Beachwood Cove was once a heavily wooded area of oak and maple trees known as Sage’s Grove. W.G. Sage bought the property from J. Rhinemiller in 1871, and developed the site as a venue for swimming, picnics, camping, dances, and band concerts in the 1880s. A dock was added to accommodate the many boats that ferried passengers from all over Erie County and beyond to enjoy the popular spot. (Video: Bill Wright, 2009)
Toledo Edison refitted several of the former Lake Shore Electric cars into cottages and the property, which was referred to as Toonerville, became a popular summer destination for company employees and executives.Sages Grove Enterprises, an offshoot of Bay Construction, Inc., that was owned by Marshall Browne, Charles Baron and Ed Meifert bought the 60 acre plot, including 2950 feet of sandy beachfront, for $250,000 from Toledo Edison. The first houses were built in 1962. Many houses were built by New Departure employees moving to Erie County from Connecticut and New Jersey in the mid 1960s.Sage's Grove was sold to the Lakeshore Electric in 1903, which planned to develop the area as a summer resort. That plan never materialized and the property was sold to Toledo Edison in 1938.The aerial photo of Sages Grove in 1952 shows Lake Shore Electric cars used as cottages by Toledo Edison.Two miles east of Huron, at the current location of Beachwood Villas, was Anderson Acres. In 1839, Scottish immigrant James Anderson Sr. bought 250 acres and established Lake View Farm. His descendants later established a summer haven of cabins, mobile home units, and trailers that spanned 1800 feet of shoreline. Mr. Anderson became a founding member of the Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Laylin were descendents, whose sister-ship explains the connection between Anderson Acres and the later Laylin Trailer Park, a mobile home park that existed into the 1980s.
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