Hale Farm and Village
Your next stop will take you to the Hale Farm and Village, a historic property of the Western Reserve Historical Society. The Western Reserve Historical Society was founded in 1867, making it the oldest cultural institution in northeastern Ohio, and focuses on the history of the Western Reserve. The Hale Farm and Village is an offset of this museum and is located within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Being the former home of Jonathan Hale, this section of the Western Reserve was dedicated in 1958 and is actually half living history museum and half village (Wheatfield).
Hale Farm and Village
The east side of the farm is the Hale Living History Museum. This portion of the farm offers a true pioneer farming experience, complete with sheep, oxen, pigs, and chickens. Your group will be able to take part in some candle, broom, or brickmaking, as well as glass blowing, blacksmithing, and other period crafts. The farm even offers adult workshops on any of these crafts if you wanted to get more serious about them!
The village on the west side goes by the name of Wheatfield and is home to several historical buildings. Perhaps the most popular thing Wheatfield does is put on their annual Civil War reenactment every August. Thousands of visitors flock to the farm to see what life was like for the soldiers, cavalry, and civilians in this area during the war. Restarting the cycle every six years, the actors start in August as if it were the first year of the Civil War and annually progress as the years of the war went on. On your way out you can grab a farm-fresh snack, hit the Hale Cafe for a delicious lunch, or visit the Marketplace for farm fares and handcrafted gifts.
