05/29/2026
Publish in the Cleveland Press, October 28th, 1972.
The Little Jelloway Dam, the dam that formed the new Apple Valley Lake near Mt. Vernon, has just been dedicated...
So the dedication ceremony was essentially:
"The dam is complete."
"The project is officially being presented to the public."
State officials, developers, engineers, and local dignitaries gathered to celebrate it.
A permanent plaque was unveiled.
The people shown were participants in the ceremony:
Richard Darwin representing Ohio Governor Gilligan
John J. Gilligan (represented by Darwin)
Louis E. Lahiff
Ralph Brown
The plaque appears to have been dedicated to the achievement itself, commemorating the completion of the dam and creation of the lake.
The article describes Apple Valley as a future development of about 6,000 lots, with prices ranging from $3,000 to $16,000, and says the lake had already formed a 600-acre lake with 19 miles of shoreline. That's a snapshot of Apple Valley at the very beginning of its public life.
This newspaper clipping is essentially documenting the official birth of Apple Valley Lake as a community. Pretty cool piece of local history. ❤️
