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Cuyahoga Valley National Park (9)
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Hale Farm
An interesting historical feature of the park is the Hale Farm and Village, the entrance to which is shown below. This farm is a living history museum which recreates a typical mid-19th century Cuyahoga Valley community.
The centerpiece of the area is the farm owned by the pioneer Hale family and established in the early 1800's. The area was bequeathed to the public by the descendants of Jonathan Hale in 1956.
The Hale Farm and Village contains a number of historical buildings, some of which have been moved to the area from other places. The fields and farm buildings provide some of the most beautiful scenery in the park.
Hale Farm not only features living history interpreters and artisan demonstrations.
Boston Area
Historically, one of the significant towns or villages in the Cuyahoga Valley area was Boston. From 1828-1836 the village was developed with a couple of general stores, a hotel, a blacksmith shop, and a broom factory. In the mid-19th century, along with the canal, the canal boat building industry arrived in the area. In the 1830's, in fact, Boston rivaled Cleveland as an industrial center.
The town continued to grow through the early 20th century, but it was devastated by the great flood of 1913. Even the railroad tracks in the Boston area were completely washed away, and 100 people found themselves homeless in its aftermath.
Today, in the park, the Boston area contains several buildings. Noteworthy among these is the Boston Store, shown below, which contains a museum devoted to a history of canal boat construction.
The Boston Store was built originally as the Boston Land and Manufacturing Company by Irad and Thomas Kelly in 1835-1836. It is an example of the Federal/Greek Revival style of architecture. It served as a general store throughout the 19th century, and has also served as a warehouse, store, post office, residence, and a general gathering spot. It was purchased by the National Park Service in 1980, and reopened in 1996.
A view of the buildings in the Boston section of the park is shown below.
In the operational days of the Ohio and Erie Canal Boston was a favorite stopping point for gamblers traveling the canal.
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