Avon Lake's History

It took many centuries for Avon Lake to become the town it is today. Originally the land belonged to the French until the English drove them out in 1765. Then, another change of hands occurred when the colonists claimed the land at the beginning of the Revolutionary War in 1775. In addition, the Erie tribe built their homes in the area, along with possibly the Ottawa and Wyandot tribes. However, no Native Americans have lived here since the Treaty of Greenville was signed in the late eighteenth century.

After the Revolutionary War, this land became known as the Western Reserve. It stretched from the Pennsylvania border to just west of Sandusky and was for families who had lost their belongings in the recent war. In 1795 the Western Reserve was purchased by a group of men for 1.2 million dollars. The share in which Avon Lake belonged went to a man named Pierpont Edwards. At this point Avon Lake was part of a settlement named Troy until the Avon Township was established in 1824.

As for early settlers, it is believed the first cabin was built by Noah Davis around 1812. Yet, it took seven more years for Adam Miller and his family to come along and become the first permanent settlers. These first settlers were mainly of English or German descent and excelled in general farming. That is until the late 1800s when they discovered the soil by the lake was perfect for wine grapes. The grapes became the most important crop for many years and increased the price of land from $15 to $300 an acre. Today, the impact of this time can still be seen by the vineyards throughout the town.

By 1850 the population of the area was large enough where a school needed to be built. The first school became a log cabin built by Anson Titus, who had been a school teacher before moving in 1835. With the continually increasing population, it wasn’t long until a second school was needed for those living along the eastern border of the area. This is how a second log school, built by John Walker, came to be along the road bearing the same name. Around 1870 there was need for a third school, so the first permanent one was built on what is now Lake Road. Today Avon Lake is home to seven public schools, all of which were built between 1923 and 1961.

The main reason for the great increase in population was the Lake Shore Electric Railway, which was constructed in 1897. It ran along modern-day Electric Boulevard and brought with it many people interested in building summer homes. Soon this turned into a permanent love for the city, creating a population boom as the price per acre rose tenfold. Sadly the railway was not meant to last forever and closed in 1938 as cars became the preferred method of transportation.

At the turn of the century, talk of separating the northern and southern parts of the town began to increase. Nothing was finalized until 1915 when Avon Township was divided along the railroad, which was built in the previous century. The northern part was called Avon Lake and two years later it had its first mayor, Gerald Brown, and a council of five men running it.

Avon Lake officially became a city in 1960 when the census showed the population had grown enough to reach the requirements of a town. Today Avon Lake is home to more than 24 thousand people and has changed quite a lot from our first permanent residents settled here two hundred years ago.