• Image of bluebells in the spring

    Cuyahoga Valley

    National Park Ohio

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Canal Visitor Center Closure

    Canal Visitor Center will be closed for construction, starting Monday, May 6, 2013. It will reopen with new exhibits in early 2014.

  • Riverview Road Closure

    Riverview Rd from the Cuyahoga Falls line north to the Peninsula line will be re-paved, beginning the week of April 22. Expect delays. Flaggers will direct traffic. Work is expected to be completed by Memorial Day weekend.

  • Towpath Trail Closure

    NPS has closed the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail from Hillside Road to Stone Road in Valley View. A section of the trail is not passable due to hazardous conditions caused by erosion. Towpath is expected to be open by Memorial Day, May 27.

  • Bald Eagle Closure in Effect

    RR tracks, and 30 foot right of way on either side, are closed to all foot traffic from the Rt. 82 Bridge at Station Rd, north to the RR tracks at. The Cuyahoga R. downstream of the Brecksville Dam to the Fitzwater Rd Bridge is closed to water activities.

Hammond-Cranz Farm

Hammond-Cranz farm.

Hammond-Cranz Farm

Courtesy/Peninsula Library & Historical Society

The story of the Hammond-Cranz Farm involves family cooperation, the influence of growing markets, and innovative farming practices. Located on Ira Road just south of Oak Hill Road, the farm once included a farmhouse, chicken coop, smokehouse, cider house, carriage house, and two barns. Open fields and gently rolling hills surround the buildings. Lewis Hammond arrived in the valley in 1810 with the Hale family, among the first settlers in Summit County. During his life on the farm, Lewis introduced Shorthorn cattle and Merino sheep to the valley. After his death in 1849, Lewis' heirs sold the farm, which eventually passed to William F. Cranz in 1864.

 
Eugene Cranz working in his field.
Eugene Cranz working in his field.
Courtesy/Peninsula Library & Historical Society
 

On the Cranz Farm, William and his family raised 12 cows and 33 sheep. The cows needed to be milked twice a day: in the morning before work or school and in the evening before bedtime. The Cranzs' also produced cheese and butter on the property, instead of taking milk directly to area factories. William most likely received significant help from his wife and daughter, since it was customary for women to be primarily responsible for milking cows and making cheese and butter.

In 1898, William's son Eugene F. Cranz inherited the farm. Eugene and his wife continued operating the property as a sheep and dairy farm. Eugene gained fame for his scientific farming practices, and as an active member of local and state agricultural organizations. An advocate for land conservation, Eugene became involved in the reforestation movement. In 1949, his property was dedicated as Ohio Tree Farm Number 81.

Click to read a more detailed history of Hammond-Cranz Farm.

Did You Know?

Historic photo of canal boats along the Ohio & Erie Canal.

The Ohio & Erie Canal, which runs through Cuyahoga Valley National Park, was a 308-mile waterway connecting Lake Erie to the Ohio River. This transportation route, which influenced local and national prosperity, was dug entirely by hand by mostly German and Irish immigrants.