TRADE SHOPS

The Great Abolitionist, John Brown, lived in Richfield in the early 1840s. When he first came here with his wife and many children, they lived in a log cabin located at the north end of the Farnam farm. They later moved into a post and board house on what, on maps of the era, was still called the Newton farm but was actually owned by Farnam. 

This Summer, the museum was given three buildings. The owner wanted to build something new, but that township gov’t wouldn’t allow any new construction until the old was gone. While that seems an example of government overreach, it was lucky for the museum. The buildings are now at the museum. Two of them will become a future church with steeple. The first one moved is now the basket shop.

2011

Mike Hotz and a friend came to Richfield in 1878. They went to work at Killiffer’s Blacksmith Shop. Some years later Mike built his own shop. …That was later to cause some confusion for various of Richfield’s officialdom. When Mike put out his eye by a stray hot spark, he closed his business in the early 1930’s and sold his tools at auction. The building stood empty until the war.

More changes have come to the museum this Summer. With the building of the “new” blacksmith shop, we have decided to turn the old blacksmithy into a wood working shop.

2011

From the time I was quite young, we would pass by the well run Karasec Farm, on Ledge Rd., Hinckley Twp., Medina County. The farm house dated to the early 1800’s, the barn was well built with a large stone and dirt barn ramp leading up to the main, “second” floor. 

2011

The Rev. Searles was the preacherman at the Hinckley Baptist Church quite some years ago. He lived just down the road from the church. Behind his home is what may be one of the oldest barns in Ohio. 

DAVIS BARN ADDED IN 2006

The Davis barn, late of Streetsboro Rd. Richfield Village, is now under re-construction. The barn, which stood on the Lloyd Davis farm for approx. 150 yrs., was saved from destruction last fall when new owners of the property wanted it removed.

  This is an interesting building. Almost nothing is known about its original use, or its original name. It stood just south of the intersection of Streetsboro Rd. and Broadview Rd. in then Richfield Twp. The only known picture of the building is a pen and ink drawing held in the archives of the Richfield Historical Society.

 A couple years ago I received a call from Barbara Gynn, of Brecksville, Cuyahoga Co. She needed the roof fixed on one of her farm’s out-buildings. She called me because several years earlier I had fixed her brother Elton’s barn (He had asked Amish, local builders, contractors and others to fix it and no one could. –I did.).