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The beautiful and stately house was believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. Read all about it in the article below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on December 5, 1968.
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Old Slave Stop Now North Ridgeville Antique ShopBY JOANNE DEUBEL
Staff Correspondent
HE LABORED for many months making the bricks from the kiln which is still on the property. Out of the virgin forest he felled the trees, cutting them into planks for his floors and fashioning furniture for his comfort.
Using his own mixture, and adding horsehair for strength, he mortared the bricks and plastered over walls and ceilings. One ceiling remains intact and the bas - relief design reflects the period of architecture known as Tuscan Revival.
The home, located at 38369 Center Ridge Road, is owned by John D. Beckett of the R.W. Beckett Corporation in Ridgeville. It is now operated as a workshop-store for Florence Billmeyer and Barbara Johnston who run the Plain and Fancy Antique Shop.
Through the years many owners have changed and revised the home to suit their needs, updating it as they went. But the flavor of the pioneer stock is still much in evidence due to the restoration efforts by the two women, their husbands and their families.
ONLY ONE fireplace exists in the entire house and that dominates the room which in pioneer days was known as the “keeping” room, or kitchen in the present day vernacular.
Cahoon chose also not to build a central stairway but instead constructed three separate “back” staircases which lead to a myriad of strangely laid out rooms on different levels.
The oddly positioned windows are one of the most attractive features of the old home. All have the original shutters intact.
THOUGH AN attic tops the ancient house, according to the tenants it was apparently never used and was built by Cahoon solely for the purpose of holding in heat.
The cellar is a mystery writers dream and as yet remains to be restored in any way. Its dark recesses and sudden, incongruous partitions and doorways lend themselves to vivid imaginings.
One of the most exciting parts of the house’s history has been verified by the Lorain County Historical Society. During the Civil War it served as a station on the underground railway.
One of the cellar doorways was made to look like a solid wall of stones. When the doorway was needed the stones could be removed, leading to another room which had a similar doorway and steps leading deep in the earth outside of the home itself. Though now closed off, it was here escaped slaves waited the transportation to the next station on their way to Canada and to freedom.
Proprietors Billmeyer and Johnston are at the shop daily except Sundays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. In their work room they make many items which they wholesale and retail. Many of the antique furnishings of the house are also for sale. Included in their occupation is the restoration of antique dolls.
They enjoy people browsing, and may be contacted by individuals or groups for guided tours through the ancient structure.
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A great article about the Cahoon House and its 1987 restoration appeared in the April 6, 2015 News-Herald (here).
2 comments:
I remember going through that magnificent house as a young teen in the early 1970's with my mom. It was especially nice during the holidays when the proprietors would have punch and gingerbread cookies for the customers. There was a long hallway at the front door with a staircase to the right which lead to a huge "ballroom" (or what looked like a ballroom to me) as well as other smaller rooms. I believe one room was an area where sewing accessories and bolts of fabric were kept. I was mesmerized by the ancient floors, woodwork and very old mirrors. For some reason, the "keeping" room or kitchen toward the back of the main floor scared me. I didn't know the house was part of the Underground Railroad, but my frequent visits there must have subconsciously inspired me many years later to buy a house built in 1842, which was also part of the Underground Railroad. I always wondered what happened to the "Plain and Fancy" house!
Thanks for posting this. However I would think there is at least one or two stage coach stops/houses on Center Ridge that might be older...
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