Silver Lake, the now-gone lake that gave the area its name, was first an iron-ore quarry in the mid-19th Century. By the 1870s, the quarry was closed, filled with water and used as a pond to harvest ice in the winter months.

In the early 20th Century, new developments of single-family bungalows and foursquares went up along Hammonds (now Hollins) Ferry Road. In 1909, the Lakeland Presbyterian Church was organized. The next year, the congregation constructed a church on Brohawn and built the existing church on Hollins Ferry Road in 1932. After World War II, rowhouses and garden apartments were built in the neighborhood, which borders the southern City boundary. Recently, the community has attracted people from a range of ethnic and religious backgrounds who together have created a diverse and dynamic community of friendly neighbors.