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206-year-old Poland landmark goes up for sale
By Denise Dick
By DENISE DICK
POLAND
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The Old Stone Tavern, the oldest building in Poland, is for sale. The South Main Street structure was built in 1804 and has been an antiques shop for the last few years. Realtor Paul Sherman of Town One Realty, which is listing the property, stands outside of the landmark.
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The community’s oldest building, which served as a station for the Underground Railroad, is for sale.
The Old Stone Tavern, South Main Street in the village, was built in 1804 by Jonathan Fowler.
“From what our dating indicates, it’s the oldest building in Poland,” said Larry Warren, president of Town One Streetscapes, a community beautification group.
In its earlier days, it served as a tavern, a general store, an inn for stagecoach riders, an artists’ studio and a restaurant. For the last few years, it’s been an antiques shop.
“It was an inn used primarily by travelers from Cleveland to Pittsburgh,” Warren said. “It was sort of the half-way point. Of course, that would have been an arduous journey at that time.”
Jack Shetler bought the building in early 2006 because it was in distress.
“There was no electricity and no heat,” Shetler said, adding that he had the gas and electric in the building turned on while still negotiating the purchase.
He was concerned about the structure.
“I care about the building and about history, but I also love stone,” Shetler said.
After buying it, he restructured the exterior and brought the electrical wiring, plumbing and heating to bring the building up to code.
Despite being for sale, the business remains open.
A recorded message at the store says, “I’m not closing, dying or going broke, I would just like to sell the building and move to a larger location.”
The asking price is $264,900.
Shetler has a new Poland location in mind but declined to identify it. It’s a much larger building, he said, and also in distress. Larger quarters also will provide Shetler with a staging area for national shows.
The building has a storied history.
According to MahoningHistory.org, by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, the tavern, also known as Fowler’s Stone Tavern, was a station on the Underground Railroad, along with Strock House in Austintown and what is now Loghurst Museum in Canfield.
“For many years it was the historic ‘Sparrow Tavern,’ with a frame front of recent vintage, and was the home of Charles Austin,” according to a town history compiled by resident Connie Coloutes.
President William McKinley volunteered for service in the Union Army on the tavern’s steps, Warren said.
That 1861 event was reenacted last year as part of Celebrate Poland. A historical marker was erected last summer in front of the building.