The first stop at the east border of Bay Village (originally known as Dover Bay or North Dover) was stop 12, named "Lawrences." Washington Lawrence was co-founder of National Carbon (later to become Union Carbide Corp.) and owned the property between the LSE tracks and the Lake. In 1895 he built a mansion on the north side of Lake Road and the nine hole Dover Bay golf course (the first in Ohio) on the south side. Several cottages for family members and their wealthy associates also dotted the land, and around 1903 a large clubhouse was built. The golf course operated into the 1950's, while in 1948 the home became Bay View hospital, operated by the family of Sam Sheppard (whose murder trial would inspire the TV show "The Fugitive".) Today the home is part of the Cashelmara Condominium complex. In the photo of stop 12 at right the Lawrence mansion can be seen in the background. Stop 12 was located between present day Edinborough Dr. and Sandalwood Dr. where suburban homes now exist.

The railway crossed Clague Road about midway between present day Bruce and Russell Roads. On the southwest corner of the tracks and Clague Road stood the Dover Bay substation, built in 1907. This was one of several substations built along this busy section of the railway to supply the large amount of power required by the number of cars using the line each day. It also served as stop 13 and was the site of a messy accident. On September 8, 1912 a two car Cleveland to Detroit limited hit a truck which was crossing the tracks on Clague Road. The truck was carried 150 feet down the tracks by the train which derailed and jack-knifed. The first car of the train (#149) flipped onto its side, while the second (#147) remained upright. Thirty five people were injured, but miraculously nobody, including three men in the truck, was killed.

Stop 14 was at Upland Road, and is now the intersection of Upland and Electric Drive, so named because it is paved directly over the Lake Shore Electric right-of-way. Although this section of Electric Drive ends at Forestview Road the right-of-way is still quite easy to follow both on the ground and by satellite maps. Much of it is still used as bike paths and walking trails between neighborhoods and modern electrical lines still follow the old route. The cinders used as ballast by the railway are still evident among the weeds in these areas, and occasionally a railroad spike, bolt, or tie can be found.

Many of the present day neighborhoods of Bay Village were apple orchards, peach orchards and vineyards in the Lake Shore days. Street names like Vineland and Woodland reflect this, as does Bassett Road, named for Nathan Bassett who owned extensive orchards in the area. The LSE shipped this fresh produce to markets in Cleveland and even delivered some to homes along the line. As with all towns, street names change over time. Woodland Road is now Forestview Road, Hall Road is now Columbia Road, and Forest Park is now Oakmoor Road.

At West Glen Park Drive, just north of Wolf Road, the street is divided around Wischmeyer Creek. Stone abutments from a Lake Shore Electric bridge still exist here among the trees.

Stop 22 was named Wischmeyer's and served the farm and hotel owned by the family of that name. The Wischmeyer Hotel was built on the cliffs above Lake Erie in 1874 and could accommodate 70 guests. The cool lake breeze, boat house, and pavilion for parties and entertainment made this a popular stop for traveling businessmena and city dwellers. The cellar below the hotel could store 10,000 gallons of wine made from the families large vineyards. The Wischmeyer's built a sizable waiting station at stop 22 for the convenience of their guests. In the photo of the stop below the vineyards can be seen in the background.

The largest and most prominent Lake Shore Electric structures in Bay Village are the Cahoon and Huntington trestles. These were originally wood trestles built during the construction of the Lorain & Cleveland Railway in the 1890's. By the 1920's the increase in traffic and the weight of newer interurbans necessitated their replacement with concrete and steel. Amazingly these were replaced without stopping traffic on the line (see magazine article below.) Cahoon trestle (544 feet long) spanned a valley from near Dover Center Road to Cahoon Road, while the Huntington trestle (432 feet long) crossed Porter Creek from east of today's Porter Creek Drive to Long Beach Pkwy. When the line was dismantled the rails and steel girders were removed from the bridges but the concrete piers remained. Even stone abutments from the original wood trestle, which were incorporated into the concrete bridges, still remain. During the construction of Bay Village Park much of the Cahoon trestle was buried in fill. Sadly, the last unburied remains of Cahoon trestle were demolished in 2010 for public safety reasons. However, the Huntington trestle is still standing and easily viewed from Porter Creek Drive in the Cleveland Metroparks Huntington Reservation.

Stops such as Cahoon Road, Long Beach Parkway, and Lake Erie Park were popular with bathers and picnickers headed for the beaches immediately to the north. According to the Bay Village history website, "A tragedy struck the interurban on July 4, 1926, when a group of picnickers, trying to get back to Cleveland, were killed when a half dozen of them decided to walk the Cahoon trestle back one stop in order to get a better seat. Two trolleys coming from opposite directions met on the trestle, and the motorman in the eastbound trolley, blinded by the approaching headlight of the other train, did not see the picnickers on the track."

Neighborhoods and businesses grew up along the LSE. At least two grocery stores benefitted by the relationship. In 1919 the West Shore Supply Co. opened on Bassett Road at LSE stop 32. The store was leased to the A&P chain in the 1930's but closed in 1938 when the LSE stopped its service. The building still exists today and the parking lot is paved over the LSE right-of-way. George Pecarik operated a small grocery store at stop 35 on Bradley Road. Customers could buy their items and wait for the next interurban during bad weather.

The Lake Shore also served as school bus for many children in these suburbs. George Serb, writing in the Villager Newspaper in the 1990's recounted stories of how the school would arrange for students to ride the LSE for free on the first day of class, where they would recieve a monthly book of pink tickets for the rides to and from school. "If one forgot the ticket book, the ride cost 5 cents and conducters very rarely collected, but requested an extra ticket on the next ride."


Map


Lorain & Cleveland 64 at stop 12 in 1902. Note the Lawrence
mansion in the background. (Gilbert Hodges photo)

The Lawrence mansion, seen in the background of the photo
above. (Cleveland State University Library)

John Marshall Cahoon was given a lifetime pass in 1898, signed
by then president Barney Mahler. (Virginia Peterson)

The Dover Bay substation located at the LSE crossing on
Clague Road. (Dennis Lamont)

Another view of the substation showing one of the sidings.
(Dennis Lamont)

Wrecked interurbans after the accident at the Dover Bay
substation in 1912. (Harry Christiansen)

147 was damaged but remained upright after the accident.
(Harry Christiansen)

A Cleveland bound express rushes past stop 15 at Vineland
Road in September 1936. (Thomas Patton)

Looking northeast as 180 approaches the stop 16 shelter.
(Ralph A. Perkin photo)

Looking northwest as 172 passes stop 16, Woodland Road,
in 1934. (Dennis Lamont)

Remains of bridge abutment at West Glen Park Drive.
(Todd Stoffer photo)

A passenger smiles for the camera as 60
waits in Bay Village, sometime before 1925.
(Bob Beck/Plain Dealer)

The Wischmeyer Hotel, built in 1874, was popular with traveling
businessmen and city vacationers. (Virginia Peterson)

The shelter at stop 22, built by the Wischmeyer family for the
guests of their hotel. (Virginia Peterson)

Impressive view of Cahoon trestle in 1930. Notice what appears
to be a pedestrian walkway underneath. (Dennis Lamont)
          
A 1925 article on the construction of the Bay Village trestles.
(Dennis Lamont)

Aerial view of Cahoon trestle from 1962. Note the length
compared to the modern view at right. (Historic Aerials)

Aerial view of Cahoon trestle remains from 2009.
(Bing.com/maps)

The half buried remains of Cahoon trestle, around 2008.
(www.flickr.com)

Site of Cahoon trestle after its demolition
in 2010. (Todd Stoffer photo)

Faded, grainy photo, but great scene of the Cahoon Road stop.
(Harry Christiansen photo)

Same location as photo at left, stop 24 in 2010.
(Drew Penfield photo)

Looking west as an eastbound car approaches Cahoon trestle.
(Dennis Lamont)

A Cleveland express at an unspecified crossing in Bay Village.
(Thomas Patton)

The Huntington trestle shortly after construction in 1925.
The bottomland was farmed then. (Thomas Patton)

149 crosses Huntington trestle near stop 24 on its way to
Beach Park in 1936. (Drew Penfield)

Another view of Huntington trestle.
(Harry Christiansen)

183 on the Huntington trestle in 1938. It would be dismantled
a year later. (Dennis Lamont)

Porter Creek Dr. passes under the Huntington trestle remains.
(Drew Penfield photo)

Huntington trestle remains in 2008.
(www.flickr.com)

Huntington trestle hidden in foliage, 2010.
(Todd Stoffer photo)

Abutment of the original wood trestle was incorporated into the
new trestle and remains today. (Dennis Lamont photo)

An eastbound express passes through Bay Village in 1936.
(Karel Liebenauer photo)

A student ticket from 1938. (CSU Digital Humanities)

The West Shore Supply (later A&P) grocery store at stop 32.
The building still exists. (Virginia Peterson)

George Pecarik's grocery store was next
to the tracks at stop 35, Bradley Road.
(Virginia Peterson)

Work crew on line car 455 and flat-car in June 1938, after
the line had closed. (Dennis Lamont)

A work motor pushes a flat-car through Bay Village, possibly
after the end of operations. (Thomas Patton)

A borrowed Cleveland Railway crane was used to dismantle
Huntington trestle in 1939. (Tom Bailey)

The occasional rail spike and bolt can still be found along the
former right-of-way, 70 plus years later. (Todd Stoffer photo)

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