More Historical Adventures: Underground Railroad Part Two

I know you've all been on the edge of your seat waiting for my first hand account of the Lorain/Sheffield Village portion of the "On the Trail to Freedom"Underground Railroad tour! Never fear my friends,  the wait is over, and I'm back to tell you all about my afternoon checking out these historical sites.

Our first stop of the day was the Burrell Homestead. This house was built around 1820, and for a while it was actually used by the Oberlin Collegiate Institute. Later it became a station on the Underground Railroad.


                                                 I can only imagine how many lives were changed forever because of this house and others that became stops for people escaping to their freedom. If these walls could talk I'm sure we'd hear some truly shocking stories about the people that lived through such an ugly patch of history.


Not only is the Burrell Homestead hugely historically significant, it's on a beautiful property just a few minutes away from French Creek Reservation to balance your day of history with some general fun outdoors. Kaitlin and I certainly couldn't resist the trees in front of the house.

 I mean, how could we? They were just begging to be climbed! Would you expect anything different from a couple of interns spending the day outside?

After we thoroughly explored the area outside the house (we weren't able to go inside, but there are tours available for you to plan your visit around! Keep an eye on our calendar of events for the next one.) Next, we hit the road to make our way to our final stop, Station 100.

Being near a place as busy as Lake Erie, it's no surprise that even our commute was an adventure in itself. We were going down the road when all of a sudden traffic stopped just before the bridge. I knew the bridge was often lifted to let tall boats pass through, but I'd never actually seen it myself. It was really interesting! If you look to the left of the bridge, you can see the top of the sailboat that's heading for open water.

After the boat passed us, we were once again en route to the beautiful Station 100 monument at Black River Landing in Lorain. 

Station 100, — the last stop to freedom — is said to be the area near the mouth of the Black River and the shores of Lake Erie. This is where slaves would finally escape the United States into Canada.





After being at the monument for a little while, we caught a glimpse of something near by. Much to our excitement, we had stumbled upon one of the stops on the Follow the Fish Art and Adventure Trail! The goal of the project is to connect public art to local businesses and guide people to some of the really cool places and events in Lorain County. They come in a variety of sizes, and this one is huge! I could probably crawl up in it if I wanted to (though I'm not recommending that, it is a piece of art). Be sure to keep an eye out on your visit for the other fish!

Recognize that sail boat? I think it's the same one we saw pass under the bridge!

Kaitlin and I ended our day with a pit stop at K-Cream Korner on our way to Lakeview Beach. It was too nice of a day not to stop and small the roses, literally, at the rose garden. It was so tempting to go wade in that beautiful blue water, but we did have to get back to the office. I guess that's an experience for another day!

~Melody

Lighting Up Lorain County: Fireworks 2012

The Fourth of July is right around the corner and that means festivals, fireworks and family fun.

Wellington Town Hall

First up is the Wellington Celebration in the Park, be entertained the evening of July 3rd on Wellington's Town Hall lawn with the Patriots Community Band Concert and Ice Cream Social. Then, get over to the Lorain County Fairgrounds at dusk for some can't-miss fireworks!


Wellington keeps the party going Wednesday with festivities at Howk Park including games, food, music and a parade at 3pm.

Also July 3rd Avon Lake celebrates at Weiss Field on Webber Rd. with music and festivities at 6:30 and fireworks at dusk.

Another option for the 3rd is North Ridgeville's Party in the Park hosted by Victory Park. Admission is free! Gates open at 5pm with music, dancing and kid's bounce houses at 7pm, then some fantastic fireworks at dusk.

 View of Lorain Port Authority's
Lady Charleston from Black River Landing

The 4th is of course Port Fest at Black River Landing in Lorain from 2-11pm. Look forward to celebrating with food, music and activities for kids. Featured artist, Rare Earth, will play at 8:30pm and fireworks start at 10pm but check the full schedule for all the entertainment details.

You can also head out to All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon on the 4th of July and see the Lake Erie Crushers take on the London Rippers at 7:05pm. Then stay after the game for a special Fireworks Spectacular!

A community with a great history celebrating Independence Day is Rochester with their 93rd annual Homecoming Festival at Eagle St Park and fire station. Food tents open bright and early at 8am. The only parade you can see twice starts at 10:30! The parade goes through town and turns around for another pass. Stick around the rest of the day for contests, rides, the Firefighter games and more all leading up to fireworks at the end of the evening.

You can see fireworks in Grafton's Willow Park on Main St. on the 4th too beginning at dusk.

And lets not forget to say congrats to all the donors who made fireworks in Oberlin happen. Come out and see them at dusk on the 4th at the Hamilton Recreation Complex.

Have a safe holiday and enjoy!

Lorain County's Farmers Markets

Lorain County is known for its agriculture; so naturally, we have some excellent farmer's markets. A recent trip to Spiegelberg Orchards in Lorain yielded fresh produce and a variety of apples including caramel apples.

For some reason, the apples always taste better from local orchards than from the grocery store. Maybe it’s because the apples are fresher and because you know it’s good for our local economy--buying directly from family farmers helps them stay in business.

In addition to apples, Spiegelberg Orchards features maple syrup, grapes and other fresh produce. They are located at 6161 Middle Ridge Road, Lorain, OH 44053.

For a listing of additional Lorain County farmers’ markets, gardens and orchards, visit the Lorain County Visitors Bureau website.