Kendall Lake Pier and Shelter

A historic fishing pier extends out in front of the Kendall Lake Shelter.

NPS / Arrye Rosser

Quick Facts

Location:

1000 Truxell Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264.

Significance:

Kendall Lake and the adjacent bathhouse are centerpieces of a recreational landscape built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Designation:

Virginia Kendall State Park Historic District; Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area

Amenities

16 listed

Accessible Sites, Audio Description, Baby Changing Station, Benches/Seating, Dock/Pier, Fire Pit, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Picnic Table, Recycling, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Toilet - Flush, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Drinking/Potable, Wheelchair Accessible

People come to the Kendall Lake pier to fish, relax, and enjoy nature. While the spot feels very natural, people shaped what you see. The area has been logged and farmed. In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built a dam to create the lake, planted thousands of trees, and added the adjacent shelter as a bathhouse.

The lake flooded a spot where two streams come together to become the main branch of Salt Run. Nearby seeps and springs suggest that a large wetland complex once existed here. This natural water source may have helped the CCC select the location for the lake.

The CCC followed designs that fit into the natural landscape. The shelter, for example, seems to grow out of the hillside. How natural does this spot feel to you?

Civilian Conservation Corps Bu...

18 Images

In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built several structures in Virginia Kendall Park. In the late 1970s, this area became part of Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, now Cuyahoga Valley National Park.