Connections

The more I learn about the history of the Western Reserve the more connections I find.  Last Christmas, I visited the Perkins Stone Mansion in Akron for the first time.  While there, I learned about Colonel Simon Perkins and his activities as an entrepreneur of early Akron.  For some reason, I remembered that he married Grace Ingersoll Tod of Youngstown.  In our assigned reading this week, we read about Samuel Huntington, Jr. and his secretary, George Tod.  While the main subject was Huntington, the Tod name jumped off the page, and I had to wonder if he was related to Grace Ingersoll Tod, Simon Perkins’ wife.  When I got home, I Googled George Tod and learned that he settled in Trumbull County and married Sallie Isaacs, sister-in-law of Governor Ingersoll of Connecticut.  While I found no mention of Grace, one could assume that by having both the Ingersoll and Tod names and being from Youngstown, which was in Trumbull County at that time, Grace was somehow related to George Tod.

Another assigned reading was about migration to the Western Reserve.  This particular selection made a lot of references to people and places I know well.  I’ve studied local history including Hudson so it was nice to find another element of David Hudson’s story.  It was very interesting to learn of his journey and the difficulties he faced along the way.  I always get a little thrill when I read names of people or places I know and that happened when I read about Brandywine Creek.  I grew up near its falls on Brandywine Road in Sagamore Hills.  I never thought about anyone actually navigating it to get to Hudson.

We also heard the story of Margaret Van Dorn Dwight who traveled to Ohio with the Wolcotts.  While a very interesting story, I picked up on the name of the family she traveled with.  The Wolcott name is prominent in the history of Tallmadge, where I live.  The Tallmadge history books that I have don’t give any information on where Guy Wolcott came from or who his parents were, just that he came to Tallmadge in 1821 and still has direct descendants living in town.  A search of census records shows he was born in Connecticut in about 1786.  It is possible that Margaret traveled with Guy and his wife before they moved to Tallmadge but it’s also possible it was relatives.  I wish I had more information on this family Margaret traveled with so I could try to figure out if there is a connection.

Greek Revival or Federal Style?

            I’ve been visiting Hale Farm and Village for years and the Goldsmith House is one of my favorites.   It is an important part of the setting that helps teach visitors about the history of the Western Reserve.  Its history was extensively researched and Hale Farm presents the house as an example of Greek Revival architecture.  I realize how that could be your first impression but as often as I studied the house, there was always something bothering me about that classification.

When I studied American Architecture, Nick Fagan gave an assignment to identify houses of fifteen different styles, including an explanation of the distinguishing features.  I wanted to include the Goldsmith House but I struggled with the architectural elements.  Hale Farm interpreters label it Greek Revival but I could never justify the front door.  As Nick discussed in class, this house has many elements of the Greek Revival style, like the symmetrical side wings, the front gable with pediment, the wide entablature, and the ionic columns.  But, the front door with side lights and transom lights, along with the stretched columns and swags definitely do not fit into the Greek order.

Last year, the Western Reserve Historical Society published a small book, Hale Farm and Village, describing the history of the museum and the structures that were moved there.  The section about the Goldsmith House states that it “is most accurately described as a Classical Revival home because it features elements of both Federal and Greek Revival Styles of architecture” (26).  However, there is no further explanation of those elements.  I feel like they have finally addressed the issue of the blended styles in this house.

One thing Nick mentioned in class is the fact that styles were often blended, especially during the transition periods.  When the Goldsmith house was built, around 1827, the Federal Style was on its way out of popularity in the Western Reserve and Greek Revival was on its way in.  It’s easy to see how people would choose the elements they liked best when designing their homes.  The top architects would mix architectural styles at the direction of the paying client.  However, since there are several Goldsmith houses in existence, it appears that Goldsmith may have liked this particular mix of elements.  I have to agree.  I like it, too. 

We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

            This has been an enlightening week, in many ways.  I wonder how we can live our entire lives in one place and still have so many unknowns about our surroundings.  I was recently talking with a friend about Ohio being the Buckeye State and I noted that I don’t think I’ve ever seen a buckeye tree.  I tried to find information online about where buckeyes grow but didn’t have much luck finding anything more than tips on transplanting and growing saplings.  Knepper solved this mystery for me when he explained that the versatility and popularity of the wood from buckeye trees caused them to be virtually eliminated from Ohio (9).

            One of the topics discussed in class was the existence of Indians in northeast Ohio.  While the southern and central areas show many signs of the existence of early native people, there isn’t much in northeast Ohio.  We talked about the possibility this was due to the rate of development obliterating any artifacts and mounds because they didn’t realize what they were or the importance of them or because of the secrecy that sometimes surrounds archeological finds.  I think it may be that the people that moved into the area knew what the mounds and artifacts were but discounted them because they were from what they believed was an inferior people and therefore unimportant.  Or at least, they were not as important as the progress of civilized society.  The website “Prehistoric Indian Earthworks in the City of Cleveland and Environs” showed some old photos or drawings of mounds in the Cleveland area so we know they were not immediately destroyed, but as the city grew, they were in the way and subsequently flattened for building purposes.  I was surprised to learn of the mounds that still exist in the area that I never knew about before.

            The topic of natives in Ohio came up in my Preservation Planning course this week as well.  Someone mentioned that this is a young country.  Dr. Sande corrected this statement by clarifying that just because the United States was formed less than 300 years ago, this is not a young country.  He talked about many of the same things we did in our class pertaining to human migration and natives that inhabited Ohio.  He stressed that we have thousands of years of history with human inhabitants here so we are not a young country at all.

            Another thing that resonated with me this week is how topographers made maps without modern technology.  We talked in class about inaccuracies of early maps of the western hemisphere.  On one, we’re not sure what lake is represented.  It could be Lake Erie based on location or Lake Chautauqua based on its crescent shape.  Another showed the eastern half of America but the west, particularly the northwest, disappeared into obscurity due to lack of information.  I was astounded to learn that these early maps were often made by third parties based on the notes of travelers.  It amazes me that there is any accuracy at all when the topographer never viewed the land first hand or took any type of measurements for themselves.  

What is History?

We’ve discussed the question “What is History?” in previous classes, but Frederick Jackson Turner’s quote, “Each age tries to form its own conception of the past. Each age writes the history of the past anew with reference to the conditions uppermost in its own time” applies to this specific question, as well.  I used to think history was simply events that occurred in the past, but through education and personal experience, I have come to understand it is much more complicated than that.  As Dr. Stith stated in class, it’s more than names and dates.  The stories in history are so much more interesting than the names and dates.  Even with architecture, which is a primary interest of mine, it is more than just the appearance of the structure that calls to me.  It is the story of what occurred in the structure, who built it and why.  History is a combination of culture, religion, architecture, politics, economics, and so much more.

I’ve recently been entrenched in Western Reserve history at Hale Farm and Village through my internship with the site manager.  While the focus of the internship was on conservation methods, the experience has reinforced the importance of learning about everyday life.  The interpreters at Hale Farm teach about the daily activities of the residents in 18^th century northeast Ohio, including farming, broom making, candle making, blacksmithing, and weaving.  These lessons teach us about the culture of the time and help us understand the strength of our ancestors.  

My hometown of Tallmadge, Ohio is an example of a history based on religion.  As Puritans were persecuted in New England, they began moving west, looking for religious freedom.  A Puritan minister negotiated with land owner Col. Benjamin Tallmadge of Connecticut to sell parcels of land to selected people as a land agent.  So, Tallmadge became a religious community surrounding the historic First Congregational Church in the town center.  Although it is no longer solely a Puritan community, the town continues to have a largely religious population and is said to have the highest number of churches per capita in the state. I don’t know that it’s true but there are a lot of churches for such a small town.  Knowing the origins of the community help us to understand it today.

Significant events do not create history alone.  It is a combination of the significant and the ordinary that create the stories of our past.  It is a combination of culture, philosophy, religion, people and places.  Reading about history can be interesting and enlightening.  Immersing yourself in it in museum settings like Hale Farm and Village can be amazing.  Either way, we need to learn about all the facets of our history to understand it and make educated decisions for our future.