[EXPLORE] Linwood Park

Today I rode my bicycle into one of my favorite cities, Vermilion. Now I know Vermilion is a hot topic on this blog, but that is only because there are so many cool little "villages" located inside of the city. One of those villages is Linwood Park, located just east of downtown. Linwood Park was named after the copious amounts of Linden trees on the land. This is one of my favorite areas of the city (even though I'm not 100% sure I am allowed to ride back there) because it is like a town that is trapped in the early 1900's.

Crude outline of Linwood Park.

In 1854 local churches congregated at farms in the area during the summer months for camp. This continued for many years until in 1883 the churches decided to purchase a lot for permanent use. They decided on Linwood Grove, which they renamed Linwood Park and began setting up streets and lots for cottages and other facilities. At one point the park even had a steam powered carousel, a hotel, and a candy store with candy made in house. (Linwood on the Lake)

Today Linwood Park is no longer a church retreat, but still hold many of its original traditions. People rent cottages in the summer here and the rules are pretty strict. No alcohol or tobacco is permitted inside the gates and residents are encouraged to join in the Sunday services. Residents must also not damage any of the Linden trees on the premises, including hanging things from them.

Here are some pictures from my ride through the property.

Main gate.

Postcard of the entrance in the late 1800's. (Lake Shore Rail Maps)

Lakefront properties.

The park.

The private beach. Recently cleaned up by a local group.

General store and ice cream shack.

The tabernacle. Built in 1883 as an open aired church, then enclosed in 1941.

A cottage with Linden Trees in the background.

A public phone station (no longer in use).

Trees and the picnic pavilions.

Trees on the way out.

I always enjoy my rides through Linwood Park and hope that I am able to continue them in the future. Everyone that stays there is always so nice, but once they catch on that I'm not a resident, I may be ousted. Until then I will continue to enjoy an old town trapped in modern times.

Stay tuned for my next post where we visit a part of Vermilion that is slightly newer, but still has a fascinating history and creation story.

Thanks for reading.