Lakeside Marblehead, Ohio

41.5402° N, 82.7432° W




(Google Maps)

The Place:

Place definition: Definition: “a particular position or point in space” Or “a portion of space available or designated for or being used by someone” (Lexico)

Lakeside, Ohio is on the south west coast of Lake Erie in Marblehead, near Sandusky (where Cedar Point is). It is also located in the "island" part of Lake Erie, the two main islands are Kelley's island and Put in Bay. They are about two miles off the shore of Lakeside (fun fact, there's a race once a year where swimmers swim to or from Lakeside to Kelley's island). There are also many smaller islands near Lakeside such as Mouse Island (sometimes there are sailing races where you have to sail from Lakeside, around Mouse Island, and back), and Rattle Snake island (rumor has it, this island is owned by the mafia disguised as a country club with the slogan "a very private island").

How it started:

"On a warm August day in 1873, a group of Methodist preachers unloaded axes and shovels to begin clearing a tract of land near Lakeside's present-day Central Park. They built a podium, plank benches and several platforms of stone upon which fires would light the meetings to come. On the edge of the clearing, tents provided shelter for preachers and their families. People from the surrounding countryside arrived on foot and in wagons, for Lakeside's first public event. It was an old-fashioned camp meeting revival with rousing hymns and preachings that matched the surrounding bonfires" (Lakeside).

Lakeside was started by the Central Ohio Confrence of the Methodist Church with finacial backers Alexandre Clemons, Rev. Richard P. Duvall, B.H Jacobs, and Samuel R. Grill who all grew up or had family history on the peninsula (Lakeside).

Lakeside was created to be a small community of Methodist and through the decades (and centuries) the community grew bigger and bigger. What started as a few tents and podiums, became a whole community with a mini downtown and hundreds of cottages.


Space Definition: a continuous area or expanse which is free, available, or unoccupied (Lexico)




Rattle Snake Island (Red Dot) (Google Maps), Mouse Island is too small to show on a Map but it is a bit East of Cattawba Island

Changes throughout the years

The general layout of Lakeside has stayed pretty much the same but because it has been around for over 150 years, there have been a many changes. The map below is the current layout of Lakeside. One major recent change is the pool they recently added on 6th street next to the tennis courts (56 on the map). One small change that I feel shows the evolution of lakeside is the change of the first church. The first ever church in Lakeside is located on the corner of 3rd and Maple street (#10 on the map) and is now a museum of Lakeside. What once was probably the most used building in lakeside is now used as a remembrance of Lakesides history because it has expanded and changed so much they now have more, bigger churches!

On top of physical changes, there has also been social changes in Lakside. Lakeside is still a very convseritive place (most of Sandusky and Marblehead is) and is majority white (everyone who lives there year round are white) and besides recently I really mostly see white families vacation there, but in recent years there has been a lot more families of color spending a week or a few weeks there which I feel like says a lot about Lakeside and it's changes/evolution.

Then

Now

The Pier (47, 50, and 51 on the map)

Then

Now

The Auditorium (12 on the Map)

The Enviroment

Lakeside is in Ohio, so it is a very seasonal location (not to mention, most cottages are not winterized). Around 741 people live in Lakeside year round (world population) and for comparison, there are 900 cottages in lakeside that sleep between 2-20 people depending on the cottage. In a personal opinion, I love Lakeside anytime of the year. Of course summer is great, the sun is shining, the pier is full and the water feels great. But something about the emptiness and stillness of the winter time is very peaceful, there's no one around, the wind is strong and the lake feels alive.

(Weather)

Humans Relationship with Lakeside

Lakeside is one of those places that when you think of it, you think only positive thoughts, it's a care free place. But this place is also very religious, there are mulitple churches and a lot of youth groups. while my family doesn't necessarily go to lakeside because of the religious affiliation, we appreciate the deep connection a lot of the memebers have with this place and their religion. Lakeside is also a very safe place, because it's a gated community, parents never really have to worry about what their kids are doing because any place in Lakeside is safe. When you meet someone that goes to lakeside outside of lakeside it's like meeting a long lost family member, it's one in a million and you want to talk about Lakeside with them for hours.

Personal Connection

My family has been going to Lakeside over the summer for decades (since my mom was a little girl) and I get excited every year. The classic activities we do when we are there include but not limited to; Shuffle Board, mini golf, ice cream from the patio, candy from Marilyn's, tennis, swimming off the rocks or pier, playing a whole lot of cards (specifically Hearts) and going to see bands or magicians or acrobats or any other talent at the auditorium. We used to rent cottages every year but 2 years ago, my mom, uncle, and grandma all bought a cottage together!

Marilyn's multipurpose store


My Family's cottage


My family in Lakeside


The Pier Sunset

One of many

A big change

Because a lot of people rent their cottages over the summer, renters must bring their own sheets and towels, so some super smart person decided to start a linen rental company in Lakeside called Lakeside Linen Supply. This person also happens to be my mom!

Sources

  • “Lakeside, Ohio Population 2021.” Lakeside, Ohio Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs). Accessed March 3, 2021. https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/lakeside-oh-population.

  • “Welcome to Lakeside, Ohio on Lake Erie.” Lakeside Ohio, March 3, 2021. https://www.lakesideohio.com/.

  • “SPACE: Definition of SPACE by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com Also Meaning of SPACE.” Lexico Dictionaries | English. Lexico Dictionaries. Accessed March 9, 2021. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/space.

  • “PLACE: Definition of PLACE by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com Also Meaning of PLACE.” Lexico Dictionaries | English. Lexico Dictionaries. Accessed March 9, 2021. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/place.

  • Google Maps. Google. Accessed March 9, 2021. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lakeside+Marblehead,+OH+43440/@41.5271211,-82.8104804,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x883bb2be183ba2a9:0x52d1f00a341227a9!8m2!3d41.5401661!4d-82.7432469.

  • d.o.o., Yu Media Group. “Sandusky, OH - Detailed Climate Information and Monthly Weather Forecast.” Weather Atlas. Accessed March 17, 2021. https://www.weather-us.com/en/ohio-usa/sandusky-climate.