Take a drive on Heritage Barns of Bath Trail

This summer, let’s barnstorm Bath Township.

Motorists are invited to take a 19-mile, nine-stop trip that celebrates the community’s agricultural history. The inaugural Heritage Barns of Bath Trail is a circular route that drivers can travel at their own leisure, said James McClellan, chairman of Discover Bath Barns.

Established in 2023, the volunteer-run committee is focused on “preserving and enhancing the heritage represented by the many barns within the township,” McClellan said. Bath has more than 60 barns, including nearly 30 that are over 100 years old and several that are on the National Register of Historic Places.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and official opening for the trail will take place at 2 p.m. June 19 at Western Reserve Playhouse, 3326 Everett Road, Bath. The public is invited to join Bath trustees, local dignitaries and barn owners at the celebration. In addition, Discover Bath Barns has lined up guest speakers each month to discuss barn preservation, beginning with a talk at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Crown Point Ecology Center, 3220 Ira Road.

Organizers suggest starting the tour at the Heritage Corridors of Bath Wayside Exhibit at 1000 N. Cleveland-Massillon Road. The exhibit was built in 2015 as a gateway to the Heritage Corridors of Bath Scenic Byway and the Hamlets of Bath Township. The exhibit includes a pavilion, information panels, parking and a picnic area. 

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Barns on Bath trail

Other stops on the Heritage Barns of Bath Trail:

Barn 1: Historic Bath Township Hall, Barn and Museum, 1241 N. Cleveland-Massillon Road. The barn was built in 1889, but the property has served as the township’s civic and geographical center since settlers held meetings on the site in an 1818 log cabin. Today, the property is home to the Bath Township Museum and Historical Society. 

Barn 2: Lemmon Barn, North Fork Preserve of Bath, 4400 Everett Road. The farm, which dates back to the 1860s, was owned by the Andrew and Nemer families. In 1955, the Lemmon family bought the property and operated Happy Hollow Farm and the Greenberg Riding Centre. Built around 1927, the barn was relocated to the property in 1962.

Barn 3: Underwood Barn, Western Reserve Playhouse, 3326 Everett Road. Dairy farmer Ira Underwood built the barn in 1886. The Bath Community Players, now Western Reserve Playhouse, bought it in 1966 and converted it into a theater. It hosts six to eight shows a year as well as summer education camps for children and festivals. 

Barn 4: Swigart Barn, Crown Point Ecology Center, 3220 Ira Road. The Swigart family farmed here in the 1850s. The barn was built in 1910 to replace one destroyed by fire. The Dominican Sisters of Peace bought the 115-acre property in 1967. Crown Point incorporated as a nonprofit in 2010. Today, the barn is used to promote organic agriculture and environmental education programs, and serves as a venue for weddings and concerts. 

Barn 5: Hale Farm & Village, Western Reserve Historical Society, 2686 Oak Hill Road. This was the homestead of Jonathan Hale, a Connecticut native who moved to Ohio in 1810 after buying 500 acres in the Western Reserve. The large red barn, built around 1850, is one of eight original structures on the property.

Barn 6: Hammond-Cranz Barns, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ira Road just south of Oak Hill Road. Jason and Rachel Hammond established the homestead about 1818. William and Mary Cranz acquired the property in 1863. Tourists will see two barns: A smaller one, built around 1864, and a larger one, built circa 1885. Today, the barns are part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Barn 7: O’Neil Barn, Summit Metro Parks, 2400 W. Bath Road. William O'Neil, founder of General Tire & Rubber Co., and his wife, Grace, donated their 242-acre family farm to Summit Metro Parks in 1972. The O’Neil family raised horses and cattle using the 1944 barn. Today the structure houses a small colony of brown bats. 

Barn 8: Welton/Barker Barn, 788 Wye Road. Hiram Welton owned the house and barn, which was built around 1850 in Ghent. The barn was used as a blacksmith shop for years. Today, it’s privately owned and houses a business.

All the barns featured on the inaugural tour are owned by local nonprofit groups or businesses and, except for Hale Farm & Village, will not be open for tours.

Speaker series on barns

The speaker series is free to the public, but reservations are requested at bathtownship.recdesk.com.

The schedule:

∎ 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, Crown Point Ecology Center, 3220 Ira Road, Bath. Tom O’Grady, Southeast Ohio History Center’s director of outreach and director emeritus, will present “The Barn Builders: An Architectural Legacy in Ohio’s Rural Landscape.”

∎ 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, the Franklin residence, 3433 W. Bath Road, Bath. Tim Franklin, president and lead designer of Franklin & Associates, will present “Barn Again: Understanding Options for Saving Barns.”

∎ 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, Polka Dot Pincushion, 3807 Brecksville Road, Richfield. Author Suzi Parron Smith will present “Following the Barn Quilt Trail” via Zoom.

Discover Bath Barns is an initiative of the Heritage Corridors of Bath committee, which was formed to preserve Bath Township’s historic nature. The 39-mile Heritage Corridors of Bath Scenic Byway, designated by the Ohio Department of Transportation in 2000, is one of only 27 in Ohio.

At least 30 barns are visible on the byway. See how many you can count while driving this summer. 

Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com

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