| |
| About the Park |
|
The turn of the 19th century witnessed the coming of frontiersmen to northeastern Ohio. Although the land was still wilderness, the American Indians were already being forced westward. Tribes native to what is now Stark County, principally the Delawares, were virtually gone by 1810.
One of the earliest settlers to enter the region was Conrad Brumbaugh. His first home on the new property was built around 1820 on land that was to become the park. It was a two-story log house measuring 24' x 24', complete with a cellar constructed of stone. By 1842, a wooden framed house which incorporated the original cabin was built. Many years later, this house was destroyed by fire.
Acquisition of the Brumbaugh homestead and other properties, ultimately totaling 720 acres, was begun in 1914 by Harry Bartlett Stewart. The Stewart's original tract, adjacent to the Brumbaugh homestead, was called the Minnie Taylor Farm after Harry Stewart's wife.
The small farm house on the Minnie Taylor Farm was built in 1838. During the first few years the Stewarts owned it, the home was used mainly on weekends during the autumn hunting season. By 1929, additions to the farm house and construction of its two neighboring structures were completed and the home became the permanent residence of the Stewart family. The main house, the adjacent servant's cottage and the garage appeared as they do today, reflecting strong Greek Revival and Federal architectural influences.
The Stewart's son, Harry Bartlett Stewart, Jr. and his wife Catherine moved into the manor in 1937. Mr. Stewart, like his father, was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad.
The Stewart family resided in their home until 1975 when they offered the acreage and buildings to the state foe one-half the appraised valuation. The U.S. Department of Interior provided funds for the state to acquire Quail Hollow State Park. On May 15, 1975, Quail Hollow came under the administration and management of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation.
The rolling fields, stately woodlands and moist wetlands of Quail Hollow are evidence of the effects of glaciation which occurred over 12,000 years ago. Glaciers have had a profound effect on the drainage system, topography and soil/mineral composition of the area. Natural lakes are a feature of the glaciated landscape. These bodies of water were formed when large pieces of ice broke off the glacier and melted in depressions forming these kettle lakes. Most are small, old and more properly classified as bogs or marshes. Nearby Congress Lake is one of Ohio's natural lakes.
Quail Hollow's habitat diversity allows for an abundance of plant and wildlife populations. A tall-grass prairie supports blazing star, sneezeweed and other prairie plants. The woodland swamps is home to spring peepers, chorus and green frogs while the deciduous and coniferous forests provide shelter for the red fox, raccoon, skunk and white-tailed deer. |
| |
| |
| |
|
 |
|
