Plan Now For a Unique Christmas Gift

Over the past few years, I have completed house history and genealogy projects for clients to give as Christmas gifts. These gifts have always been received with great enthusiasm. If you are looking for a gift for the person with everything, consider giving that person a written history of their house/property or a written history of their family. This is a gift that endures the test of time. Due to the fact that compiling a house history or family history often takes several weeks to several months to complete, now is the time to get started! Go to www.historicalresearchpartners.com for more information.

Current/Recent Projects

Old Mill Road, Gates Mills, Ohio- This Greek Revival structure was built around 1900 by a family that owned the adjacent property. The family claimed the property under Squatter's Rights and built a house there. Likely, the house was used as a rental property for a number of years.

McCormick School, Huron, Ohio- McCormick School was completed in 1943. This fully concrete school built in the Art Moderne-style was the first concrete school in Ohio. Since 1949, the auditorium at McCormick School has been the home of the Huron Playhouse, the longest, continuously running summer theatre in Ohio. Currently, I am completing the nomination for the National Register of Historic Places for this structure.

Williams Street, Huron, Ohio- In the early 1850's, Alexander Ledgard, a veteran of the War of 1812, built this house. In 1871, the house became the parsonage for the fledgling German Evangelical Church in Huron. The house was used in this capacity until 1904. For much of its history, the house was used as a rental property. Interesting, the current owner is a retired minister.

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

Huron Public Library- Who Do You Think You Are?
333 Williams St.
Huron, Ohio

Thursday, August 26
6:45 PM

Have you ever wondered who your ancestors really were? NBC’s hit series, Who Do You Think You Are?, follows several celebrities as they trace their family history and face the facts, both good and bad.

In the spirit of the show, Lisa Yako of Historical Research Partners will lead you in the quest to discover your family history. Part of the program will be hands-on online searching. Registration is required: online at www.huronlibrary.org or call 419-433-5009.


Firelands Historical Society- Isaac Hoover: farmer, inventor, and philathropist

4 Case Avenue
Norwalk, Ohio

Wednesday, September 15
7:00 PM

Isaac Hoover, a native of Erie County, Ohio, began his career as a potato farmer, and his farm produced the largest potato harvest in the county. After years of tediously harvesting potatoes by hand, Hoover envisioned a mechanical potato digger. During the winter of 1884-1885, he designed and constructed his first digger and used it to harvest his 1885 crop. Foreseeing the potential of his invention, he submitted a patent application in March 1885. The patent was quickly granted, and the Hoover & Prout Company of Avery, Ohio, was formed to produce and promote the diggers. By 1914, the Hoover Manufacturing Company employed 75 to 100 people, produced about 5,000 machines per year and shipped diggers worldwide. In 1926, Hoover sold his company to the John Deere Company. In addition to his business success, Isaac Hoover played a role in the growth of the communities of Milan and Lakeside, Ohio. Hoover’s commitment to Lakeside helped the community to survive the trying times of the Great Depression. In his 1916 book, A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, H.L. Peeke described Hoover in glowing terms: 'He has prospered, and his success and prosperity have produced a permanent and far reaching benefit to mankind.'

Researching the History of Your House

I will giving a program at the Gates Mills Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library on Wednesday, June 2 at 7 PM. In the program, I will detail how to go about researching the history of your home in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Registration for the program is requested at http://cuyahogalibrary.org/EventDetail.aspx?EventInstanceID=40694.

Stone House in Berlin Heights recommended for the National Register

Below is a press release from the Ohio Historical Society regarding six properties in Ohio that were recommended for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

One of these properties is the Stone House on Mason Road in Berlin Heights, Erie County, Ohio. After working on the required paperwork for nearly a year, I am thrilled that the Stone House has been recommended for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The Stone House, which sits amidst the orchards at Quarry Hill Orchards, was built around 1835 of locally quarried sandstone. This is one of the oldest Greek Revival-style structures in Berlin Heights and the only one constructed solely of sandstone. Most importantly, this is the first property in Berlin Heights to be recommended for inclusion on the National Register. The final decision is in the hands of the National Park Service and should be rendered within 90 days.


For Immediate Release - April 9, 2010
Contact: Kim Schuette, 614.297.2314 or 800-340-6131 or by email at
kschuette@ohiohistory.org.

State Board Recommends Six Nominations to National Register of Historic
Places Properties in To Be Considered by National Park Service

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)- Members of the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board voted today to recommend that nominations for the following properties in Ohio be forwarded to the keeper of the National Register of Historic Places at the National Park Service for consideration:

They include: Avon Isle in Avon (Lorain County); Bellville Cemetery Chapel in Bellville (Richland County); Baldwin Wallace South Campus Historic District in Berea (Cuyahoga County); Stone House, Berlin Heights (Erie County); East North Broadway Historic District in Columbus (Franklin County); and Woodland Cemetery in Dayton (Montgomery County).

If the keeper agrees that the properties meet the criteria for listing, they will be added to the National Register of Historic Places. Decisions from the keeper on all five nominations are expected in about 90 days from when they are sent to the National Park Service.

The 17-member board, chaired by Nancy Otis of Celina, is appointed by the governor to advise Ohio Historical Society and the state on historic preservation matters. It includes professionals in history, architecture, archaeology and other historic preservation related disciplines as well as citizens. The board meets three times each year to consider proposed Ohio nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and conduct other business.

About the National Register

The National Register lists places that should be preserved because of their significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. It includes buildings, sites, structures, objects, and historic districts of national, state, and local importance. To be eligible for listing on the National Register a property or district must:

Be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or Be associated with the lives of people significant in our past; or Embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic values, or represent a significant, distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction (e.g. a historic district); or Have yielded, or be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

National Register listing often raises community awareness of a property. However, listing does not obligate owners to repair or improve their properties and does not prevent them from remodeling, altering, selling, or even demolishing them if they choose to do so.

Owners or long-term tenants who rehabilitate income-producing properties listed on the National Register can qualify for a 20-percent federal income tax credit if the work they do follows the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, guidelines used nationwide for repairs and alterations to historic buildings.

In Ohio anyone may prepare a National Register nomination. Nominations are made through the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society. Proposed nominations are reviewed by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board, a governor-appointed panel of citizens and professionals in history, architecture, archaeology, and related fields. The board reviews each nomination to see whether it appears to be eligible for listing on the National Register, then makes a recommendation to the State Historic Preservation Officer. The final decision to add a property to the register is made by the National Park Service, which administers the program nationwide.