The Lakeside Volunteer Fire Protective Association / The Fire of October 20, 1929

Side A: The Lakeside Volunteer Fire Protective Association responded to both fire and medical emergencies on the Marblehead Peninsula for more than 100 years. It was founded in 1905, after a devastating fire destroyed Lakeside’s business district. In 1946, the Association began providing emergency medical aid. During their service, the Lakeside Volunteer Fire Protective Association progressed from hand-drawn chemical carts to the area’s first heavy-duty fire and rescue truck. In 2013, the Association donated its assets to the newly-formed Danbury Township Volunteer Fire Department and passed into history. Side B: On October 20, 1929, a fire originated at an oil-burning stove in a Lakeside cottage on Walnut Avenue. A strong wind shifted the flames onto neighboring buildings, threatening the entire block. Fire departments from Fremont, Port Clinton, Marblehead and Sandusky were requested to help save the community. To suppress the fire, cottages were dynamited to create fire breaks. Dozens of cottages, Lakeside’s Methodist Episcopal Church and the printing office of the Peninsula News were consumed by the fire. Fortunately, the tragic fire resulted in no casualties or serious injuries.