by William Krause
27715 Lake Road, c. 1814
The second in a series of articles to be published as a walking tour of Lake Road by the Bay Village Historical Society in 2025.
The Reuben and Sarah Osborn House was originally located at 29202 Lake Road, west of Lakeside cemetery. Reuben Osborn arrived in Dover on the afternoon of Oct. 10, 1810, the same day Joseph Cahoon and family were the first non-native American settlers to arrive in Dover Township.
Reuben brought his wife and children from New York the following May.
This was the first frame structure constructed in Dover Township and is the oldest existing frame structure between Cleveland and Lorain. It is a simple gabled structure with roofline, massing, and fenestration which hint of the Greek Revival style popular at the time.
Reuben’s grandson Reuben occupied the house in 1903 when Bay seceded from Dover Township, and he became the first mayor.
In 1995 the land along the lake where the house was located was sold to a developer. When the developer learned of the importance of the house, he donated it to the city which moved the house to its current location.
Today the house is used as a research repository for records of the Bay Village Historical Society.