Palmer House Museum

08/30/2026

Don't forget to mark your calendars for our Ohio Open Doors Event on Sunday September 20th from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Palmer House Museum.

We hope to see you all there!

08/29/2026

Very interesting article! Through this link, you can find a discussion of Ohio's role in the American Revolution. At that time, remember the Ohio Territory included not only Ohio, but parts of what is known today as Michigan, Indiana and West Virginia.

It’s Freedom Friday of ! Did you know that one of Cuyahoga Valley National Park's most iconic places may have a connection to the American Revolution?

Brandywine Falls may have been named after a distilled product, or it may have been named after the Battle of Brandywine, faught during the American Revolution. The name’s exact origin remains unknown.

Check out the low August flow recorded in this historic image.

For other ties related to America’s 250th anniversary, visit https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/american-revolution-in-the-ohio-country.htm

NPS Photo

08/28/2026

What is it Wednesday from this week is:

A babbitt spoon (or babbitt ladle). This is a heavy-duty metal ladle or pouring tool used to melt and pour molten Babbitt alloy, which is a soft, low-friction white metal composite of tin, lead, antimony, and copper.

It was used in mechanical shops and industrial settings to cast and pour custom anti-friction babbitt bearings for machinery, shafts, and sawmill or logging equipment.

08/26/2026

What is it Wednesday?

Leave a comment for us with your guess on what this item is. Bonus points (digitally assigned) if you know what it was used for!

Check back on Friday for the answer!

08/23/2026

Congratulations to our Historical Society of Old Northfield member, Allen Pfenninger who presented " Trolley Trips and Devil Strips" at the Akron-Summit County Public Library yesterday. The presentation was packed full of individuals who learned more about the ABC Railway that ran from Akron, through Northfield and Bedford, and on to Cleveland.

As we have highlighted in previous posts, the interurban railway ran through Olde Northfield from 1895 to 1932. The ABC was one of the first interurbans in the nation and considered one of the finest among industry leaders. Akron was its hub from day one. At its peak, its tracks ran as far south as Uhrichsville via Canton and Massillon and had branch lines west to Wadsworth via Barberton and east to Ravenna via Cuyahoga Falls and Kent. The company also ran the streetcar systems in Akron and Canton. Its major maintenance operations were in Silver Lake and later, Kenmore. The line owned several amusement parks along its routes; that helped maintain ridership levels on weekends and holidays.

The attached pictures were recently discovered and were part of the presentation yesterday. The Northfield Station picture from today's perspective would be Route 82, looking North.

08/20/2026

100 Years Ago in 1926 and in honor of this weeks first Nordonia football game......
we are posting pictures from the "Hi-Time" County Yearbook which was published in 1926.

In 1926 there were separate high schools in Northfield and Macedonia. It appears that only Macedonia had a football squad. The picture indicates that this was the 1925 squad.

Names:
Coy (coach), Allan Jenkins, John McDowell, Robert Zimmerman, Arthur Babcock, Howard Wells, James Anderson, Carl Williamson, Morse Jenkins, Fred Gott, Jay Robinson, John Guinan, Carroll Wolcott, Paul Barr, John Barr.

As per the writing on the picture:
"The Macedonia Football Squad, at the beginning, numbered fourteen members. At the end, due to accidents, it numbered twelve. They had on of the most successful seasons in the history of the school. All the games were hard fought. In the only game of the year in which we were defeated, one of our halfbacks played when his shoulder had been broken only about a month before. In this game, our left tackle had his ankle broken. This left the team very weak, since we had only two substitutes."

Leave us a comment if you recognize any names!

08/18/2026

A reminder of our monthly committee meeting TONIGHT which is open to the public, starting at 6:00 P.M.

We meet at the Northfield Center Administration building located at 8484 Olde Eight Road, Northfield 44067

08/16/2026

A reminder of our monthly open house Today August 16th from 1-4 PM.
Stop in to see us!

08/15/2026

Today's post highlights one of the items that will be displayed during our Ohio Open Door event in September - a coffee grinder.
Stop to see it at the Palmer House Museum during our open house hours.

Comment if you have ever used one like this!

08/13/2026

Today we are highlighting information about the formation of Summit County, as written in a book called Historical Collections of Ohio written by Henry Lowe, LL.D.
The book was published by the State of Ohio in 1907. There are two volumes in the collection and Summit county in Volume II.

Here is the excerpt on the formation of the county:
SUMMIT COUNTY was erected from Partage, Medina and Stack, March 3, 1940. It derived its name from having the highest land on the line of the Ohio canal, originally called "the Portage Summit." Along the Cuyahoga it is uneven and hilly, elsewhere level or undulating. It has immense beds of bituminous coal and dine clay. The soil is fertile and produces excellent fruit. The principal productions are wheat, corn, hat oats, cheese butter, potatoes and fruit.

Area, about 420 square miles. In 1887 the acres cultivated were 105,569; in pasture, 56,922; woodland, 23,513; lying waste, 4,343; produced in wheat, 552,269 bushels; rye, 1,121; buckwheat, 241; oats, 581,260; barley, 600; corn, 451,932; meadow hay, 26,082 tons; clover hay, 16,245; potatoes, 124,424 bushels; butter, 657,527 libs.; eggs, 345,814 dozen; grapes, 39,820 lbs.; wine, 349 gallons; sweet potatoes, 200 bushels; apples, 75,006; peaches, 8,990; pears, 2,067; wool, 86,801 lbs.; milch cows owned, 11,501. Ohio Mining statistics, 1888-Coal mined, 112,024 tons, employing 231 miners and 40 outside employees; fire clay, 3,000 tons. School census, 1888, 15,339; teachers, 379. Miles of railroad track, 154.

The attached picture shows the populations of the cities in Summit county in 1840 and then again in 1880. Northfield had 1,031 people in 1840 and grew to 1,076 in 1880.

Note: a milch cow just means they were kept for milking.