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History · Chippewa Lake

Chippewa Lake dates to 1920, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1930.

1920founded
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chippewa Lake’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chippewa Lake began

When was Chippewa Lake founded?

1920

Chippewa Lake dates its founding to 1920 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 22 in 19302020 census: 654106 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Chippewa Lake’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

On the map since 19044 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1994. Watch Chippewa Lake change.Old housesHalf of Chippewa Lake’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · On the map

Chippewa Lake on the map, 1904 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chippewa Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Chippewa Lake on the 1904 USGS mapChippewa Lake on the 1961 USGS mapChippewa Lake on the 1973 USGS mapChippewa Lake on the 1994 USGS map1904Medina sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chippewa Lake.

The story

How Chippewa Lake came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chippewa Lake.

Read it all →

Chippewa Lake took its name from the Ojibwe tribe of Native Americans.

In the 1880s, Oscar Townsend and the Cleveland, Lorain, & Wheeling Railroad developed a vacation resort, eventually called Chippewa Lake Park, on the banks of Chippewa Lake. The Great Depression and extinction of interurban rail service crippled the park, but in 1937, Parker Beach purchased the resort. In 1978, after more than 100 years of operation, Chippewa Lake Park was shut down.

In 2008, scenes for the horror film Closed For the Season (released in 2010) were shot at the abandoned amusement park, using many of its decrepit attractions as backgrounds.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Chippewa Lake in 1881

Passages that mention Chippewa Lake, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The village of Chippewa Lake was laid out and platted in 1873. Sixteen lots were originally täid off, to which several additions have since been made—one in 1877, by Jonathan Palmer, and one in 1880, by Mr. Clark. Almost the first building in the village was one moved in by J. Cotner, in the spring…
History of Medina County and Ohio1881 · page 673Read the page →
Read the text

The village of Chippewa Lake was laid out and platted in 1873. Sixteen lots were originally täid off, to which several additions have since been made—one in 1877, by Jonathan Palmer, and one in 1880, by Mr. Clark. Almost the first building in the village was one moved in by J. Cotner, in the spring of 1874. This building was immediately occu-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
the mill was large and strong, and the timbers, many of them as sound as when first prepared, are being used in building a church at the village of Chippewa Lake. Mr. Mc- Donald conducted the mill a few years, when it was permitted to run down, and, as was stated, the owner purchased an interest in…
History of Medina County and Ohio1881 · page 672Read the page →
Read the text

the mill was large and strong, and the timbers, many of them as sound as when first prepared, are being used in building a church at the village of Chippewa Lake. Mr. Mc- Donald conducted the mill a few years, when it was permitted to run down, and, as was stated, the owner purchased an interest in the Dorsey Mill.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Chippewa Lake, 1904 to 1920

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1905In the archiveIn the Grove
  4. 1913In the archiveLooking up the Inlet
  5. 1920
    FoundingChippewa Lake is established
By decade

Chippewa Lake, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1910s10 items
In the Grove1905In the GroveAt the Lakeside1905At the LakesideChippewa Lake Park1907Chippewa Lake ParkPostcardChippewa Lake Park1907Chippewa Lake ParkPostcardLooking up the Inlet1913Looking up the InletPostcardLooking up the Inlet1913Looking up the InletPostcardHillside at1916Hillside atPostcardHillside at1916Hillside atPostcardPicnic Grounds At1916Picnic Grounds AtPostcardPicnic Grounds At1916Picnic Grounds AtPostcard
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
CrossPointe Community Church2016CrossPointe Community ChurchMap of Medina County Ohio Highlighting Chippewa Lake Village2015Map of Medina County Ohio Highlighting Chippewa Lake …MapOHMap-doton-Chippewa Lake2004OHMap-doton-Chippewa Lake
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

In the Grove
Retake this viewIn the Grove, 1905

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Chippewa Lake’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Chippewa Lake, census by census

020040060080019401960198020002020Peak: 823

Between 22 and 823 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Chippewa Lake’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Chippewa-on-the-Lake

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Chippewa Lake’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewIn the Grove: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Chippewa Lake’s history

What year was Chippewa Lake founded?

In 1920, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1930 counted 22 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (11), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.