Lakeview Elementary: A Haunting History

Lakeview Elementary School before the fire in 1908.

     Hauntings are often the result of tragedy, and the site of Lakeview Elementary School in Cleveland is proof of that. The original building is no longer there, but a small garden now stands as a memorial to one of the worst tragedies in Cleveland’s history.
     In 1908, the small village Collinwood was not yet a part of Cleveland. During the time, the country was expanding and immigrants were flooding the cities. Many of the residents that settled into Collinwood were from Europe, and their children were sent to Lakeview Elementary School. The student population was quickly growing at the school, and an auditorium had to be converted to a classroom to accommodate the influx of students.

Lakeview Elementary School after the fire in 1908.

     On March 4, 1908, a steam pipe in the building’s basement caused the wooden floor above it to overheat. The floorboards ignited and the fire quickly spread. Many of the children on the first two floors of the four-story building were able to escape safely, but many others weren’t as fortunate. Panic and fright took over the children as the fire and smoke overtook the building, and the narrow exits quickly became blocked. The blaze took the lives of 172 children, two teachers, and one rescuer. Many of the victims were buried in the nearby Lakeview Cemetery.
     The fire led to greater safety regulations in schools and other structures all over the world. As for Collinwood, a new school that closely resembled Lakeview was built next to the fire site and a garden was put in place to remember the lives of those lost in the blaze. In 2004, the school was razed and Memorial Elementary School was built the following year.

     Paranormal activity has been rumored at both Memorial Elementary as well as the garden. Both sites are rumored to be haunted by the students whose lives were cut short by the tragic fire. Reports of ghostly activity at these sites include being touched, seeing orbs, and experiencing the feeling of being watched.
      Whether or not the stories of ghosts at the Lakeview Elementary site are true, the site stands as a sad reminder of a tragic event in Cleveland’s history, which is just as haunting in itself.