"This Place Matters" - Unionville Tavern Preservation Society Saving County History

Built in 1798 as two separate log cabins, The Old Tavern in Unionville was one of the first structures in this part of the Western Reserve, and generally is regarded as the oldest surviving Tavern in Ohio.  Strategically located along County Line Road and the Cleveland-Buffalo Road, today's Route 84 the site has had many uses.  It has been a Tavern, Inn, Post Office, stage coach stop, UGRR station and restaurant.

A brief look at its timeline reveals the following facts.  It was built in 1798 and consisted of two log cabins.  Early names of the Tavern were the Webster House followed by the New England House.  By 1818, the Tavern had become a regular mailstop and stage coach destination on the Warren-Cleveland Route.  The mid-1800s saw the Tavern serve as a station for the UGRR activities throughout Lake County and N.E. Ohio.  The Tavern closed for a span of ten years, 1916-1926 before reopening once again.  1986 saw a Pub element come into being.  Hard times and unfortunate business practices in the late 90s resulted in a decade long vacancy status for the historic site.  The building was nearly declared a total loss and faced possible demolition when in 2014 a group of civic minded citizens acquired the site for just over $90,000.  The Unionville Tavern Preservation Society was formed.  Matching grants totaling nearly $20,000 were secured and this non-profit group has begun the arduous process of preserving a 'jewel' in our county history. Save the Tavern! welcomes all interested parties to attend a program or share in their passion.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  
Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."
                               Margaret Mead

For more information:    The Unionville Tavern Preservation Society
                                             Save The Tavern!
                                             P.O. Box 826
                                             Madison, Ohio 44057
                                             www.savethetavern.org


Sources:  Local Lore by Max, 2011    Willoughby Historical Society   Cleveland Historical Society

Historic Marker #18-43...Railfanning Days Redux

Fast Facts: Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Station

• February 8, 1848 - Ohio Legislature incorporates Cleveland, Painesville, and Ashtabula Railroad Companies
• 1851- Painesville Depot is officially in service 
• February 16, 1861-  President-elect Abraham Lincoln passes thru Painesville Depot
• 1869 - A major consolidation of several lines and companies occurs and a major renaming
• 1893-  Present station at 475 Railroad Road in Painesville is built.  Considered to be the finest of its day!
• 1917- Depot serves as a 'Goodbye' station for WWI inductees
• 1940s- Depot serves as a canteen for WWII enlisted
• 1971- A merger results in the official closing of the depot
• 1971-88 - Greyhound bus Station occupies former depot
• 1997- Preservation efforts are begun in earnest by WRRA, a non-profit group
• 2002- Depot is listed as Lake County Historic Site # 18-43
• April 20, 2015 - City of Painesville designates Depot as a Preservation District

 The Painesville Depot located at 475 Railroad Street in Painesville, Ohio has a storied past.  Since 1997 a local non-profit group as well as local business donors have quietly gone about the task of restoring the site to its past glory.  Exterior efforts have resulted in a new roof and restored display Caboose.  Interior efforts while ongoing seek to restore the interior lobby to its 'heyday' when the depot was considered to be the finest of the era.  'Railfanning' Days are unique events where railroad enthusiasts gather to watch, record, and enjoy trains as they pass.  Since 9/11 this nostalgic public event has become more difficult as railroad grounds have become more restricted.  Nonetheless the depot site in Painesville offers train lovers a great and close view of this popular activity.  On average four trains pass per hour thru Painesville.  'Railfanning' Days also offer the public the opportunity to see the former station inside and out as members of the Painesville Railroad Museum are on-site to share their passions for railroading.

2016 Railfanning Days include-   May 7, July 24, September 10, October 15
A first ever Railroad Memorabilia Show is scheduled for August 28, 2016, 10am-4pm

Visit www.painesvillerailroadmuseum.org for more updated information

Eastern Lake County - A Proud Past

 

In the heart of the Connecticut Western Reserve, the Painesville-Grandon-Fairport area was the epicenter of lands surveyed by the Connecticut Land Company in 1796.  Land long occupied by various Indian nations for untold generations gave way to incoming settlers. This early history is told by the Indian Museum once located on Lake Erie College campus, now located for the last decade in downtown Willoughby.

John Walworth, General Edward Paine, Captain Abraham Skinner and their followers settled in Painesville Township in 1800.  Skinner’s New Market was laid out by 1803 and in existence from 1806-1809.  Just up the Grand River, Champion was next to appear.  Named in honor of Henry Champion the village became Painesville by 1815.  Area buildings and street signs now honor these memories.

In 1810, Joseph Rider built a log cabin, a stagecoach stop that would become the landmark Rider’s Tavern.  The First Congregational Church appeared in 1810 as well.  Noted architect Jonathon Goldsmith built a local lighthouse in 1825 in addition to many local Greek revival homes circa 1818 still occupied today.  Thomas Harvey championed education and school by 1823.  His public library efforts followed in 1824 and an entire public school system became a reality by 1851.  A Women’s Seminary and future Lake Erie College dates back to 1856.  Coe Manufacturing was established in 1852, its distillery, turning mill and iron works the largest of the century.  Eber Howe founded the Painesville Telegraph in 1822, a paper that circulated daily till 1986.  Howe along with key others was a leading abolitionist and UGRR champion.

‘LeRoy’ and Concord were organized circa 1822.  Transportation and Plank Road companies began in these communities.  Leroy became a center for forge and tannery companies.  Concord boasted a boot-shoe factory and turning mill.

Grandon (1812) - Fairport (1836) claim settler Samuel Huntington for its waterfront history.  The ore and coal industry saw over 3000 ships arrive with in excess of a million dollars in commerce in 1847 landing on the Fairport docks.  Richmond later to become Grand River occupied the western side of the river.  Thomas Richmond, a salt merchant from NY sought to make Richmond a canal town in the 1830s.  2000 residents followed his dream which died out quickly once Cleveland won the canal race.

Growth continued from these beginnings as European immigrants moved into our county and became the pillars of their communities.   Kaukonen, Joughin, Harvey, Mathews, Howe, Casement, Storrs and many other native names resonate today in the voluminous lore of Lake County history.

Burroughs Nature Club at 100

2016 marks the 100^th anniversary of one of the oldest nature clubs in our nation. 

Local residents of Lake County were long familiar with the scenic and oft spectacular natural areas. Tributaries, hemlock ravines and carpeted wildflower landscapes were plentiful. Essays published by Hudson Valley naturalist John Burroughs (1837-1921) influenced a group of local area men to meet and form a Burroughs Nature Club.  The Burroughs Nature Club of Willoughby was comprised of outstanding Cleveland area men (scientists, scholars, naturalists and photographers) who shared common passions such as hiking, wildlife and the natural world. This club founded circa 1916 featured speakers and club explorations to places throughout Lake County.  Hiking, identifying wildflowers, studying nesting hawks and owls became club interests.  These early naturalists and conservationists worked to preserve these haunts.  These places included Gildersleeve Mountain (Chapin Forest Reservation), Halle Ravine (Penitentiary Glen Reservation), Mentor Headlands and Marsh as well as Gully Brook.  By 1925 the Burroughs Club had made Lake County known around many conservancy circles on a grand scale.  In fact it was as early as 1925 that the call for a 'natural woods preserve' at Gully Brook appeared in a Willoughby newspaper. In 2001 after nearly a decade of intense effort this preserve became a reality and is part of the Lake Metroparks holdings.

The Burroughs Club remains active today and meets monthly September thru April in Willoughby.  An invitation is always extended to all who share in a desire to explore and help preserve the natural world.  An exhibit highlighting the clubs first hundred years may be found in the visitor center auditorium at Penitentiary Glen Reservation in Kirtland.

For more information visit – www.burroughsnatureclub.com

Saving Mentor's History -- Part III -- 'Lost to Time'

Today's final installment examines one of the first towns settled in the lands once part of Connecticut's Western Reserve.  In the two hundred plus years, this early wilderness outpost steadily morphed into an area of farmers and artisans.  Over time Cleveland's Gilded Age saw wealthy businessmen move into the county as gentlemen farmers.  These large estates gave way in the late 20th century to a local burgeoning economy based on industry and lake commerce.  Just fifty years ago Mentor, Ohio united to become the largest and diverse community of today.  Thomas G. Matowitz Jr. culled all the local history available to preserve that history.  Some of the history still exists to the discerning eye such as the 1868 Mentor Knitting Mills and the storefront corner of Mentor Avenue and Maple. Today we look at some of the names, places, or structures from Mentor's past history now 'lost to time.'

Did You Know About / Do You Remember These ?
 

•  Fragments of a pioneer cemetery remain on private property on King Memorial Road at Little Mountain
• President Garfield's sons Abram and James R. contributed to Mentor lore.  Abram, an architect designed Wildwood and other buildings.  James R., an attorney was the last surviving member of Theodore Roosevelt's cabinet at the time of his death in 1950.
• Albert Clapp, of Little Mountain Road was the only Mentor serviceman from Mentor to receive a Medal of Honor.  His Civil War medal and the battle flag that earned this honor still exist today.
• The L.S. & M.S. R.R. Depot in Mentor had a deadly trainwreck on June 21, 1905.  The derailment was thought to be the result of sabotage.  21 died and 20 others were injured.
• The Willoment bar and restaurant was located on the south side of Mentor Avenue near the present day GLM.
• Winfield's Restaurant (Weavers) stood opposite Heinen's on Mentor Avenue.  Several tourist cabins still exist today.
• The Allchin Home and stop 51 on the interurban located just west of the GLM on Mentor was razed in 1978.  Today a dry-cleaner store stands there.
• Hollycroft House - designed by Abram Garfield in 1905, it was damaged by fire in the 1950s.  Today its identity survives only in the name of the street Holycroft Lane.
• The Van Cleve summer estate was torn down in the 1970s.
• The Overnight Farm on Route 20 was destroyed.  Today Aldi's occupies the former site.
• Primrose Hill was the state constructed in the 1890s for Horace Andrews.  His estate was destroyed in the 1970s.

Images of America Mentor by Thomas G. Matowitz Jr. is just one of a larger Images of America series by Arcadia Press.  Similar books exist for other Lake County communities such as Fairport Harbor, Willoughby and Madison.  Examine the local history made available to all.  These distinctive stories and others await anyone interested in community history and the archival fabric of our neighborhoods and city.

Saving Mentor's History Part II

In recent years- news stories, on-line postings, and social media of all types seem to reflect a dumbing-down of the American mind to the point where the knowledge of history, especially local history is no longer deemed necessary.  Community residents may live there for less than a decade, thus honoring or remembering places, persons or things from the past holds no connection.

The first hand memories of many of the old time residents that were passed down generationly are rapidly being lost as the current generations, for the most part, do not have any interest in those memories.  Even Mentor's 50th Anniversary Lecture Series in 2013 and a file cabinet full of historical Mentor documents in former Kathie Pohl's Mentor Economic Development Office garner minimal attention.  This makes Thomas G. Matowitz Jr.'s newest book about Mentor all the more important.  Like the previous six books (see below) that came before his, this new publication celebrates the history of neighborhoods, buildings and names that dotted Mentor, Ohio.

Looking throughout the county, one finds dedicated historical societies of varying sizes in Fairport Harbor, Wickliffe, Perry, Willoughby, Willoughby Hills and Madison.  Some are housed in historical buildings such as a lighthouse, school building  or prominent estate.  Another one or two have had their municipalities commit a building or room to their efforts. This is true in Willoughby, Willoughby Hills and Eastlake.  Mentor, the county's largest community has yet to have a dedicated collections building.  For a brief time Mentor's history fell under the umbrella of the Lake County History Center when it called President Garfield's House its home.  Mentor's explosive growth in the 70's & 80's saw much of its early historical prizes razed for progress.  Their remnants were lost to time.  After 1983 the history of Mentor has traveled with the LCHS to Shadyside and its current location in Painesville.  Part III will look at some of Mentor's past - lost to time.

Past Publications about Mentor, Ohio History -  not all still in publication

• History of Mentor Headlands and Vicinity, 1957
• This is Lake County, 1964
• Mentor-A Retrospective, 1988
• Mentor: The First 200 Years, 1997
• Roses to Retail, 2011
• This is Lake County -updated by LCHS, 2015

Saving Mentor's History -- Part I

For many years now I have shared brief glimpses of local history with my followers, both in print and at select events in person.  These stories offer a glimpse into a past that the general public has never seen or known.  Most of what is shared has been the result of the diligent research, time consuming detective-work, and passions of those who came before me.  As time marches on the past history is being stream-rolled into oblivion, soon to be lost to current and future generations.  Much like the seven day newspapers, LP's, bookstores, cameras and typewriters- these photos, artifacts and personal histories might never to be published or shared.  Recent news stories, on-line postings, apps, and social media now reach readers and draw attention or a glance followed by a "like" or "dislike".

Late in 2015 a new Images of America book was released on Mentor, Ohio.  Its author  is Thomas G. Matowitz Jr. and he is a 25 year resident of Lake County's biggest community.  His interest in this collection of images and histories took root nearly 50 years ago when Mentor was first becoming a city.  However the history of Mentor spans more than two centuries.

It began in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War.  Mentor was one of the first towns settled in the Connecticut Western Reserve beginning as an outpost in 1797.  Growth was definitely slow and steady as Mentor did not explode onto the county scene till 1963.  Rather it began as a series of farms, artisans and nurserymen.  In Mentor's earliest days circa 1820 the family names Hopkins, Corning, Hart, Munson and Newell were prominent.  Our 20th U.S. President called Mentor home when he purchased the old Dickey Farm on Mentor Avenue.  The early twentieth century Cleveland's business giants established Great Summer Estates along the Mentor Avenue corridor.  An interurban railroad line and Great Lakes shipping industry put Mentor at the epicenter of a growing county history.  Eleanor B. Garfield served two terms as Mayor in the '50s and transformed the city from an agrarian based to industrial centered community.

Unfortunately the progress of the late '70s and early '80s razed much of the original architecture and early history of the village.  If one looks hard the 1868 Mentor Knitting Mills, 1915 Mentor Christian Church and original 1950's Mentor Recreation Park can be recalled.  These images and many more are waiting to be experienced as you go 'old-school' and turn the pages in Matowitz's newly-released book.

source:  Images of America - Mentor, 2015, Thomas G. Matowitz Jr.  et al.