reenactment of the Battle of Manila on Crystal Lake. (Akron–Summit County Public Library.)

While Silver Lake Park was known by some as “the Coney Island of the West,” Randolph Park billed itself as having “the most beautiful and enchanting picnic grounds in Ohio.” As was the case with many resorts during that era, Randolph Park was created by the trolley car system as a way to increase ridership—particularly on evenings and weekends—by creating interesting new destinations. (Pete Mellinger Jr. collection.)

Although much smaller than Silver Lake, the lake at Randolph Park still offered good fishing, boating, and swimming. In addition, park owners later constructed a platform on the lake and installed a merry-go-round decorated with electric lights. The ride, which was reached via a walkway leading from the shore, was capable of accommodating 40 couples. (Akron–Summit County Public Library.)

According to early citizens, trolley car passengers enjoyed the gentle breezes and beautiful scenery along the lakeside portion of the route to Randolph Park. This view shows the trolley tracks along the eastern shore of Silver Lake. Much to the consternation of Randolph’s owners, picnic committees entering their park could not help but notice the amenities at Silver Lake Park, and several ended up booking their excursions there instead. (Akron–Summit County Public Library.)

After the High Bridge Glens park in Cuyahoga Falls closed in 1895, Walsh bought the former resort’s grand pavilion and dance hall, seen here, and moved it to Randolph Park. On Saturday afternoon, the 15¢ round-trip fare that passengers paid to the trolley company entitled riders to free access to Randolph’s dance floor and several other attractions. (Cuyahoga Falls Library.)

As was common with many local parks, Randolph Park offered wooded camping areas. This photograph was taken at a campsite near the park’s lake. According to early county atlases, the lake known today as Crystal Lake was previously called Hart’s Pond, Little Pond, or, in what was perhaps intended as a contrast to its more successful neighbor to the south, Gold Lake. (Cuyahoga Falls Historical Society Museum.)

This pond served as a watering hole for Randolph Park’s many animals, including its herd of eight red deer. Note the several park workers standing by a pile of burning leaves. (Pete Mellinger Jr. collection.)

Randolph Park closed after the 1901 season. A few years later, the Lodge family purchased their competitor’s land and buildings for $5,000. In February 1905, movers transported the former Randolph pavilion across a frozen Silver Lake toward the western shore. Unfortunately, movers left the building on the ice overnight; when they returned to complete the move in the morning, they found that the building had broken through the ice. (Cuyahoga Falls Historical Society Museum.)

Eventually, materials from the former Randolph pavilion formed Silver Lake Park’s new bathhouse and roller rink. An article in the Cuyahoga Falls Reporter boasted that the new bathhouse, located on the first floor of the building, would “probably be the largest bathhouse on inland water in the country.” The owners ordered $500 worth of roller skates for the rink. (Author’s collection.)

In 1908, Silver Lake Park began operating a Chautauqua on the former Randolph Park property. The event, which ran for two weeks in late summer, offered a robust program of speakers and entertainers, including musicians, magicians, and artists. Orator William Jennings Bryan also appeared at the Chautauqua. (Pete Mellinger Jr. collection.)