A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHARDON AND CHARDON TOWNSHIP

History
In 1812, The Township of Chardon, Ohio was formally established from the land now encompassing Chardon Township and Chardon City and became one of 24 townships within the county. At that time, Geauga County also included land that later became Lake County. In 1851, the Village of Chardon separated from the Township and became incorporated. With the 2000 census figure exceeding 5,000, the Village automatically became the City of Chardon on April 29, 2001.

The following Information was provided by the Chardon Library Sesquicentennial Celebration Commemorative Edition Brochure.


1795-1848 - The Pioneers
The pioneers traveled in horse-drawn covered wagons, ox carts, sleighs, and makeshift sleds. They packed supplies such as pork and beans, maple syrup buckets, butter churns, axes and lanterns. Cached among such material necessities were the hopes, dreams, and cultural baggage that even today mark Chardon's New England roots. Cultural baggage items included the town name, town planning, religious beliefs, architecture, and a commitment to education and libraries.

2 major trails led to the Western Reserve from the east. Both the northern Lake Trail and the southern Pennsylvania State Road required a journey of 8 to 10 weeks. In 1812, Captain Edward Paine, Jr., moved into the log cabin that would be his temporary home and the first courthouse on Chardon Square. He was one of our 1st pioneers and the founder of Chardon. He served as Recorder from 1811 to 1835, Chardon postmaster ca. 1813 and County Auditor from 1820 to 1822.


1808-1848 - Chardon, A New England Town
In 1808, representatives from the Ohio General Assembly chose an unpopulated wilderness on a hill for the county seat of justice. With several fledgling towns under consideration, "nearly every man in Geauga County was thunderstruck," the editor of the Painesville Telegraph reminisced.

Land for the town plat was purchased for $400 from absentee owner and Boston entrepreneur Peter Chardon Brooks. By 1810, the wilderness on the hill had a name, Chardon (French for thistle). Other names considered included Brookfield, Brookville, Marshall, and Chardonia.

Chardon Square was a quintessential example of New England town planning with its focus on a central green or common surrounded by the most important community institutions, including the courthouse and town hall, churches, and schools. Early inns and stores as well as the homes of prominent residents also surrounded the green.

By 1848, a large columned courthouse (build 1824-1829) and a simple white clapboard Methodist Church (build ca. 1835) graced the north half of Main Street, attesting to the cultural importance of government and religion in a transplanted New England town. The Courthouse stood where Court Street and Lawyer's Title stand today. The Methodist Church was replaced by Memorial Hall (now the three story portion of the Courthouse Annex).

The New England commitment to education included making books available to the entire community, even one as tiny as Chardon with its population of 446 in 1840. On August 26, 1858, community members met in the Courthouse to organize a public library. County Recorder John French was chosen the first librarian and the books were kept in the Recorder's Office. The membership fee was $1 per year or the donation of one good book.


1868 - The Great Fire
On July 24, 1868, a fire broke out on Chardon's Main Street. The fire destroyed the Courthouse and with it the library. Many county records were saved but the fate of the library books is not known.

Chardon Ohio. History. https://www.chardon.cc/168/History as retrieved 021252025



Chardon Township

A Historic Hub of Maple Syrup Production
At one time, Geauga County was the largest producer of maple sugar and syrup products in the nation. During the first quarter of the 20th century, the county shipped its products to places such as Vermont and other New England states to help satisfy the demand in those locations. In the process of shipping, it is understood that the Geauga County origin of the products was sometimes unidentified. In 1926, local merchant A.B. Carlson, concerned that the producers of Geauga County were not receiving adequate credit for their labors, conceived the idea of a local festival to celebrate maple syrup production within Geauga County.
Chardon Township is made up of about 24.3 miles of gentle, rolling hills sometimes becoming very rough and steep. The wildest and the prettiest spot might be called “Stebbins’ Gulch” located in the northwest part of the township. Few people see this spot because the branch of the Chagrin River has cut such a deep forge there that it is nearly impassable. This is an early photograph of the Stebbins family cabin at Stebbins Gulch. The gulch is now owned by the Holden Arboretum and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Holden Arboretum periodically schedules public walks into Stebbins Gulch to explore this unique natural setting.