North Royalton Historical Society

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North Royalton Historical Society

The NRHS is a non-profit 501c(3) charity dedicated to discovering, preserving and sharing the history of North Royalton, Ohio.

The NR Historical Society is the organization that oversees the James Buckingham Museum, a homestead museum, located on Ridge Rd. across from the Green Heart of North Royalton, OH. The museum was built in 1856 by John Smith. The last person to live in the house was, Pearl Rutledge, who was a member of the Church located next to the museum. That is why the museum was called Smith-Rutledge House in

the early days. The museum has been dedicated to Mr. James Buckingham (in 2014) because of his substantial donation to the museum. This donation meant that the museum structure can be maintained and cared for. Yet all officers, trustees, and members of the NR Historical Society are volunteer only. All contents within the museum are donated by residents and are put on display in the location where the item would have been utilized within a home. We welcome the community to visit the museum's unique (homestead) architecture and all of the items on display; to remember how things used to be, to honor those who helped shape our city, and to appreciate how far we've come. Please consider donating to the James Buckingham Museum in your life plans; whether its grandma's hand knitted lace, or a monetary note, all donations are authenticated from you, and, is tax deductible. It takes all of us together, a community of history friends, supporters, and advocates to champion the stories of the past so we can create a better future together.
*last sentence quote by Megan Wood, Executive Director of Ohio History Connection.

06/24/2026

This photo captures a road crew working on what is now Route 82 in the early 1900s.

Using teams of horses and manual labor, these men graded and maintained the dirt roads long before modern equipment existed. After the winter season, when ruts would form in the dirt from wagons, the roads would need to be 'scraped' to remove the dirt that would build in between the wheel ruts. Homeowners would level the road in front of their homes either by hand or with a team of horses.

In the background stands the William McLauchan House (also known as Mt. Royal Villa), which was built in 1910. The tree on the right is roughly where the North Royalton Police and Fire Station sit today.

Photos like this give us a real glimpse into how much physical work went into building and maintaining our roads over a century ago.

06/23/2026

Who can guess the year when the wagon train came through town?

Answer: 1976! Jennifer Zelasko answered correctly! The wagon train was part of our city's celebration of our country's bicentennial.

06/22/2026

We’re looking for a few friendly volunteers to help at the North Royalton Historical Museum during this year’s Home Days Festival (July 3–5)!

We’ll be open all three days and could use some extra hands with things like:

* Greeting visitors
* Giving short museum tours
* Helping at the arts table
* Selling Raffle Tickets
* Distributing candy at the parade
* Photography
* Video
* Assisting with merchandise sales

If you enjoy meeting people and sharing a bit of local history, this is a relaxed and fun way to get involved. We have time slots available throughout each day, so you can volunteer for as little or as much time as you’d like.If you’re interested, you can sign up using the link below:Sign up here: https://nrhistoryjuly.cheddarup.com

Thank you in advance for helping make this year’s festival special! We truly appreciate our volunteers

06/21/2026

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, grandpas, and father figures in our community!

Thank you for all the ways you show up, support your families, and lead by example. We hope you get to take some time today to relax, unwind, and enjoy a little peace and quiet.

Wishing you a great day!

06/20/2026

Here are the winners of the 2000 North Royalton Beauty Pageant, featured in the Royalton Recorder the following year.

From left to right:

* Pageant Emcee: Mary Kay Manning
* Little Prince: Michael Kekci
* Princess: Shannon Winkler
* Miss North Royalton: Nancy Scott
* Sweetheart: Ashley Bowser
* Little Miss: Marissa Caroniti
* Pageant Director: Sylvia Jensen

These pageants were always a fun and memorable part of North Royalton’s Home Days celebrations.

06/19/2026

Here are some great photos from the 1998 North Royalton Home Days Parade, captured by the Royalton Recorder.

For decades, the Royalton Recorder has been a golden thread in our community’s history. Since 1940, it has faithfully documented the everyday life, events, and celebrations of North Royalton, preserving moments like this parade for future generations to enjoy.

These 1998 photos offer a nice glimpse back at Home Days from nearly 30 years ago. It’s wonderful to see how our community has come together year after year to celebrate.

06/18/2026

The Harvest Home Picnic Moves to the Village Green

By 1913, the annual Harvest Home Picnic had grown so popular that it moved from the woods to the Village Green (what we now call the City Green), as shown in this advertisement.

The event continued to feature music, a baseball game, and many of the same fun contests. The move to the Village Green made it easier for more families, and their new automobiles, to attend.

These early Harvest Home Picnics eventually evolved into the Homecoming and later became what we know today as North Royalton Home Days.

Photo: Family photos from early Farmer's Picnic and Harvest Picnic
Photo: Band that played at early picnics
Photo: features a scene taken in 1929 at the corner of Royalton and Ridge Rds, setting up for the Harvest Picnic. Note the farmer escorting his cows along the road.

It’s wonderful to see how this community tradition has continued for over 140 years! Do you remember when the event was still called the Harvest Home Picnic or Homecoming? We’d love to hear your memories.

06/17/2026

Long before it was called Home Days, North Royalton celebrated the Harvest Home Picnic, an annual tradition that began in 1884.

It started as a day for farmers and families to gather, enjoy food, music, and friendly competition after the harvest.This 1911 advertisement shows just how fun these early events were.

Along with music by the Bliss Brass Band and several guest speakers, there were all kinds of contests, including:

* Bread & Cake Baking Contests
* Nail Driving and Throwing Contests
* A “Hitching-Up” Contest (where contestants had to quickly re-hitch a horse to a buggy!)
* Potato Peeling and even Sewing Contests for the men
* Shoe races and sack races for the boys

These picnics were true community celebrations that brought everyone together.

06/16/2026

Here’s a wonderful group photo of the North Royalton School Glee Club from the 1926–1927 school year. This large group of students was directed by Vivian Ross.

It’s a great look at school life and extracurricular activities in North Royalton nearly 100 years ago! Many names are written around the photo. Feel free to take a closer look.

If you spot a family member, a friend, or have any stories about the members of the Glee Club from this era, or any other stories, we’d love to hear them!

06/14/2026

Celebrating Flag Day - wave them proud! 🇺🇸

Address

13759 Ridge Road
North Royalton, OH
44133

Telephone

+14407734509

Website

http://NRHistory.org/

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