Summer Spirits

North central Ohio is heating up! What better way to enjoy our beautiful summers than popping open a bottle of Lorain County’s finest wine? With over 200 acres of warm land devoted to growing Ohio grapes, north central Ohio is the perfect place to find peace and tranquility among the vineyards. Combined, local wineries feature 80 different classic and signature labels including a large range of dry and sweet wines. They offer culinary events, wine tastings and programs dedicated to explaining Ohio’s history in the art of wine.

The following wineries are located on or just-off the Back Roads and Beaches bike and multi-sport route. All are welcoming to cyclists and the general public alike.

Located just south of beautiful Lake Erie in Avon Lake is John Christ Winery. With over 60 years experience John Christ wine is produced and bottled on-site. Several upcoming events will feature their award-winning wine. John Christ is preparing to cookout this June at their Steak Grill on Saturday the 18th at 6:30. There will be live music entertainment and tastings of their many different varieties of reds and whites. For summer event listings, location, hours, and contact information visit http://www.johnchristwine.com/.

Also hidden within Avon Lake is the third-generation Klingshirn Winery. Devoted to presenting home- grown quality grapes and award-winning wines, the Klingshirn Winery staff is getting ready for their summer steak cookout series. The cookout dates include July 22nd and August 26th from 5:30–8pm. Reservations are required and can be made by phone or email. For more information on Klingshirn Winery please visit their website http://www.klingshirnwine.com/.

Matus Winery rests on the west side of Lorain County. Located on the 75 year-old Matus Farm, this vineyard was designed for countryside relaxation. With happy-hour featured every Thursday from 5–9pm, Matus is the perfect place to unwind. On Saturday, June 18th Matus will be welcoming friends for a Steak Fry at 6pm. The Steak Fry will include live entertainment by Strukely and Cole at 8pm. For event details and pricing visit their website at http://www.matuswinery.us/. Their website also contains contact information and hour listings.

Committed to culture and the environment, Vermilion Valley Vineyards provides not only quality wine but educational wine tasting and explanations of the wines of Ohio. The winery includes beautiful views of the Vermilion Valley, tasting room, covered patio and pond-side fire pit. You may consider preparing your own picnic meal at Vermilion Valley’s tables and grills installed around the pond. Meats and accompaniments are available, including pick-it-yourself sweet corn, salad fixings, and blueberries and other fruits in season. Vermilion Valley also features a full menu of appetizers, sandwiches, pizza, salads and desserts from 5–10pm. Upcoming musical events at VVV include Dann and Lilly, featured on June 10th and Men of Steele on the 11th. Mark your calendars now for their upcoming Seafood Grill on July 2. For more details and information about Vermilion Valley Vineyards visit http://www.vermilionvalleyvineyards.com/.

Paper Moon is a newer addition to north central Ohio’s list of vineyards. They’re preparing for a summer full of musical weekends, with live bands and entertainment. Also, beginning this month — the Second Saturday Supper-Steak Fry. Every second Saturday starting June through August, from 5–8pm, join Paper Moon Vineyards for outdoor grilling fun. Paper Moon Winery includes a regular menu of paninis, flat bread pizzas, ciabatta bread with oil, cheese plates, hummus and more. For more details or vineyard information on Paper Moon visit http://www.papermoonvineyards.com/.

Look for all your favorite wining and dining locations at the Back Roads and Beaches 5K Run Wine and Dine event on Saturday August 20th starting at 5pm. The cost to compete is $20 if registered by August 11th. Come out to Oberlin and enjoy this unique course traveling through Oberlin’s friendly community and get the opportunity to taste from local vineyards. Following the 5k run, participants, their family and friends, and the general public can enjoy great local food, wine and live musical entertainment outside in the gardens of the Oberlin Inn. For more information visit http://www.visitloraincounty.com/BRaB5K.

Let’s raise a glass to another season of great friends and great wine!

Eight Miles That Changed a Nation

Wellington/Oberlin History and the Underground Railroad
Part II

Oberlin: “Stop 99” on the Underground Railroad

Oberlin has been at the vanguard of civil liberties in America, with Oberlin College as the first institution to open its doors to African-Americans (1835) and women (1837). A major center of the anti-slavery movement in the U.S., the town attracted many runaway slaves whose descendants still live in Oberlin today.

Oberlin Heritage Center’s
Abolitionist Walk, outside First Church

The first stop in your tour around town should be the Oberlin Heritage Center [73 South Professor Street]. It is the former home of Civil War General Giles W. Shurtleff, who led the first African-American regiment from Ohio to serve in the Civil War. It later became the home of abolitionist James Monroe. Here, you’ll find the majestic portrait of Dr. James Harris Fairchild, who harbored John Price after his re-capture and who became a president of Oberlin College. With regular tours, “History Walks” and impassioned docents, the Museum gives you plenty of history lessons on Oberlin’s activist citizens, both white and African-American.

John Mercer Langston

Oberlin is a great walking town, so you’ll find most historic homes within reach. The Langston House [207 East College Street] was the home of John Mercer Langston, Ohio’s first African-American attorney and an ardent abolitionist. His brother Charles Langston was an Oberlin-Wellington Rescuer. Then, stop by the Bardwell House [181 East Lorain], home of the Reverend John Bardwell and his wife Cornelia, both abolitionists who hid runaway slaves under the eaves of their house. The Langston and Bardwell Houses are privately owned and not open to the public. The First Church in Oberlin [106 North Main Street] was the historic meeting place of the Oberlin Anti-Slavery Society, and the site of the haunting memorial and funeral service for a four-year-old slave child, Lee Howard Dobbins.

Underground Railroad Monument in Westwood Cemetery

If ever a place “boasted” of more illustrious citizens laid to rest, it would be Westwood Cemetery [455 Morgan Street]. Amidst statuesque pines and oak trees are the graves of Simeon Bushnell, one of the Rescuers; Lewis Clarke, a former slave and abolitionist whom, it was believed, Harriet Beecher Stowe based her character George Harris on in Uncle Tom’s Cabin; the unmarked grave (see below) of four-year-old Lee Howard Dobbins; James Harris Fairchild; Charles Martin Hall, inventor of an inexpensive method of producing aluminum; James Fitch, who secretly drove John Price to Fairchild’s home; the abolitionist James Monroe; General Giles Waldo Shurtleff; and John Watson, a former slave, Oberlin businessman and a chief organizer of the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue.


Before Rosa Parks There Was Henry Lee

You’ll discover one of the most astounding stories of Oberlin in Henry Lee, a former slave buried in Westwood. Lee predated Rosa Park’s historic refusal to sit in the “colored section” of a bus in Montgomery, AL, on December 1, 1955 by almost a century. In 1865 in Wheeling, West Virginia, Lee refused to be uprooted from a first-class train seat and placed in a section reserved for black patrons. Four years later, Lee showed the same courage on another train; he was beaten and jailed. He sued the railroad and won the lawsuit – plus damages -- two years later. Lee was also adamant with Oberlin schools about removing the name “Sambo” from a textbook, claiming it was racist. His efforts paid off; the author pledged to remove the name in his next edition.

For educators and scholars who are interested in serious research, a must-visit would be the Oberlin College Archives, Special Collections, at the Mudd (Library) Center [148 West College Street, Fourth Floor.]. The Collection holds 2,500 to 3,000 titles related to the anti-slavery movement in the U.S. and especially to the activism of Oberlin College students and professors. They include such precious documents as the original Rescuer newspaper, published on the day of the Rescue, as well as hundreds of letters and manuscripts written by abolitionists. Here, too, you will find Southern plantation inventories and bills of sale for slaves. You will see such artifacts as the chain and lock for a 19-year-old slave named Margaret Toogood, who was unshackled by Union General Lew Wallace. Wallace donated the shackles to Oberlin College.

Tourists and groups already pay a visit to the future home of
the Underground Railroad Center, the Oberlin Gasholder
Building

One of the most poignant symbols of the Underground Railroad held currently in the Collection is the tombstone of the slave child Lee Howard Dobbins. Too ill to travel to Canada with his family, he was kept behind in Oberlin, where he died on March 26, 1853, just days after his arrival. His tombstone was removed from Westwood Cemetery for safekeeping, and it will be transferred to the new Oberlin Underground Railroad Center [South Main Street, adjacent to the former Missler supermarket] once the building has been restored. “Serving as a tourist gateway and transportation hub, the Center will celebrate Oberlin’s rich history in the anti-slavery movement and honors African-American heritage to promote a better understanding of the past and provide a pathway to our future,” says Oberlin Assistant City Manager Darlene Colaso, explaining the Center’s mission. With a multi-phased restoration plan, the Oberlin-focused Center is expected to open in several years, and will feature ongoing historic and educational exhibitions in a serene setting of lawns and gardens. Colaso adds, “The project has far-reaching economic development tentacles that will not only touch those in Oberlin, but will benefit the surrounding regional area, as well. Oberlin has many compelling stories. I believe that the Center, coupled with Oberlin’s rich history, will quickly become a national draw.”

To add to the wealth of history, Oberlin is blessed with wonderful restaurants and shops. Rest your weary feet and tantalize your palate at The Feve [30 South Main Street] or Quick and Delicious [311 South Main Street]. Spend a couple days exploring the areas history, using the Oberlin Inn or other local lodging for your base while you explore.

Be sure to check out Oberlin’s renowned festivals. Juneteenth Celebration [June 17-19, 2011] is the nation’s oldest event commemorating the freeing of slaves in the U.S. (1865). You’ll be moved by lectures and a Westwood Cemetery walking tour at Oberlin’s Juneteenth festivities, plus you’ll enjoy a delectable community picnic with terrific music. Or you can bring out your inner artist at Oberlin’s annual Chalk Walk [June 25], creating chalk art on the “canvas” of Oberlin sidewalks. Be sure to bring the little ones to the Family Fun Fair [August 6], with antique autos on display, kids’ games and oldies music.

While Lorain County has played a proud, heroic and oftentimes tragic role in the history of the United States, it also celebrates the enduring spirit of life. You’ll find out, to be sure.

-Margaret Swendseid