The Observation Deck

In a post on Cleveland trying to annex or steal Lakewood, Stephen Davis posted a short history of Kirtland, who he was, and how Bunts got it's name. I would hope the Lakewood Historical Society would join with me in a call to City Hall to rename Bunts, Kirtland Lane.

This text can be found at:

http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=KJP

“KIRTLAND, JARED POTTER (10 Nov. 1793-10 Dec. 1877), naturalist, physician, and a founder of the CLEVELAND ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES (forerunner of the CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY) and the Western Reserve University School of Medicine, was born in Connecticut, the son of Turhand and Polly (Potter) Kirtland. In 1815, he graduated from Yale University's medical department and practiced medicine in Durham, Conn. before coming to Poland, Ohio, in 1823. Kirtland was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1828, serving 6 years, chairing the Penitentiary Committee, advocating prison reform, and becoming known as the "Father of the New Penitentiary." In 1837 he became professor of the theory of medicine at the Medical College of Ohio and moved to Cleveland. In 1840-41 he taught at Willoughby Medical School. In 1844, along with JOHN DELAMATER†, HORACE ACKLEY†, and JOHN CASSELS†, he founded Cleveland Medical College--the medical department of Western Reserve College. As professor he taught medicine there from 1844 until his retirement in 1864. In 1851 Kirtland served on a committee to secure safe drinking water for Cleveland. Kirtland was one of America's leading naturalists, with a great interest in horticulture and sea shells. He published numerous natural history articles, was elected to the American Philosophical Society, and was a founder and president of the Kirtland Society of Natural History and the Cleveland Academy of Natural Science. After 1843 he lived in Rockport (LAKEWOOD).â€Â￾



Kirtland encouraged Lakewood farmers to grow crops that were more suitable to our soil and weather conditions. He, Nicholson, Andrews, and other residents helped organize the Lakewood company that built the Detroit Ave. plank toll road. Farmers from the west paid tolls to Lakewood to get their goods to the Cleveland markets. This provided revenue until the early 1900’s. (Maybe we should have a toll booth on I-90.)

Kirtland encouraged Clevelanders to get their water from Lake Erie to avoid the diseased water of the Cuyahoga River. As a result, Cleveland, and Lakewood, get their water from “the cribâ€Â￾ collector and pumped through the Kirtland Pumping Station at E. 49th and the South Marginal. My office is on E. 49th. Ironically, E. 49th was named Kirtland Street before the Cleveland numbering system. History lost.

It seems that Kirtland was recognized and respected enough to have a town and species of animals (Kirtland’s Warbler for example.) named after him.

Kirtland lived at the southwest corner of Bunts and Detroit, the site of the now abandoned Giant Eagle. His home was named Whippoorwill. His property extended from Lakewood Heights Blvd. to the lake, and had plants and trees brought from around the world. He had many important and interesting visitors, including John James Audubon, who came to paint Kirtland’s bird specimens.

Lakewood High School is on the old Kirtland estate. The “Early Settlerâ€Â￾ sculpture, by internationally famous Victor Schreckengost, on the front of the Civic Auditorium, is not a tribute to Johnny Appleseed, but to Kirtland.


It's the little things we can save, rectify, and hold on to for our children and our legacy.

Why would anyone change a street from the name of a famous person to that of a developer.

We fight to save stained glass, while developers steal our history and our lifeblood.

Time to draw the line in the sand.

This underlines the problem with outsiders controling the destiny of Lakewood.

Mazie, Rhonda, Paula where are you when we need you.




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What is the status on the Hall House? I have forgotten to look the last few times I have been down that part of Detroit.

Doug

Jim,

Mazie is on vacation until Monday and she is the expert! I will do my best to help.

Bunts has had it's name for over 100 years. We also have another street named Kirtland Lane. We could use names of other members of the Kirtland family if we choose to do so.

Mazie has a great deal of information on street names in Lakewood. When she returns she will be happy to add to this conversation.

One of our missions is to educate. And we will be happy to do so on this web site.

Doug,

We sent out an update on the Hall House on December 12th. If you would like to receive updates on the Hall House and any other preservation's issues, please email lakewoodhistory@bge.net. We will send you updates when we have additional information.

Below is the update that we sent out:

Many of you have asked about the status of the Mathew Hall house. The Lakewood Historical Society is ready and willing to commence with fundraising to move the house (taking actual money instead of pledges), but we must have a written commitment from all the parties involved. A site plan has been created that includes placing the house on private property just east of Edwards Park, rehabbing it into a residential rental, and then using a small section of the park for garden space for the tenants. But until the current owner formally agrees to the plan, we cannot move forward.

We appreciate the continued interest and support in saving this piece of Lakewood?s history and will keep all of you informed of any updates.

Rhonda Loje
President
Lakewood Historical Society

There is a wonderful book by Margaret Manor Butler titled Romance in Lakewood Streets that describes the history of many of our community's street names. Lakewood's streetnames are links to our history. Many were named for our early settlers (think Nicholson, Wagar, Hall) while others honor people, Native American tribes or places important to the developers created the streets. Most of these developers were Lakewoodites, but not all. Almost all of Lakewood's streets were cut through and named by the 1910s.

The notation for Bunts Road includes "Bunts Road at one time was a lane running through Dr. Jared P. Kirtland's farm and was known for many years as Kirtland Lane. Long after the doctor's death, the estate was sold and in October 1894 four business executives, who had jointly invested in the land, met to make plans for a wide tree-centered boulevard from Lorain Avenue north to the Lake. After much discussion about what to call the road, the four men, who had never heard of Kirltand Lane, decided to cast lots, the winner to have the new boulevard named for him. So into the hat went the names of Charles A. Cook, Charles Goulder, Harry C. Bunts and W.H. Beavis. Harry Bunts was the winner."

Jared Kirtland lane was honored with a street name in 1961. Kirtland Lane is on his original farm.

If you'd like to learn more about Jared Potter Kirtland, attend our May 16 general meeting which will feature a special presentation on him. It will be at 7 p.m. at the Women's Pavilion and free and open to the public.