# Old abandoned cabin at Berlin



## louisvillefisherman (Jun 9, 2012)

Does anyone know anything about the old abandon and dilapidated cabin that precariously teeters on the edge of the shore bank at Berlin Lake as you enter the mouth of Willow Creek?

It absolutely fascinates me. I suspect there are some interesting stories involving this site. I have researched and cannot find as much as a mention of this cabin online. I am hoping some old timers here at OGF might be able to fill me in.

My guess is it was a rental until it became too unsafe. Easily 50-60 or more years old. Upon exploring the interior I discovered blue plastic power receptacle boxes indicating someone had upgraded the electric within the last 20 or so years (how long have they been making blue plastic light switch boxes I wonder).

Here is a picture. Any thoughts?


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

Thats my summer house!


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## zook (Feb 23, 2015)

Pap is 52. Said its been like that since he was a kid. Interests me as well. Hopefully someone will chime in with a good story.


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## derekdiruz (May 27, 2015)

idk the story but that point gets me a lot of birds in the fall lol


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

After watching Finding Bigfoot this past weekend and learning that Matt's Big Foot sighting occurred near Berlin, I can only assume it's the big hairy guy's summer cottage. 

I've fished Berlin for around 30 years, and that structure has been there the whole time. It used to be that it was almost hidden from sight during summer. From the looks of it, it will probably be in the water in the next 3 years, or so.


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## mikeat (Dec 24, 2008)

honeymoon cottage !


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## Bassbully 52 (Feb 25, 2014)

Yup been there forever. They filmed one of those slasher horror films there I think.


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## jl106112 (Mar 3, 2015)

Reminds me of these eerie brick buildings behind my old job on pearl in Strongsville. Some old timers said they used to be a trout farm way back. Cool picture by the way!


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## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

Couldnt pay me to go in there. A little too close to the water for my tastes.


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## rhaythorn (Oct 27, 2007)

Looks like one heck of a crappie hotspot.


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## James F (Jul 2, 2005)

Creepy old place! Would make for good structure and cover, a nice fish attractor, if it ended up in deeper waters! !


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## derekdiruz (May 27, 2015)

By far, this is my favorite thread I've seen on here. I'm eagerly awaiting everyone's response to see if they have the real story behind it.


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## Eliminator (Aug 26, 2006)

louisvillefisherman said:


> Does anyone know anything about the old abandon and dilapidated cabin that precariously teeters on the edge of the shore bank at Berlin Lake as you enter the mouth of Willow Creek?
> 
> It absolutely fascinates me. I suspect there are some interesting stories involving this site. I have researched and cannot find as much as a mention of this cabin online. I am hoping some old timers here at OGF might be able to fill me in.
> 
> ...


Looks as if it were deposited there during a flood but few responses count that out.


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## eyeballs (May 1, 2005)

Eliminator said:


> Looks as if it were deposited there during a flood but few responses count that out.


 a guy from louisville used to own that cabin and used it in the 60s and maybe early 70s. Thats when you could drive all the way back there on Fewtown road...i remember the day


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## derekdiruz (May 27, 2015)

Wow thats definitely not as exciting as I had hoped.


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## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

I was thinking the rugaru lived in that cabin.


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## louisvillefisherman (Jun 9, 2012)

eyeballs said:


> a guy from louisville used to own that cabin and used it in the 60s and maybe early 70s. Thats when you could drive all the way back there on Fewtown road...i remember the day


Interesting! Thanks for the info!

You can still drive fairly close to it. There is a gravel launch ramp back there but I am not brave enough to try it.


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## KPenny (Jul 31, 2014)

that ramp is the one my father in law used to use all the time when he was a kid. He used to tell us about the "interesting things" he used to find back there. Burned out cars, black trash bags of very smelling stuff, etc.


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## J575 (9 mo ago)

The Tale of the Falling Cabin

For those who are familiar with the interior sections of Berlin Lake then you are likely aware of the cabin on Watson Point (Willow Creek mouth) that teetered precariously over the edge of the water until recently when it completely fell into the drink. (see image)

For years I was intrigued by the remote yet scenic location of this cabin. In its day I bet that was an amazing place to stay. Right on the water, deep in the woods, no roads just a long trail leading in. 

I would anchor just off that point and cast into the fallen trees dreaming of what it must have been like to hideaway just for a weekend with the family or friends. There is a large attached multi-level deck leading off from the main room of the cabin that must have hosted the most amazing late night conversations. 

So who owns this cabin in the middle of Federal and State land? Why was it abandon and left to eventually become crappie habitat? Several years ago I set out to answer that question and now I finally have some answers. 

The structure sits on the northeast corner of a 2 acre lot that was some how exempt from the eminent domain takeover of the entire Berlin area by the US Army back in the 1940's. 95% of the lot is under water. The only dry land left on the 200'x400' plot is where the building sits...for now.

Around 1975 is when the cabin was constructed and received upgrades here and there for several years before the deed was transferred to the current owner in the mid 1980's. The structure continued to improve as electricity and an additional were room were added.

Access to the property was limited to a hike through the woods after a drive up Fewtown Rd. past the dead-end and into the forest. It was a mile or so down a gravel rutted path, past the old Watson Rd. roadbed "ramp" to a small parking area. In my opinion, this cabin is in one of the remotest locations on the lake. There is not a sole around, almost to the point of being disturbing. If something should happen back there, no one would know for a while.

Unfortunately, that isolation is what ultimately lead to the literal downfall of the cabin. You see, that 2 acre plot was ultimately landlocked by the USACE. They control the access to the wooded path past the Fewtown Rd. dead-end. Since the lake was first formed, you were able to take your vehicle all the way into the wood down passed where there was once a dirt (roadbed) ramp where Watson Rd. crossed Willow Creek. In fact if you look at maps as recent as the year 2000 you will still see a ramp listed in that area. While ODNR does still use this dirt bank to access that area of the lake, they only seem to do so when depositing the Christmas trees in that stretch of the lake. Unfortunately, since the mid to late 90's there has been a locked gate at the end of Fewtown preventing vehicle access. You can still walk the path, you just cannot drive. That creates a serious problem for you if you happen to own a plot of land at the end of this 1.5 mile road that is now locked by a gate and chains.

What could have caused the authorities to ultimately lock and restrict motorized access to that section of the lake? Litter? Vandalism? Murder? Yes. Murder. 4 of them in fact.

Over the course of two years in the early 1990's that stretch of Watson/Fewtown Rd. experienced tragedy after tragedy. In 1994 on two separate occasions the bodies of missing teenaged females were discovered dumped in the woods. One of the girls, Kathryn “Kathy” Menendez was from the Alliance area. It took 10 years to identify the other girl as Sarah Rae Boehm. The bodies were found within 900 feet of one another although it is believed they were left on separate occasions, perhaps by the same person. That mystery person still remains at large.

The year before in 1993 two other murders shocked Deerfield -- the Nov. 5, 1993, murders of Andy Hussey, 31, and Lisa Watters, 32, of Akron, found dead on a beach next to a fire pit again only several hundred yards away from where those two bodies would later be discovered. Hussey was the son of a Lieutenant with Portage County Sheriffs office. They were shot from an assailant who stood atop a high embankment looking down on the victims who were enjoying a night of fishing and a few beers.

The sudden rash of deaths and bodies motivated the Feds/State/County to close off the area to motorized vehicles. They installed a gate, a chain and a lock and forbid any access what-so-ever beyond the footed hunter/hiker.

Of course the property owner was furious and fought at every opportunity to have access to his land, but to no avail. The Fed says it is a State issue. The State says it is a County issue. The County says they have no jurisdiction and the the Feds are in charge. So the cycle continues for decades.

Today the cabin sets high in the water, waiting for the day when just the right wind upsets the balance to a point where the cabin will be no more. The owner owns other property on the lake. In fact, from one of his lots you can see the peninsula where the cabin was once proudly perched. What a sad yet beautiful sight to have to see each day.


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## Hawg Wobbler 52 (Nov 19, 2021)

J575 said:


> The Tale of the Falling Cabin
> 
> For those who are familiar with the interior sections of Berlin Lake then you are likely aware of the cabin on Watson Point (Willow Creek mouth) that teetered precariously over the edge of the water until recently when it completely fell into the drink. (see image)
> 
> ...


Photo doesn't show up. Please try again. Thanks.


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

Hawg Wobbler 52 said:


> Photo doesn't show up. Please try again. Thanks.


Assume the image/photo referred to was by the OP in post #1.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

I was there going hunting the morning the slain couple was found. The road was blocked off w/ crime scene tape where the bodies were found, many official looking vehicles everywhere. I talked briefly to one of the policemen stationed there. He said the couple were on the beach after dark with a fire going, they were found by a passing hunter, and that the shooter had been in the woods with a rifle up on the high bank. Still can’t believe that no arrests were ever made. Both Feds and local authorities were there and were heavily involved in the investigation. I think this was documented on one of those unsolved crime tv shows if memory serves?


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## PromiseKeeper (Apr 14, 2004)

The time frame would be about the time Thomas Dillon was on the loose, right?


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## DH56 (Dec 31, 2012)

PromiseKeeper said:


> The time frame would be about the time Thomas Dillon was on the loose, right?


Could be- I believe it was in the early 90's as well.


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