Lakeside Park

Lakeside Park sat on a hill. The first photograph captures the essence of the place: a vast, elliptical bowl of spectators packed tightly against the earth, with the lake stretching out behind them like a flat grey mirror. It was built as a baseball stadium in the 1880s, but the arrival of the Canton Bulldogs in 1920 transformed the space into the epicentre of early professional football.

The ground was small by modern standards, holding only 7,000 in its concrete tiers, but the crowds were drawn to the tulip-shaped design that brought fans close to the action. The Bulldogs won championships in 1922 and 1923 on this natural grass pitch, playing in front of sell-out crowds that occasionally reached 10,000. The atmosphere was distinct; the lake acted as a barrier, and the wind coming off the water often kept the ball in the hands of the quarterbacks who could spring a surprise against the visiting teams.

Despite the success on the field, the franchise struggled financially, losing $13,000 in 1923 despite an undefeated season. The team moved north to Cleveland for a year before returning to the park in 1925, but the return was short-lived. The stadium ceased hosting NFL games in 1927 when the Bulldogs departed for good. The ruins of the amusement park eventually faded, but for nearly a decade, the ground was the only place in the region where the sport was played at the highest level.

The second photograph shows a different era, a desolate stretch of reclaimed land and concrete foundations far from the city centre. It serves as a reminder of the rapid change in the region, where once-bustling recreational complexes were swallowed by urban expansion. Lakeside Park was one of the earliest venues for the National Football League (NFL), a fact that gives the empty space a weight it does not deserve today.