Shaker Heights in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Horseshoe Lake
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, August 18, 2008
1. Horseshoe Lake Marker
Inscription.
Horseshoe Lake. . In 1822, Ralph Russell, a Connecticut pioneer who had settled in Warrensville Township ten years earlier, founded the North Union Shaker Community. The Shakers created Horseshoe Lake in 1852 when they built a dam across Doan Brook and harnessed its waterpower to operate a woolen mill near Lee Road and South Park Boulevard. The community disbanded in 1889; its 1,366 acres were eventually sold to a real estate syndicate from Buffalo, New York, the Shaker Heights Land Company. In 1896, this group deeded the Shaker Lakes Parklands to the City of Cleveland to preserve the green space in perpetuity. Ten years later, the Van Sweringen Company began to develop Shaker Heights Village as a Garden City suburb where William J. Van Aken served as mayor from 1915 until 1950. In the 1960s local residents successfully fought the proposed Clark Freeway, saving Horseshoe Lake and the Parklands from destruction.
In 1822, Ralph Russell, a Connecticut pioneer who had settled in Warrensville Township ten years earlier, founded the North Union Shaker Community. The Shakers created Horseshoe Lake in 1852 when they built a dam across Doan Brook and harnessed its waterpower to operate a woolen mill near Lee Road and South Park Boulevard. The community disbanded in 1889; its 1,366 acres were eventually sold to a real estate syndicate from Buffalo, New York, the Shaker Heights Land Company. In 1896, this group deeded the Shaker Lakes Parklands to the City of Cleveland to preserve the green space in perpetuity. Ten years later, the Van Sweringen Company began to develop Shaker Heights Village as a Garden City suburb where William J. Van Aken served as mayor from 1915 until 1950. In the 1960s local residents successfully fought the proposed Clark Freeway, saving Horseshoe Lake and the Parklands from destruction.
Erected 2003 by the Van Aken Family / the City of Shaker Heights, the Shaker Historical Society and the Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 67-18.)
Location. 41° 28.948′ N, 81° 33.67′ W. Marker is in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. Marker is on South Park Boulevard, 0.2 miles east of Lee Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cleveland OH 44120, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, August 18, 2008
2. Marker and path to Horseshoe Lake Dam
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, August 18, 2008
3. Horseshoe Lake
Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 18, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,658 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 18, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.
