The Big Picture -- Lakeside, Ohio in 1887
A look back at one of Lake Erie's most beloved summer resorts and how it began.
Perhaps these three children were dawdling outside Bradley Temple in Lakeside, Ohio, soon to be called inside for prayers, songs and Bible instruction.
This building was the hub of religious activities for children in Lakeside, a community created in 1873 by a group of Methodist preachers who found this plot on the Marblehead Peninsula — just under one square mile — to be perfect for an old-fashioned tent revival.
Lakeside quickly became a destination for the faithful as a summertime escape consistent with their Christian values, in contrast to nearby Cedar Point which allowed drinking and dancing. These children and others who visited Lakeside with their families balanced swimming and kickball with daily Bible instruction, at first under a canvas tent buffeted by the noise of incoming steamships and the wrath of storms.
As director of children’s programming, Mrs. D.T. Vincent prayed for a more suitable venue for her program. The answer to those prayers came via friend Mrs. Alva Bradley, who donated funds from her husband’s considerable shipping fortune to build Bradley Temple in 1887.
The building was an island of relative opulence in this simple community, adorned with stained glass windows, a finely crafted cupola and carved architectural details.
In contrast, Lakeside visitors lived in tents or simple cottages without kitchens. Children fetched water from wells daily and used outhouses that were scattered throughout the property. Even the adult auditorium was little more than a large pavilion with dirt floors and hard wooden benches.
For early Lakeside patriarchs, it may have been tempting to co-opt such a fine structure as Bradley Temple for other purposes, and perhaps Mrs. Bradley anticipated that possibility. She stipulated that the building must be used for children’s activities only or else revert to the ownership of her family.
Today, Lakeside has grown to a community of 900 cottages, about two-thirds of which were built between 1880 and 1930. A strict historical preservation effort has ensured they retain the simple spirit of their past lives, although kitchens, second floors and some other modern amenities have been added.
After 127 years, Bradley Temple is still where children gather all summer for the community’s “God Squad” Bible classes, along with puppet shows, songs and crafts, still preserved to the condition Mrs. Vincent once prayed for.
This building was the hub of religious activities for children in Lakeside, a community created in 1873 by a group of Methodist preachers who found this plot on the Marblehead Peninsula — just under one square mile — to be perfect for an old-fashioned tent revival.
Lakeside quickly became a destination for the faithful as a summertime escape consistent with their Christian values, in contrast to nearby Cedar Point which allowed drinking and dancing. These children and others who visited Lakeside with their families balanced swimming and kickball with daily Bible instruction, at first under a canvas tent buffeted by the noise of incoming steamships and the wrath of storms.
As director of children’s programming, Mrs. D.T. Vincent prayed for a more suitable venue for her program. The answer to those prayers came via friend Mrs. Alva Bradley, who donated funds from her husband’s considerable shipping fortune to build Bradley Temple in 1887.
The building was an island of relative opulence in this simple community, adorned with stained glass windows, a finely crafted cupola and carved architectural details.
In contrast, Lakeside visitors lived in tents or simple cottages without kitchens. Children fetched water from wells daily and used outhouses that were scattered throughout the property. Even the adult auditorium was little more than a large pavilion with dirt floors and hard wooden benches.
For early Lakeside patriarchs, it may have been tempting to co-opt such a fine structure as Bradley Temple for other purposes, and perhaps Mrs. Bradley anticipated that possibility. She stipulated that the building must be used for children’s activities only or else revert to the ownership of her family.
Today, Lakeside has grown to a community of 900 cottages, about two-thirds of which were built between 1880 and 1930. A strict historical preservation effort has ensured they retain the simple spirit of their past lives, although kitchens, second floors and some other modern amenities have been added.
After 127 years, Bradley Temple is still where children gather all summer for the community’s “God Squad” Bible classes, along with puppet shows, songs and crafts, still preserved to the condition Mrs. Vincent once prayed for.
Story:
Jennifer Keirn
2014 May/June