Congress Lake

[Jim]

Congress Lake

The owners of the Connotton Valley Railroad recognized the attractiveness and recreational potential of Congress Lake. So they built a resort area there, with a hotel and dance pavilion near the railroad tracks.

 

The hotel was a magnificent three-story building with verandas surrounding it and enclosed with shutters.

 

The dance pavilion itself it self was 50’ x 100’ long and two stories high. Supported by wood pilings placed under water, the dance pavilion was one of the largest and most beautiful dance halls in the entire Midwest. In the summer, visiting dance clubs came from Canton on special trains, which would sit on the tracks and wait for the dancers to finish their evening of revelry. Then the train would carry the dancers back to Canton late at night on the return trip.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Silker purchased the Congress lake Hotel in 1888 and operated it for 12 years, with the railroad still owning the property itself. Most of the cottages were owned by the hotel and available for rental. Charming carriages took guests for a tour around the lake and boats were available for rental, as well.

 

The Connotton Valley Railroad went bankrupt in 1893 and the Congress Lake property passed from the U.S. government to the State of Ohio. And with a lot of help from the then Ohio Governor William McKinley, the Canto Outing Club purchased the land and buildings in April 1894. In 1896, the group reorganized to become the Congress Lake Club Company, with Mr. Austin Lynch as chairman and Mr. Charles P. Duff as secretary. Mr. F.E. Case was the club’s first president. Congress Lake Club privileges were then closed to the public in September 1899.

 

A new hotel and clubhouse was built on the east side of Congress Lake and completed in 1913. The new building cost $70,000, with an additional $15,000 spent for furnishings.

[Jim]

 In 1802, an Act of Congress fixed the boundaries of Ohio.  The larger, more southern part of Congress 

Lake was located in the “Congress Lands,” while the more northern section of the lake was located in the 

“Connecticut Western Reserve.” Shortly after 1803, when Ohio was admitted to the Union, Conrad Brumbaugh 

laid claim to a significant amount of land boarding the eastern shore of Congress Lake. The Brumbaughs were 

one of Stark County’s earliest pioneer settlers.  When the club purchased a 160 acre farm in 1999 from the 

Hershey family, the property contained the original Brumbaugh pioneer log home and barn complete with the 

family plot. 

The Heritage of Congress Lake Club

Prepared by the Preservation & Heritage Committee 2006