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The historical and ecological importance of Lower Lake has been embraced over the past 60 years. In the 1960s, local organizations and activists led the fight to preserve the Shaker Parklands from destruction due to the Clark-Lee Freeways. Letter-writing campaigns placed public pressure on Governor James Rhodes, who cancelled the project in 1970 while facing an upcoming election.
The historical and ecological importance of Lower Lake has been embraced over the past 60 years. In the 1960s, local organizations and activists led the fight to preserve the Shaker Parklands from destruction due to the Clark-Lee Freeways. Letter-writing campaigns placed public pressure on Governor James Rhodes, who cancelled the project in 1970 while facing an upcoming election.
In 2001, Doan Brook stakeholders formed the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership to further watershed management. The DBWP focuses on restoring ecosystem services within the Doan Brook watershed to further local sustainability goals and encourages watershed activities that celebrate the Brook’s critical role in culture, economics, and individual well-being.
In 2001, Doan Brook stakeholders formed the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership to further watershed management. The DBWP focuses on restoring ecosystem services within the Doan Brook watershed to further local sustainability goals and encourages watershed activities that celebrate the Brook’s critical role in culture, economics, and individual well-being.
Friends of Lower Lake, the volunteer program of the DBWP, has made it their mission to restore and preserve native plants at Lower Lake. The group recently restored a piece of history as well when they unearthed the overgrown concrete foundation of the Shaker Lakes Canoe Club.
Friends of Lower Lake, the volunteer program of the DBWP, has made it their mission to restore and preserve native plants at Lower Lake. The group recently restored a piece of history as well when they unearthed the overgrown concrete foundation of the Shaker Lakes Canoe Club.
Courtesy of John Barber and Peggy Spaeth
"We who sign this are anxious to preserve the beauty of Shaker Lakes and the adjacent parkways. The Shakers dammed up Doan Brook to make the lakes, so there is an historical as well as sentimental value here.
"We who sign this are anxious to preserve the beauty of Shaker Lakes and the adjacent parkways. The Shakers dammed up Doan Brook to make the lakes, so there is an historical as well as sentimental value here.
Remembering the beauty of Euclid Ave. before 'progress' took over, we urge you in your position to prevent anything that would likewise destroy the natural beauty of the Valley of God's Pleasure which makes Shaker and Cleveland Heights such ideal places in which to live and to visit."
Remembering the beauty of Euclid Ave. before 'progress' took over, we urge you in your position to prevent anything that would likewise destroy the natural beauty of the Valley of God's Pleasure which makes Shaker and Cleveland Heights such ideal places in which to live and to visit."
Hundreds of signed petition sheets were sent to Governor Rhodes and other officials involved in the Clark-Lee Freeway plans. This petition sheet addressed to William Henry, the Executive Director of the Seven-County Transportation Land Use Study, references the ecological and historical importance of Lower Lake. Residents were eager to make their voices heard through petitions, letters, and telegrams.
A. D. Taylor, the noted landscape architect who also designed Forest Hill Park and the Van Sweringen’s Daisy Hill Estate, developed this Lower Lake landscaping plan for the Fairmount Garden Club in 1935. Doan Brook and the earthen dam are found on the left side of the map, while the Shaker Lakes Canoe Club is near the center. Lower Lake is only a fraction of the Doan Brook Watershed, which extends north to Lake Erie as seen in the yellow map below.
Courtesy of John Barber and Peggy Spaeth
Detail of the A. D. Taylor map showing the Shaker Lakes Canoe Club.
Map from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District showing the Doan Brook Watershed.
Lower Lake, long romanticized as a suburban oasis, was frequently the pictorial subject of postcards distributed by Cleveland publishers. Local groups such as the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership, Friends of Lower Lake, and the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes work today to preserve the beauty seen in these postcards and to strengthen the ecological health of the area.
Lower Lake, long romanticized as a suburban oasis, was frequently the pictorial subject of postcards distributed by Cleveland publishers. Local groups such as the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership, Friends of Lower Lake, and the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes work today to preserve the beauty seen in these postcards and to strengthen the ecological health of the area.
Shaker Lakes, Cleveland, Ohio // Collection of Charles Owen
Shaker Lake, Cleveland, O. // Collection of John Barber and Peggy Spaeth
Moonlight on Shaker Lakes, Cleveland, Ohio // Collection of Charles Owen
Ready for a Row, Shaker Lakes, Cleveland, Ohio // Collection of John Barber and Peggy Spaeth
Shaker Heights, Cleveland, Ohio // Collection of Charles Owen
Canoeing at Shaker Lakes, Cleveland, O. // Collection of John Barber and Peggy Spaeth
Scene at Shaker Lakes, Cleveland, Ohio // Collection of Charles Owen
Shaker Lake, Shaker Heights // Collection of John Barber and Peggy Spaeth
Scene on Shaker Lakes, Cleveland, Ohio // Collection of Charles Owen
Drive at Shaker Lakes, Cleveland, Ohio // Collection of John Barber and Peggy Spaeth
On June 3, 2021, Friends of Lower Lake volunteer John Barber presented on the history of Lower Lake. Watch this video courtesy of the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership to learn about the rich history of Lower Lake from when it was a forested brook, to its regional use as a Canoe Club 1907-1976, to its designation as an Audubon Important Bird Area.
On June 3, 2021, Friends of Lower Lake volunteer John Barber presented on the history of Lower Lake. Watch this video courtesy of the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership to learn about the rich history of Lower Lake from when it was a forested brook, to its regional use as a Canoe Club 1907-1976, to its designation as an Audubon Important Bird Area.
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