Buckeye Lake in Licking County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Buckeye Lake
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 19, 2008
1. Buckeye Lake Marker (side A)
Formed by the retreating glacier more than 14,000 years ago, Buckeye Lake first existed as a shallow, swampy pond, named "Buffalo Swamp" by Ohio Company explorer Christopher Gist in 1751. Beginning in 1826 the State developed it as a water source for the Licking Summit of the Ohio and Erie Canal, it being the highest level between the Scioto and Licking rivers. Engineers dammed the north and west sides of the swamp, inadvertently creating a unique floating sphagnum-heath bog surrounded by water. Cranberry Bog, with boreal vegetation typical of glacial-era Ohio, is a registered National Natural Landmark.
[Marker Reverse]:
After the summit level of the canal became inactive in the 1890s, the State developed Licking Summit Reservoir (Buckeye Lake) for recreation. The lake has 3,800 acres of water, 35 miles of shoreline, and twenty islands. Millersport, Buckeye Lake Village, Thornport/Thornville and Hebron all developed as a result of the lake and canal system. Buckeye Lake Park, a popular regional resort, operated until the mid 1960s. Today the lake area has become the water recreation center of central Ohio, providing boating, swimming, fishing, water skiing, golfing, picnicking, and ice sports. The lake extends into three counties - Fairfield, Licking and Perry.
Erected
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Natural Features • Notable Places • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Ohio and Erie Canal, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1751.
Location. 39° 55.709′ N, 82° 29.403′ W. Marker is in Buckeye Lake, Ohio, in Licking County. It is at the intersection of Walnut Road (Ohio Route 79) and Cottage Street, on the right when traveling east on Walnut Road. Marker is on grounds of the Greater Buckeye Lake Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4729 Walnut Road, Buckeye Lake OH 43008, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Columbus Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Buckeye Lake Dam (approx. 0.6 miles away); Buckeye Lake Park (approx. 0.7 miles away); Eisenhower Interstate System (approx. 2.3 miles away); Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks (approx. 2.3 miles away); Hebron Mill (approx. 2.3 miles away); Hebron (approx. 2.3 miles away); Hebron Milling Company (approx. 2.3 miles away); a different marker also named Hebron (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Buckeye Lake.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 19, 2008
2. Buckeye Lake Marker (side B)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 19, 2008
3. Buckeye Lake Museum and Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 19, 2008
4. Greater Buckeye Lake Museum Land Donation Marker
Jack and Marge Goodin donated this land to the Greater Buckeye Lake Historical Society to be used as the site for the Historical Museum. December, 1995
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 19, 2008
5. Log House at Greater Buckeye Lake Museum
Photographed by Mark Moxley-Knapp, June 25, 2024
6. Buckeye Lake Marker
Photographed by Mark Moxley-Knapp, June 25, 2024
7. Buckeye Lake Marker
Photographed by Mark Moxley-Knapp, June 25, 2024
8. Cabin at Buckeye Lake Museum
Credits. This page was last revised on July 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,665 times since then and 63 times this year. Last updated on October 4, 2021, by Grant & Mary Ann Fish of Galloway, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 25, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 4, 5. submitted on October 27, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 6, 7, 8. submitted on June 25, 2024, by Mark Moxley-Knapp of Columbus, Ohio. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
