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Garden club lists poland homes built before 1900
By Kalea Hall
Poland is known for its unique charm, with century-old – and even older – buildings lining South Main Street.
Preserving the history behind each of the buildings is a quality the Poland Village Gardeners’ Club takes pride in, just like the building owners.
“The thing about this town is, we have so many surviving structures,” said Ginny Meloy, chairman of the club. “In a way, time sort of passed us by.”
Meloy, along with seven other members of the garden club, polished off the list of 75 homes built before 1900 and created a brochure so residents and visitors can learn more about the history of Poland through the structures that represent it.
“These buildings give it that charm,” Meloy said. “You feel like you are stepping back in time.”
Getting historical markers for all of the homes started 37 years ago. The garden club initiated the project with help from the Poland Historical Society.
Several of the homes are considered Greek Revival-style of architecture.
“Poland’s early settlers came from Connecticut and brought with them the Greek Revival,” Meloy said. “It’s really a New England charm.”
Ron Eiselstein, who owns The Village Pantry in Poland, is now in the process of restoring an 1835 Greek Revival home, known as the Rice Lonergran House, he bought with his wife, Joanne. To him, the craftsmanship that goes into each historic home is what grabs his attention.
“You have to look at the wealth at that time that created these buildings,” Eiselstein said.
The Village Pantry, also known as the old post office, is on the list of homes built before 1900. It was built in 1850 and believed to be where President William McKinley worked. Eiselstein and his wife recently went to the William McKinley Presidential Museum and Library in Canton and realized how unique it was for them to have a piece of history.
“We failed to realize how much history we have that was pretty much global,” he said.
Together, the Eiselsteins have operated The Village Pantry since 2003.
“Life is short. If you are capable of preserving what our forbears built, then do it,” he said.
Jack Shetler, owner of Fowler’s Old Stone Tavern, built in 1804, has the oldest building on the list.
Roots to President McKinley’s past also are a part of this property. McKinley was sworn in as a private during the Civil War on the front porch of the tavern. Shetler also said the tavern was linked to the Underground Railroad.
The tavern continues to preserve history as an antiques shop operated by Shetler.
“I own a part of history,” he said. “It makes me feel great because of the history.”
Meloy said the program to add more homes to the list will continue.
“This is an ongoing project because there are still homes that are eligible,” she said.
“The Historical Marker Program of 19th Century Buildings” brochure can be found at Poland Village Hall.
“It’s a wonderful act of community between our garden club, historical society and Streetscapes,” Shetler said.