Historical Significance of Lakeside

For over a century, Lakeside has served as a peaceful resting place for Erie families, civic leaders, and historical figures, including Captain Charles Vernon Gridley, remembered for Admiral Dewey’s command “You may fire when ready, Gridley!”at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. Four 1890s Spanish naval cannons still stand in Gridley Circle, honoring both his service and the cemetery’s history.

Founded in 1896, Lakeside was envisioned as more than a burial ground: a landscaped memorial park combining dignity, natural beauty, and lasting comfort for all families. The founders planted thousands of trees and shrubs, laid out roads and walkways, and even established a nursery to ensure continual renewal—early expressions of perpetual care. Inspired by the rural cemetery movement, Lakeside offered plots for all families while maintaining a serene, cultivated environment where the memory of the departed could endure across generations.

The Lake Side Cemetery First Annual Report to Lot Proprietors 1898