Mentor in Lake County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Mentor Lagoons Water Trail
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 9, 2011
1. Mentor Lagoons Water Trail Marker
Natural Shoreline of Lake Erie
The Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve's 1.5-mile shoreline represents the longest stretch of publicly accessible natural beach in Ohio. Because it is one of the last remnants of a wild beach in the state, it harbors a very specialized plant community
Bridge to Nowhere
In 1928, the Lake County Commissioners started construction of this bridge to link Lakeshore Boulevard with a new housing development advertised an an "exclusive summer colony." The stock market crash of 1929 forced the Mentor Harbor Company to fold and ownership of the property reverted to the B&O Railroad. Because the road leading fom, and to, the bridge was never built, this bridge had nowhere to go. Long referred to as the Bridge to Nowhere, it has been featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not, as the only bridge that has no beginning and no end.
[Natural History related text, under the headings below, is not transcribed]
Creatures of the Lagoons
Migratory Birds
Marsh Creek
Erected by City of Mentor.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment •
this page online
Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 41° 43.541′ N, 81° 20.331′ W. Marker was in Mentor, Ohio, in Lake County. It could be reached from the intersection of Harbor Drive and Mentor Marina, on the right when traveling south. The marker stood near the entrance to the Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve and Marina. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 8365 Harbor Drive, Mentor OH 44060, United States of America.
We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Regionally, this marker was in Greater Cleveland, on the Lake Erie Shore, and in the Western Reserve. It was also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture,
Photographed by City of Mentor, undated
2. Mentor Lagoons Water Trail Map on Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Marsh Settlement (here, next to this marker); Mentor Lagoons (a few steps from this marker); Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mentor Marsh (about 400 feet away); Restoring the Marsh (about 700 feet away); When Disaster Strikes (about 700 feet away); Chimney Swift (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mentor.
Also see . . .
1. Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve. (Submitted on November 4, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. The Bridge to Nowhere. Architectural Afterlife. (Submitted on July 19, 2020.)
Additional commentary.
1. Bridge demolished.
The bridge was removed in 2014.
— Submitted July 17, 2020, by Wendy Friday of Gibsonton, Florida.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 9, 2011
3. Mentor Lagoons Acquisition Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 9, 2011
4. Mentor Lagoons and Acquisition Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,178 times since then and 53 times this year. Last updated on May 7, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 4, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
