Built in 1836 and owned by Mason Oviatt and his wife Fanny, Oviatt House is one of the oldest homes in Richfield and has ties to the Underground Railroad and the American abolitionist John Brown. The house stands in Richfield Heritage Preserve at West Streetsboro and Oviatt roads in Richfield, Ohio, near the Summit-Medina line. Oviatt House Incorporated is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organizat
ion, making your donation to restore and preserve the house is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. One hundred percent of the money collected goes directly towards restoration and preservation of this historic landmark. In 1979, the National Park Service (NPS) honored Richfield and its history by naming Kirby’s Mill, built by inventor James Kirby, to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2020, the NPS named the entire 336-acres of Richfield Heritage Preserve to the National Register of Historic Places under The Camp Crowell Hilaka Historic District in honor of it roots as the Crowell Hilaka girl scout camp. In May 2021, Oviatt House was added to the NPS’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program. On August 2, 2021, OHI signed an agreement with the Richfield Joint Recreation District granting exclusive permission to perform restoration work on the historic Oviatt House.
