Hale Farm and Village (Point 1)

 

 

In 1810, Jonathan Hale, a farmer from Glastonbury Connecticut, arrived in the Western Reserve. In 1825, Hale began constructing a three-story red brick house using materials from his property. At the time of completion, this was one of only two brick homes in the Cuyahoga Valley. Today, Hale Farm is an outdoor living history museum that depicts rural life in the Western Reserve of Northeast Ohio from 1825 to 1850. Guides in period clothing interpret the Village's relocated and restored buildings while craftsmen demonstrate period trades.

 

 

Ira Cemetery (Point 2)

 

 

This cemetery, established in 1829, is also known as the Hale-Hammond-Cranz Cemetery.  The earliest known burial is 1812, and the earliest veteran burial is Jason Hammond, a private in the Connecticut Militia during the Revolutionary War. In addition to the Hale, Hammond, and Cranz families, other burials include unmarked graves of Irish men who worked on building the Ohio and Erie Canal.

 

O'Neil Woods Metro Park (Near Points 1 & 2)

 

 

This 295 acre former farm was donated to the Summit County Metro Parks by the William O'Neil family in 1972. With its challenging trails, the park provides scenic views of the Cuyahoga River Valley.

 

 

Hammond-Cranz Farm (Near Points 1 & 2)

 

 

This was first built in 1818 then expanded in 1836. Cranz purchased the property in 1863. This land is now part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1993.

 

 

East Bath Cemetery (Point 3)

 

 

This cemetery, established in 1861, contains gravesites from the late 19th century, including Civil War Veterans and the Cover, Bennage, and Harris families.

 

 

Whitcraft Store (Point 5)

 

 

This important store in the community burned to the ground and was rebuilt in 1912. Whitcraft was the 2nd largest general store in the state.

 

 

Historic Bath Town Hall (Point 6)

 

 

The Town Hall was built in 1905, with the Bath Center Cemetery preceding it in establishment in 1813. The land for the meeting house and gravesites was sold to Bath Township by Ezekial and Abby Williams on October 7th, 1817. The Town Hall was built in 1905 with a $25,000 bond, and now holds the Bath Township Historical Society Museum.

 

 

Bath United Church of Christ (Point 9)

 

 

In 1818, a group of early settlers built a log church on the site of the present Bath Historic Town Hall. In 1842, they built a frame church which was moved twice to its ultimate location on West Bath Road. The historic chapel at Bath Church is the original building from 1834.

 

 

Thomas Pierson House (Points 10 & 11)

 

 

Home of the Bake Shop in Ghent, this was built around 1837 with an Octagon Bee House and a barn constructed in 1893. The building is owned by Mary Ann Fulton Krejci, whose parents were dairy farmers on Yellow Creek Road. The Octagon Bee House was Thomas Pierson's aviary where he kept his bees. A. I. Root of Medina learned bee keeping from Thomas Pierson. It is thought to be the only structure of its kind in the country at the time.

 

 

Stony Hill Schoolhouse (Point 15)

 

 

This schoolhouse, number 12, was established in 1892. This was one of nine in Bath Township and was used until 1921. Stony Hill is owned and maintained by the Bath Township Historical Society.

 

 

Moore's Chapel Cemetery (Point 16)

 

 

Originally the Shaw Family Cemetery, the grounds were donated to Bath township 1836. Additional land was purchased from the Shaws by the township in 1892 for $50,000. Burials include veterans of the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.

 

 

Ghent Historic District (Near Points 10-14)

 

 

Named for the Treaty of Ghent, Belgium by here pronounced with a soft 'G'. Ghent became a hamlet around 1815 as settlers clustered around Yellow Creek with its mills, general store, and related economic enterprises. Since 2010, the area is a designated historic district boasting many original structures.

 

 

 

Bath Nature Preserve (4160 Ira Road)

 

 

This 404 acre preserve was part of the estate of Raymond Firestone and the  site of the West County Beagles fox hunts. Purchased by Bath Township in 1998, it has become a popular hiking destination for area residents.

 

 

Crown Point Ecology Center (3220 Ira Road)

 

 

This 130 acre organic farm was originally owned by early Bath resident Jason Hammond. The  Crown Point mission is to be a role model for food security through farm stewardship, advocacy, education, and collaboration. Visitors are welcome.