History
Above is the 1st known aerial photo of the property taken in 1937. Due to the narrow steep walls of the valley it was easy to harness the water for power. The Geauga County history book talks of a forge and a sawmill on the property. The earthworks for the sawmill and forge are still visible, and make great places to explore, and imagine life in the past.
In the 20's the property was used by the Boy Scouts as a summer camp. The mess hall is still standing and used as our equipment shed. The photo shows the lake in the Grand River that the scouts used to cool off on hot summer days.
The natural beauty and the economic value of the area has attracted people for thousands of years. The picture to the left shows some of the treasures grandpa found on the property, including my favorite, the 6lbs. cannon ball in the center of the picture.
A story of the last Native American to live in Parkman has been passed down in our family. It is said that he lived in a small cabin on a pine covered bluff above the 1820's Merrit Company sawmill pond. I have a location marked on the map as Hemlock Ridge.
Parkman's Railroad
The Clinton Air Line*, shown by dotted line on the map to the right, was a proposed railroad that was one segment of a railroad that was to extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Missouri River.
Conceived by DeWitt Clinton Jr., son of DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York and builder of the Erie Canal, the Clinton Air Line was chartered and organized in 1852. $200,000 was raised, a survey was completed and land acquisition began. By 1853 the roadbed was virtually complete from Kinsman to Parkman. Although the roadbed was constructed and prepared, track or ties were never laid due to financial stress caused by the Panic of 1857 and increasing costs.
*By definition an “air line” railroad was built to be relatively flat and straight making travel smoothier and easier.
To the left is an 1857 map showing the location of the Flaxseed Mill. This was located just up stream from the original bridge. The current bridge by the drive to Bass and Buck Adventures is the 3rd bridge in this location. Below is a picture of the original bridge and a current picture of the foundation that still stands.
