30/06/2025
The most iconic scene at Punderson State Park has to be Punderson Manor.
Construction on the Tudor-style manor began in 1929 when Karl Long of Detroit invested $250,000 (nearly $4.7 million today) on a dream home project. When the stock market crashed that same year, initiating the Great Depression, Long abandoned construction.
In 1808, Lemuel Punderson settled nearby in what became Newbury Township, actually being the town's first permanent resident. Punderson's estate rested on the shores of the lake, where he built a dam and grist mill.
In 1902, William Bingham Cleveland purchased some 500 acres from the estate with the intent to build the "Big House" by Lake Punderson. In 1904, Cleveland married Ocie Coppedge but fell ill soon after.
Unable to care for the land due to his illness, the family contracted the land to millionaire Karl Long to build the manor. Long would go on to tear down the Cleveland-Coppedge home and build a new mansion for his wife.
After defaulting on his mortgage, Long would return control of the land to the Coppedge family which used the property to run a girl's camp each summer. The estate was turned over to the State of Ohio in 1948.
Following renovations, the manor was reopened to the public in 1956 as a hotel with subsequent additions and renovations made over the years. Today, the lodge is a popular retreat for summer vacationers and is a favorite of Ohio's ghost hunting expeditioners as the manor is said to be haunted.
📍 Newbury Township, Ohio
