Sand Stone Village

After church this morning we stopped at Wendy's for their Berry Almond Chicken Salad.  Then we headed over to the Sandstone Village in Amherst.  I looked it up on the internet and it said they gave tours on Sunday at 2 PM.  So we were there but there wasn't a soul around to give a tour.  There were the remains of some celebration they had the day before.  Luckily, there were information signs posted near every building so we did a self guided tour.  Of course, we didn't get inside the buildings but we peaked through windows.  We were able to get into the one room school house as it was open.  Obviously, someone was around somewhere!   

Hickory Tree Grange & School House - 1879

The "Grange Hall" started out as a one-room schoolhouse. Built in 1879, this building went from schoolhouse to church before it became home to the local Hickory Tree Grange.  The one room school house and grange is the only building in the village that was originally located here.  The others have all been moved from nearby areas to be preserved.

St. George Chapel - 1882

St. George's boasts the unique charm of a true country chapel. It was built in 1882 as a one-room schoolhouse.  It was later converted into a sandstone chapel and used as an Episcopal church for many years until sold.  At that point it became a duplex housing rental.

Harris-Dute Home - 1848

The Harris-Dute House is the oldest building moved to the Sandstone Museum Center.  It is a classic example of the "Greek Revival" style of architecture common in rural America immediately before the Civil War. 

Firelands Archeology Research Center

The Firelands Archeology Research Center was built in 2008 using Amish and Historical Society volunteers.

The Art Gallery

The Jenne Building is a replica of an early 1900 storefront.  Located in the building is the Art Gallery at Sandstone Center.  The gallery contains the works of Neal Jenne (1939 - 2011) as well as the works of many other artists.

Old Filling Station

Old Filling Station

Smoke House

Walking Down One of the Roads in the Village

Quarrymen's Supply

Octagonal Carriage House And Barn - 1905

Originally located off Middle Ridge Road, this unique Octagonal Barn was disassembled, moved and rebuilt using Amish & Society volunteers. Like many other historic buildings here, this barn was threatened with demolition.

Back of the Black Smith Shop

This building is an enlarged reproduction of a Blacksmith's Shop in Vermont.  This type of building would have been common in Amherst around 1870 and incorporates native Amherst sandstone.

Caboose With Train Zooming Past in the Back

Village Stone Crafter's Cottage

Pig Sty

This charming stone building is made entirely of cut sandstone quarried around 1890-1900 from the Amherst Quarries and was used as a pigsty.

After we were sure we couldn't find anyone at the village, we decided to head downtown because the Town Hall Square boasts of being the Sandstone Center of the World.  In July, 1886, the Cleveland Stone Company was incorporated succeeding several of the early pioneers at Berea and Amherst, and as the years past, they continued to absorb quarry land, not only at Amherst and Berea, but Kipton, Elyria, Euclid and outlying points, until they became the largest producers of sandstone in the world.

Downtown Amherst - In Front Of the Town Hall

In 1903, John R. Walsh, Chicago banker and large quarry operator in Bedford, Indiana territory, entered the sandstone field in Amherst, purchasing several large tracts of quarry land located about three miles southwest of North Amherst. He organized the Ohio Quarries Co., which opened and developed large quarries and built modern stone sawing mills. Its chief product was named Buckeye Gray Sandstone. The Buckeye Quarry is said to be one of the largest in the world, stone has been taken out to a depth of 240 feet. It is 3,090 ft. wide and 1,056 ft. long. It is no longer quarried. 

INFO SIGN ON TOWN HALL PROPERTY

Amherst Town Hall

Mary Standing Near Stone Platform & Drinking Fountain

Veterans Memorial on Town Hall Site

Our Truck Parked on Main Street

Downtown Amherst

We left Amherst and decided to head home since Lee had to work on our bedroom dresser stack which had collapsed yesterday.  We bought some large bolts and fender washers and reinforced it that night.  It meant tearing out the washer and dryer and putting that back in.  No small task! 

We were still up after midnight so we decided to go outside and lay on the back of our truck to see if we could see the Perseid Meteor Shower.  We saw a couple of flashes but nothing major.  There is much too much light here from the Cleveland area.