Palmer House Museum

10/18/2026

Can anyone help us?
This stone block is sitting outside the Palmer House Museum and no one on the committee knows what it's significance is.

The stone is about three feet tall and there is the number 76.

What do you think?????

10/18/2026

A reminder of our Tales and Treats Open House TODAY October 18th from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Stop by for a few spooky tales and treats!

10/17/2026

Just a reminder to join us this Sunday October 18th from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. for "Tales and Treats". This is our last open house for the year and we will be sharing spooky tales from our area as well as some treats for our visitors. We would love to hear your spooky tales as well!

9390 Olde Eight Road
Northfield, Ohio 44067

10/16/2026

Answer to What is it Wednesday is Maple Syrup Taps.
Here is some history from Wikipedia on maple syrup taps.

Discovery: Indigenous peoples of northeastern North America (including the Ojibwe, Ottawa, Potawatomi, and Iroquois) first discovered how to tap sugar maple trees and concentrate the sap. Legends often credit the discovery to observing squirrels or using tomahawks to notch the bark.

Collection & Boiling: They slashed or v-notched trees with axes or tomahawks, collected sap in birch bark containers (such as buckets or baskets), and boiled it down by dropping hot stones into wooden troughs or hollowed logs.
The first Written Records (16th–18th Century): European explorers documented the practice as early as the mid-16th century (with accounts from French and British travelers like the Sieur de Dièreville in 1708).

Tool Upgrades: European settlers introduced augers to cleanly drill holes into the tree trunks and carved wooden or hollow shrub spiles (such as elderberry or sumac) to direct the sap.

Iron Kettles: Settlers replaced hot-stone boiling with heavy iron kettles hung over open fires, making the process much faster.

Abolitionist Movement: In the late 18th century, Quakers and abolitionists (including Thomas Jefferson) promoted maple sugar as an ethical alternative to slave-produced West Indian cane sugar.

Industrialization and 19th-Century Innovations
Civil War Era: Large-scale commercial production took off around the American Civil War, aided by the arrival of tin cans for preservation and new flat boiling pans.

Metal Spiles: Wooden spiles were phased out in favor of metal spiles (cast iron and steel), which caused less tree damage and featured hooks to hang buckets.

Evaporators: The first sap-evaporating pans and flued arches were patented and mass-produced by the late 1850s–1890s, drastically increasing boiling efficiency.

10/16/2026

In leading up to our presentation on Saturday on the Interurban Railway. we are posting this reminder and a short article that was published by the Akron Beacon Journal in a gossip section of the newspaper.

Join us on at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday October 17, 2026 at The United Methodist Church of Macedonia, located at 1280 East Aurora Road, Macedonia, Ohio 44056.
Allen Pfenninger will be presenting information on the ABC Railway with a few spooky stories as well. We hope to see you there!
Reservations are still being accepted by using the google document below OR by calling Karen at (216) 798-6343.
https://forms.gle/79QhjUcsZ7pzwhWL6

Below is the transcription of the article:
"Local Gossip" as published in The_Akron_Beacon_Journal_1895_07_19_Page_2:
A number of officials and invited friends enjoyed an inspection trip over the Akron, Bedford & Cleveland Electric line from the porwer (sic) house near Cuyahoga Falls to Little York yesterday. A gondola car was rigged up with seats and the steam locomotive owned by the company furnished the motive power. The party took lunch baskets with them and had a spread on their arrival at Little York. The road was in excellent condition the entire distance.

10/15/2026

As many have heard, ODOT is taking public opinion on what to do with the Route 82 bridge from Sagamore Hills to Brecksville. If you do not want to offer an opinion, there is a brief history of the bridge in the documents.

Repair it or replace it? ODOT wants your input on the historic 1931 Route 82 bridge over the Cuyahoga by Oct. 28. Plus, part of the Towpath Trail beneath it is closed until early November. Details 👇 https://www.rfr.bz/f97cc9f10

10/14/2026

What is it Wednesday?
What do you think this is? Leave us a comment with your guess. The answer will post on Friday.

10/13/2026

Continuing our series from the Olde Northfield Bicentennial 1807-2007 magazine, today we are featuring an article highlighting our local VFW Post 6768 as well as the American Legion Post 801. Here is a transcription of the article which highlights the formation of the two groups.:

"Veterans hand-built tradition of service"
By Ronald D. Seidel
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6768

After World War II, led by Bedford VFW Post member Fred Miralia, 39 World War II and World War I veterans signed up and became charter members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6768 on April 28, 1946.

We later added many veterans of both world wars. In the early ’50s we added Korean War veterans, followed by Vietnam veterans, as well as some Persian Gulf War veterans. Women veterans were added to the VFW’s membership in later years.

Howard Walsh was the first commander in 1946. Harvey King became the first Korean War veteran commander in 1962, and Victor Zagorski became the first Vietnam War veteran commander in 1972.

The Ladies Auxiliary was chartered in 1947. Lucille Grady was the first Auxiliary president in 1947. Irene Seidel became the first war bride president in 1955.
Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Eleanor B. Seidel was the first woman to join as a regular VFW member and life member.

The Ladies Auxiliary has always been a main support of VFW Post 6768. The VFW Post met on the first and third Mondays of the month in the Northfield Center Town Hall.

During the first year of the post, the World War I veteran’s ranks in the Richie-Brinker American Legion Post were getting thinner and Post 6768 participated in their parade and Memorial Day services, eventually assuming full responsibility.

During the early years of Post 6768, numerous military funerals took place and guards were posted in the funeral home at all the wakes. The post’s r***e squads constantly practiced — even marching around Northfield Center and stopping at local “watering holes” for refreshments.

Post members participated in Voice of Democracy Programs with the local schools, and passed out food baskets to the needy at Christmas and Thanksgiving.
The post’s current home was purchased in 1954.

"Legionaires organize"
Nordonia Hills American Legion Post 801 was formed in 2002 with 37 charter members. Members now assist VFW Post 6768 with Memorial Day services.

To raise money the post conducted clambakes at Sopa’s farm on Twinsburg Road. Later the post had New Year’s Eve dances near the Masonic Hall on Shepard Road.
I drew plans for the post based on Harry Beagan’s Tavern in Northfield, and construction was completed in 1955.

We installed a pot-bellied stove on the north end of our building and conducted our first meeting in the winter. The pavilion was built from material salvaged from a hangar at the former Sky Haven Airport. The meeting hall was built in 1958.

Photograph caption: Members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6768 took delivery of a M42 “Duster” anti-aircraft vehicle donated from the U.S. Army in 2006.

10/02/2026

Next in our series of the Olde Northfield Bicentennial 1807-2007 magazine is an article on Northfield Park.

Transcription:
The County Line Kennel Club Dog Track was built in 1931 in the northern part of Northfield Village and southern Cuyahoga County. However, dog racing was illegal at the time, and officials from both counties discovered illegal betting after the track opened for greyhound racing.

Members of Northfield Village Council were called in for questioning by a Summit County grand jury on possible bribery charges over a 25-cent entrance fee per visitor the village had requested, but reportedly never received. No charges were filed, and dog racing at the track was halted.

The track was used in later years for horse shows, rodeos, boxing and wrestling matches and midget car racing. It closed for a time during World War II.
From around 1948 to 1957, the track was known as Sportsmans Park and was used for stock car racing.

In 1957, the track was renamed Northfield Park and its grandstand was replaced. Developer Carl Milstein purchased the track in 1972, took over full operation in 1985 and embarked on a $20 million renovation in 1995. The renovation included a complete refurbishment of the park's clubhouse and the installation of a microbrewery. Northfield Park claims to be the only racetrack in the world with its own microbrewery on premises.

The park, which also features simulcast betting, is now operated by Milstein's son, Brock. The average nightly total of wagers, or “handle,” was more than $1.3 million in 2006.

09/30/2026

Continuing our series from the Olde Northfield Bicentennial 1807 - 2007 magazine....
We are reprinting the second article in the magazine that highlights the Nordonia Library.

Transcription:
"Branch library serves four area communities"
by Janet Stavole, Nordonia Hills Branch Library Manager

Beginning in 1946, a bookmobile from the Akron Public Library began to serve the readers of Northfield at schools and shopping areas.

In 1954, the Northfield Community Library opened its doors in what is now known as the Palmer House Museum on Olde Eight Road next to Northfield Elementary School.

One hundred volunteers led by members of the parent-teacher associations of the area worked to turn the old house into a library.

The trustees of the Akron Public Library and Northfield Center Township signed an agreement the next year to provide the township library service.

The staff had a very difficult time trying to maintain a library in a very old house. Around 1960, staff member Nellie Croft wrote in an annual report, “The electric power was off for one week, the basement was flooded for a week, and on Saturday, Jan. 23, the furnace refused to cooperate. We worked in a 40-degree temperature until repairs were made.”

A new, 5,500-square-foot facility was dedicated in 1964 at a cost of $183,187.
Many individuals and organizations in the community contributed to the library’s opening by donating funds for equipment, furniture and art. Fundraising events included “The Second Summit ‘Stravaganza’” put on by the North Summit Women’s Club. The star was 60s radio personality Ronnie Barrett and the event featured musical numbers from the ‘20s to the “Space Age” ‘60s.

In September 1990, the Akron-Summit County Public Library Board of Trustees voted to change the branch’s name to Nordonia Hills Branch Library, recognizing that the library officially serves the entire Nordonia Hills City School District.
The Nordonia Hills Branch Library was renovated and expanded in 1999 as part of a county-wide renovation program. The size was more than doubled to 11,900 square feet and new atmosphere of bright sunlight and cool, restful greens was created.

Construction had gone up significantly since 1964 — The new building cost just more than $2 million dollars.

Today, Nordonia Hills Branch Library is one of the busiest branches in the Akron-Summit County Public Library system, with an on-site collection containing more than 65,000 items, which includes books, magazines, cassettes, videos, CDs and DVDs.

Side note NOT in article: When the library moved from the Palmer House, the children from Northfield Elementary all came to the Palmer House, grabbed an armful of books and walked them to the New building down the street. That would have been in 1964.

Also, note: the Library is currently closed for major renovations, but will open in the Summer of 2027. The Book Trailer will be on-site for holds pickup, materials returns, and limited browsing on Tuesdays from 10am-6pm beginning on Aug 11, 2026 and on the third Saturday of each month from 9am-5pm beginning on Aug 15, 2026.

Location:
9458 Olde Eight Road
Northfield, Ohio 44067