Century Program
Our newest exhibit is visible throughout our community. As you drive or walk around the Conneaut Lake area, you will begin to notice cast bronze plaques commemorating historic homes and buildings. Seven have been honored in 2024 and new ones will be added each year. Please consider applying to add your home or historic building to this collection. We welcome questions and applications.
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Going forward, we will be designing a new exhibit in the museum to share photos and information on each of these structures. We are also building our archives to include their fascinating histories.
TOWN HALL (present)
HIGH STREET COMMUNITY CHURCH (past)
395 High Street, Conneaut Lake
1864
In the early 1800s, the small town of Evansburg had two Presbyterian churches, one on Fifth St. and the other on High St. The High St. church, known as the Seceder Church, started in a log meeting house built by the community that served several Protestant congregations. With a growing congregation, the Seceders built their own church in 1826 on Jacob Shontz’s property, on the southeast corner of what is now Lakeview Cemetery
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As the years passed, needing a larger house of worship, the congregation purchased the lot on the southeast corner of Fourth and High Streets for $75 ($1,850 in today’s dollars) and began construction. The building was erected by their own church members. In 1864, their new United Presbyterian Church was dedicated. In 1869, when music became permissible, a small pump organ was obtained and a choir was formed. In 1925, to provide for much needed space, it was decided to jack up the church building and dig out a basement by hand. Long wooden beams were inserted, and with large mechanical jacks, the building was slowly lifted. In 1980, responding to continued pressure to merge with the Fifth St. Presbyterian Church, the congregation decided to withdraw from the Presbyterian Church and become an independent Community Church.
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High Street Community Church welcomed many community events over the years, including ice cream socials and annual quilt shows. In 1981, the Stilly house and property adjacent to the church were purchased for $19,500. This house was removed in 1998 with a controlled burn by the Conneaut Lake Volunteer Fire Department.
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The congregation continued to grow and by 2007, they outgrew the High Street Church. A larger facility was built southwest of town on Rt 322, eight times the size of its former home, called Lighthouse Community Church.
In 2013, Ron and Gayle Anderson and family purchased the deteriorating former United Presbyterian building on High Street to preserve its history. The following year, after spending a half a million dollars to restore it, they turned it over to the Conneaut Lake Borough Council to be used as its new Town Hall. The mail floor is used for Borough Council meetings, the Borough Polling location and is available and enjoyed for many community and private events. The lower floor houses the Borough offices, Conneaut Lake Joint Municipal Water and Sewer Authority, meeting rooms and other available office space.
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Conneaut Lake’s Town Hall is a consistent reminder of our town’s appreciation of history and the vision and generosity of Ron and Gayle Anderson and family and all who made this project a reality.
RALSTON’S HARDWARE
195 Water Street, Conneaut Lake
1910
The Business Ralston’s Hardware was started by Wilson Ralston in 1888. Its first location was in the Stratton Building, on the southeast corner of Third Street and Water Street. In 1902, the business moved to the Independent Order of Oddfellows (IOOF) Building, on the west side, first floor. In 1903, due to ill health, Mr. Ralston formed a partnership with William First. At that time, the business was valued at $3,727 ($131,400 in today’s dollars). In 1910, they dissolved the partnership, Mr. First stayed at the IOOF location, and Wilson Ralston moved to his new location, on the southwest corner of Second Street and Water Street, on a lot of Mrs. Charles Tiffany, where the previous building had been destroyed by fire. Mr. Ralston built a two story, red brick structure and began conducting business. The building is still Ralston’s Hardware and the business is still going strong.
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Wilson and his wife Elsie May DeArment Ralston had 5 children, Paul and Carl, who took over running the business, Hazel, who ran the billing and accounting side of the business, Ray, who was a teacher in Pittsburgh and upon retirement joined his family in the business, and Maye, who was a teacher in Youngstown. The only grandchild of Wilson and Elsie was Paul’s son Wilson, who graduated from Conneaut Lake High School in 1955 and went on to pursue an illustrious career in design engineering.
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In 1924, a warehouse room was added to the rear of the building, to provide space to ever increasing inventory. In 1937, an appliance room, 16’ x 75’ was added to the west of the main building to house and sell the new inventory of appliances, such as washing machines, dryers as well as the very new and popular feature; radios. KDKA, the first commercially licensed radio station, began in Pittsburgh in 1920 and Conneaut Lake residents were eager to experience this national sensation, broadcasting news, music and sporting events. Radios were exceptionally complex in the early years, and Paul was known to be an expert at repairing them. In 1947, Ralston’s began selling Philco television sets with an 8” picture. Reception was possible via a 50’ rooftop antenna and for a time, the only station available was one that broadcast Cleveland Indians baseball games.
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Through the years, Ralston’s Hardware was known as the local meeting place, where folks would gather and talk about local news, events and anything else that came up in conversation. That tradition has remained in our community.
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In 1969, Charles and Erda Holabaugh purchased Ralson’s Hardware. Their son, Richard and his wife Paula now run the business and are continuing the long tradition.
JOHN AND PAM LEASURE’S HOUSE
195 South Fourth Street, Conneaut Lake
1894
The property at 195 South Fourth Street was once owned by Abner Evans, who founded Evansburg, which was later renamed Conneaut Lake. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania deeded the land to Evans in 1800.
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The property had no building on it until 1894 when the present home was built. It changed hands several times until Gustavus Brown sold the property to the Ittel Family in 1940. Gail Ittel Fales, who lived in the home for many years with her family and then owned it until 2023, remembers Mr. Brown told them the home was in “A-1 shape” and needed nothing done to it. It did have a hole in the roof which he repaired with tar paper. Gail pointed out that the home had no heat, no electricity, no indoor toilet and no running water, but did have an outhouse.
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A brick home, the house had a wrap around porch originally. The home was later changed to have a porch on the west side. The two-story home had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an attic and basement. Extensive remodels were done by the Ittel family after the purchase. Later, John Shrock remodeled the home to add an enclosed porch in the rear. Gail noted the windows were the original windows in 2023 and the locks were original as well. The house is believed to be one of the oldest houses in the borough.
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PennDOT had planned to take the house in 1985. The reason given was the large number of accidents in that area, but statistics discounted that claim.. Gail Fales fought PennDOT on behalf of her mother who owned the house at that time, and was successful. PennDOT then installed rumble strips in that area on Route 322 coming east into town instead.
Gail became the owner of the house after her mother died. She sold it to John and Pam Leasure in 2023. The Leasures are in the process or remodeling.
JAMES AND DARLENE ROSS
345 North 2nd Street, Conneaut Lake
1885
This majestic house overlooking Conneaut Lake was built in 1885 by the Dennis family. The property was an original purchase from the Holland Land Company and ran north and into present Aldina Drive. Two generations of the Dennis family operated a lumber company at the rear of the house. One of the lumber sheds was converted into apartments and remains to this day. The cabinet shop was converted into an efficiency apartment and also remains. All other sheds were eventually torn down but several foundations still remain. Fireman’s Beach was called Dennis Beach until the late 1950s.There were six Dennis children, including two sets of twins. Evelyn Dennis, one of the twins lived at the Methodist home until her death. Three of the girls never married, the fourth died in her early years. The boys ran the lumber business and all had homes nearby; Bob Dennis lived next door, Al and Lou on Maple Street, Carl about 4 doors north on 2nd St. They loved their home and the three Dennis sisters lived here most of their lives. Their nieces and nephews nicknamed the home “The Aunt Hill” and many family gatherings took place there. Crippling arthritis forced them to sell the house, but they reserved neighboring space to the south and moved into a trailer they installed on that lot. They sold the house to the Ross family in 1968 and enjoyed knowing there would still be a set of twins living there (Mike and Jim). It remained in the Ross Family when Jim purchased it from his mother in 1986
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Construction: A look around the full basement is a study in construction techniques of days gone by. The foundation is constructed from large field-stones and there are three main beams approximately 10 inches square running the full length and width of the house. These are hand hewn and supported by hefty wooden posts in various areas throughout the spans. All the floor joists are rough cut 2 x 10 and almost impossible to drive a nail into.
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All the interior walls were plaster and lath finished. Horsehair was apparent in the plaster. Extensive remodeling involved removing much of the old plaster. It was interesting to find that all the exterior walls were sheeted on the inside with ¾” rough cut planks, some as wide as 16” and 10’ long.
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Alterations: A fire damaged the front portion of the house in the middle of the 20th century. The necessary rebuilding resulted in the house in its present form. The front porch, an addition to the living room including the fireplace, and the back porch were all added after the fire. The aluminum siding may have been installed around that time as well. A story related to the front porch involves building the radius floor and roof profiles. The carpenters had difficulty forming the radius without the boards cracking. The problem was solved by soaking the lumber in the lake for a week or so. The soaked wood then took the radius form with no problem.
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More recent remodeling included more efficient heating, electrical and kitchen upgrades and some restoration of original woodwork such as refinishing hardwood floors hidden for many years by rugs or carpeting. Recent remodeling, converting a pantry into a laundry room, revealed the name “Lee Dennis” and the date 1948 under some thin ceiling paneling. Lee, a devoted member of the historical society, and a direct descendent of the original Dennis clan who built the house, likely worked on that room.
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James Ross purchased the house in 1986 and resides there with his wife, Darlene.
BERRY BASKET/BLUE HERON ART GALLERY (present)
ODD FELLOWS BUILDING (past)
207-211 Water Street, Conneaut Lake
1901
The former Odd Fellows Building on Water Street in the borough of Conneaut Lake, currently owned by Joannie Kozlowsky, was built in 1901. It houses various spaces for businesses. During the 1920s, the first floor was occupied by Rankin Drug Store and the Conneaut Lake Breeze. The 2nd floor was occupied by I.O.O.F (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) Lodge. In the 1930s and 40s, the first floor was occupied by Garber Drug Store and the Conneaut Lake Breeze. The 2nd floor was I.O.O.F. Lodge. During the 1950s the Freehauf’s Drug Store and the Conneaut Lake Breeze were on the first floor while the I.O.O.F remained above them.
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The 1960s saw a change in the space occupied by the drug stores. Continental Restaurant came in while the Conneaut Lake Breeze remained on the 1st floor and I.O.O.F on the 2nd floor. In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Maggie’s Sub Shop then The Whole Darn Thing and the Berry Basket occupied the 1st floor. The Whole Darn Thing then moved to Meadville and Tinks Sub Shop opened up in the 90s and early 2000s. Once Tinks moved out, the space was occupied by Lakeside Sweets for many years and then followed by Lavender Blue and Kettle Lake Kitchen. The space is currently occupied by The Blue Heron Art Gallery and the Berry Basket remains next to it.
HOTEL CONNEAUT
12241 Lake Street, Conneaut Lake
1903
Hotel Conneaut was originally built is 1893 and called Exposition Hotel. It was was described as “Natures Resort” and had a 450-foot wrap around veranda with rocking chairs for people to relax and enjoy beautiful Conneaut Lake which was only 50 yards away. It had 300 rooms for guests. The name was changed to Hotel Conneaut in 1903.
The hotel is described as a great example of nostalgic architecture. The three-story hotel had many special areas in the early years, a billiards room, a barber shop, the Crystal Ballroom, the lobby which includes a large bookshelf for guests, a special reading room which later was changed to a tv room, a dining room downstairs and a cocktail lounge off the main lobby.
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Over the years there have been many renovations to the rooms and other areas of the park, but it maintained the charm of yesteryear and the charm of the lakeside. An annex, known was built in 1907. At that point the hotel was said to provide rooms for a total of 1,000 people. However, 2/3 of the hotel was destroyed by a fire in 1943 when it was struck by lightning. It was unable to be rebuilt because wood was being rationed because of the war and was not available.
The hotel was under private ownership until a group of businessmen bought it and took over in the 1990s. However, that group ended up filing for bankruptcy and eventually it was purchased by Gary Harris who donated it to the people of northwestern Pennsylvania in 1997. A board of directors was named to operate the park. From there, it struggled with finances that ended up closing the park at times. The hotel was leased to private operators by the board for several years.Conneaut Lake Park, including Hotel Conneaut was purchased by Todd Joseph in 2021 and he has done major renovations to the hotel, including painting, interior decorating, roof and porch repairs, air conditioning, extensive landscaping and more modern upgrades.
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While the history of the hotel includes all the remodels and renovations, the purpose of the hotel remains the same: to provide a beautiful place for visitors to relax while enjoying the area. It has also been a perfect place for beautiful weddings and is known as one of the nicest venues for parties, fundraisers, dances and other special events.
It also has a unique history which continues to keep people interested and talking – the idea that the hotel is haunted by spirits who show up from time to time. The most famous of these is Elizabeth, the bride who allegedly perished in the 1943 fire while waiting for her fiancé to rescue her so they could be married. She was wearing her wedding gown, according to the legend. However, there is no record of anyone dying in the fire. Other spirits have been known to visit occasionally – a child on a tricycle, a ballroom dancing couple, a soldier, a “crazy” cook and others. Many guests have reported unexplained temperature changes, orbs of light visible in photos, doors opening and closing and items inexplicably being moved. National paranormal experts have visited on several occasions and have declared they have seen the spirits who are said to not want to leave the special place.
LAKESIDE BEAUTY SALON (present)
FOUST SCHOOL (past)
10853 Rout 18, Conneaut Lake
1877
The former Foust School, located on Rt. 18 on the East Side of Conneaut Lake, was built in 1877. It was a one room schoolhouse for grades 1st – 6th. There were a number of teachers who taught local students at this school. Mrs. Monnie was a teacher in the 1930s. Miss Stright was a teacher in 1939 and 1940. Miss Stright was also an active member of the Trinity Methodist Church intown. When the school closed in 1947 the teacher was Wilda C. Bailey.
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The role of teacher in those days included much more than just teaching. Some of their duties, for example, included bringing in coal and wood to heat the school, pumping water for the students to drink, cleaning the school and ordering supplies. Some of the local families with children who went through the Foust School are Rosen, Livingston, Wigle, Foust and Prather to name a few. There were 44 students enrolled when the school closed in 1947. After the school closed, it was sold and added onto and turned into a home.
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The current owners, Kevin and Artie VanHonk, bought the building in 1990. After renovations of the school portion of the building, Artie opened Lakeside Beauty. During renovations, they found an old school desktop, an old flashcard for the word “you” and they uncovered an original tin ceiling. When you are in Lakeside Beauty, you can envision the old schoolhouse and the students sitting at their desks.