Punderson State Park (Summer)

Named for the area's first permanent settler in 1808, Punderson State Park honors Lemuel Punderson. The enterprising land agent built a small dam on the south side of the lake and opened a grist mill. Before long, the beautiful area surrounding Punderson Lake had become a popular resort for folks wanting to get away from industrial Cleveland. In 1929, construction started on a lovely English-Tudor manor house. The same year that the house was completed in 1948, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife bought the lake and land for hunting and fishing. The area became a state park in 1951. Five years later, the manor house ...

Named for the area's first permanent settler in 1808, Punderson State Park honors Lemuel Punderson. The enterprising land agent built a small dam on the south side of the lake and opened a grist mill. Before long, the beautiful area surrounding Punderson Lake had become a popular resort for folks wanting to get away from industrial Cleveland. In 1929, construction started on a lovely English-Tudor manor house. The same year that the house was completed in 1948, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife bought the lake and land for hunting and fishing. The area became a state park in 1951. Five years later, the manor house was completely remodeled and opened to the public. Today Punderson Manor Resort & Conference Center offers 31 spacious guestrooms, 26 cottages and a full-service dining room. The Center also hosts year-round activities galore. Located 25 miles east of Cleveland, Punderson State Park features 150-acre Punderson Lake and its sandy swimming beach, an 18-hole golf course, nature center, boat launch ramp, seven hiking trails and campgrounds on the site of a former Indian village. The largest and deepest "kettle" lake in Ohio, Punderson Lake was created when a large block of a massive ice sheet broke off during the glacial age about 12,000 years ago. The ice created a deep depression which filled with meltwater and a lake was born.

About the Expert

Jackie Sheckler Finch has written several guidebooks, including The Unofficial Guide to Campgrounds in the Great Lakes States, and four times she was named Travel Writer of the Year by Midwest Travel Writers Association.