The Village of Willoughbeach

Did you know that the city you now know as Willowick, used to go by another name?

According to the Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library site, www.wepl.lib.oh.us/OLD/Wick_History/Wick_History.htm, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s it was called Willoughby-on-the-Lake and the Village of Willoughbeach.

The site reads: "Vine Street was a crooked road and Lake Shore Boulevard was so narrow that two cars could not pass each other. The Log Cabin restaurant was a hunting lodge (1880’s) before becoming a restaurant in the 1930’s. Willowick Drive extending from East 305^th Street to Lake Shore Boulevard was also known as Return Avenue because of the terrible condition of the road – travelers had to “return” because they could go no further.''

Also, according to the site, one of the most tragic events in the city's history happened on June 17, 1850 when the G.P. Griffith burned, just off the coast of where the Lakefront Lodge is now located.

"There were approximately 320 people aboard, of which an estimate of only 40 to 87 survived, making it Lake Erie’s worst disaster. There are many different accounts of the burning and sinking of the steamship, most agree that the German, Irish, English, and Scandinavian immigrants boarded at Buffalo, New York then headed for Cleveland and Toledo. A fire started near the smoke stacks soon after the ship left Fairport Harbor. By the time it reached the Chagrin River, the fire was out of control. The steersman attempted to ground the steamer, but it struck a sandbar about 600 feet off shore. The fire enveloped the entire ship. Many immigrants had filled their pockets with valuables and the women passengers had sewn gold coins into their petticoats. As a result, many of these people sank from the extra weight when they jumped overboard to escape the flames. Others were crushed by the paddlewheels or burned to death. Lifeboats were not lowered for fear of being swamped and some were already burnt.

The captain and his family were among the victims. A mass grave was dug for over 100 victims at the top of a bluff. The tragedy drew people from Cleveland to Eastlake and south to Wickliffe. It was reported that nine members of the Pridey party were buried on a farm at E. 300^th and Ridge Road in Wickliffe. Estimates were 286 lives lost. The location of the sinking is approximately an area north of Lake Shore Boulevard, from Cresthaven to East 305 Street. The mass grave was lost to lake erosion in the 1920’s."

A few years ago a plaque was installed at the top of the hill that slopes down to the Lake, remembering the lives lost in that tragic event.

Years ago, according to the site, Willowick was also known as a vacation destination...a resort on the lake.

"The Cleveland Painesville and Eastern Railroad was chartered April 25, 1895 to connect Painesville to Cleveland. The first car ran July 1, 1896 and celebrations were held along the rail line. Due to the railway’s success, another line was built in 1898 along Lake Shore Boulevard and Vine Street. This was called the Shore Line and there were approximately 10 stops along the way. Edward Moore and Henry Everett owned land on the north side of Lake Shore Blvd. and established Willoughbeach Park, an amusement park, in 1898. The company not only collected fares from their cars, but also profited from rides and concessions at the park. Timbers from an old wooden trestle in Willoughby were used in construction of the dance hall. Early pamphlets advertised a pavilion, dance hall, concessions, baseball fields, and the bathing beach.

By the 1910’s, the rail company had persuaded many churches and lodges in the area to hold their annual picnics at the park and Cleveland newspapers promoted Willoughbeach as a resort. The rail line transported groups of 500 people from Cleveland to the park for $.25 per round trip. A carousel and a roller coaster were added at this time. In 1925, the park installed an auto roller coaster. Car owners drove their own cars up a steep incline and then let the cars coast up and down the ravine by gravity. During the same period, Euclid Beach Park held automobile days for local motorists.

In 1923, the rail company suffered financial losses due to competition from the automobile and improvement of the roads. Willoughbeach Park could not compete with other amusement parks. The directors of the CP and E line decided to end the service in May 1926 and the park closed for good. Willoughbeach did exist as a bathing beach and campground into late 1930’s."

Have you ever noticed the names of some of the streets near Shoregate Shopping Center... Fairway Blvd., Bunker Road, Green, High Tee Street? They all have one thing in common...and it's not shopping.

That entire region used to be a golf course with, I've heard over the years, a tunnel that ran underground beneath Lake Shore Blvd.

Here's what the Web site says:

"In 1911, the Willowick Country Club was founded on Lake Shore Boulevard. It was a private course, par 70, and consisted of 18 holes and 154 acres. Eight of those acres were on the north side of the boulevard and included the clubhouse. A tunnel ran under Lake Shore Boulevard connecting the course to the clubhouse. The golf course was known for its many sand traps. The most difficult hole was no. 6, which was cut by a deep gully and was known as the “canyon” hole. The club’s members moved to the Manakiki Golf Course in 1929 and the Willowick Club became public. The Depression of the early 1930’s and gas rationing during World War II took their toll and the course eventually closed in 1951/1952."

Check out the Web site for many other interesting facts!