Linwood Park: A Vermilion treasure

VERMILION — The Vermilion Historical Society will present the Linwood Park — A Vermilion Treasure program at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 22 at Ritter Public Library, 5680 Liberty Ave. (U.S. 6) in Vermilion. The presentation is free and open to the public. In partnership with the library and the Vermilion History Museum, the program will feature a video narrative of the history of Linwood Park, incorporated in 1883. The narrative is based on the book "Through These Gates and Down the Path: Linwood Park" by historian Karen Boas. According to Linwood Park's website, it's a historic community where bicycles and baby strollers outnumber the cars on quiet, shaded streets. The relaxing atmosphere feels like a step back in time when summer floated along at a slower pace. Amenities include quaint cottages, private beach, tree-lined grove park, lakefront playground, an ice cream stand and more — and it's free from modern-day commercialization, favoring a more timeless, peaceful experience. It was the fall of 1883 when Boas' great-grandfather, Henry Bickel, drove his buggy from his farm in Black River, now Lorain, to Vermilion to see the land for which he had pledged money as a camp meeting ground. He built a cottage and was on the first board of directors of the Linwood Park Co. in 1884. Boas' parents first took her to Linwood in 1947 when she was an infant to open the family cottage for the summer. Boas is now a year-round resident. "In 1980, while visiting with friends and viewing an extensive collection of old photographs, someone had commented that the centennial was coming up in four years and someone should write a history of Linwood," Boas said. Being a history major, she decided to undertake the task. She talked with Franklin Seith along with Sara and Harvey Crass, three of the early pioneers of Linwood. "They were tremendous help, remembering in incredible detail the early days of the park," Boas said. She viewed family albums and memorabilia, then spent countless hours researching in the courthouse and innumerable libraries, historical societies and archives around the country. "My breakthrough came when I obtained access to the minutes of the Linwood Park Co. from 1883 to the present," she said. "Everything was there in detail. A major stumbling block was the first 600 pages were in old German Script, which was discontinued in 1939, which very few people can read. She then obtained the services of translators. Glen Cutcher, a Vermilion Historical Society member, has compiled the narrative history of Linwood Park with numerous historical photographs from Karen Boas' book and from postcards in the society's collection. People can email vermilionhistoricalsociety@gmail.com for more information.