Spend some time driving around Bath Township and you’ll start to notice the plethora of barns dotting the landscape. The one at North Fork Preserve is pale yellow and sits in a grassy area tucked away from the main road. The two barns on Ira Road in Cuyahoga Valley National Park are bright red and more than 100 years old.
James McClellan estimates there are more than 60 barns in the township, and, in addition to the two in the park, 20 to 30 of them are more than 100 years old. As the chair of the Discover Bath Barns committee, McClellan knows a lot about the subject. He spearheaded the committee’s latest project, the Heritage Barns of Bath Trail.
McClellan and his wife retired to Bath three years ago. Not long after arriving, he joined the Heritage Corridors of Bath Committee. As he drove around his new town, McClellan noticed something.
“There’s a ridiculous number of barns in this township, and it seems like it’d be something that we would be focused on,” he recalled when asked how the committee came together.
McClellan started the Discover Bath Barns Committee last year with a goal of preserving local historical barns and educating the public about their significance, all while enhancing visitors’ experiences in the township.
“I can tell you that the whole vision for Discover Bath Barns was James’s,” said committee member Maureen Katanic. “And he was a committee of one when it started, which was just last year.”
Today, 30 people are on the committee.
“We’ve tapped into something that’s interested the entire community,” McClellan said. “Each person’s a volunteer and doing what they can do to help preserve and enhance the historical aspects of the township through the barns.”
Katanic added, “It’s part of our scenery. It’s part of the charm, really, of Bath Township is the number of barns.”
Every barn has a story
On a sunny day in May, McClellan drove around Bath Township, pointing out landmarks along the way. The Heritage Barns of Bath Trail spans 19 miles and includes nine stops, giving people the chance to view much of the township. As he drove, McClellan occasionally referenced some note cards with tidbits about each barn featured on the trail. But he didn’t need them. This was a man who knew his barns.
“I think the neatest thing about any of these barns is the story,” McClellan said. “And they’re fascinating, if you dive into it, if you like that kind of stuff. What is that story, and … [how do] the people that are in the story impact the community?”
He added, “I mean, for this community, how appropriate is the community theater in a barn? I mean, it’s just right. It makes perfect sense.”
McClellan is referring to Western Reserve Playhouse, a 95-seat theater housed in an 1886 dairy farm and the fourth stop on the trail. Artistic director August Scarpelli said there are limitations that come with presenting theater in a barn, from short ceilings and rickety insulation to weight-bearing pillars that once held up haylofts but now act as obstacles to maneuver around.
Still, the unique setting makes up for it, Scarpelli said.
“There’s not a bad seat in the house. And it’s a real kind of almost homey place,” he said. “It’s almost a little bit like sitting in a living room as we’re watching plays, because it’s nice and small.”
Other well-known barns on the trail include the red barn at Hale Farm and Village, which houses livestock and equipment, and the picturesque bank barn at Crown Point Ecology Center, which dates back to 1910 and is adorned with a painted barn quilt titled “Dove Through the Window.”
Bath to celebrate barns all summer
The Heritage Barns of Bath Trail also pays homage to lesser-known, but no less important, barns such as the O’Neil Barn, which was previously owned by General Tire and Rubber Company founder William O’Neil. It was donated to Summit Metro Parks in the 1970s. Today, it’s home to a small colony of big brown bats.
Drive about three miles to Ghent and you’ll come to the privately owned Welton/Barker barn. It was built in 1850 and used as a blacksmith shop for years. The Barker family bought the property in 1920 and has owned it ever since.
Libby Bauman and her family moved to Bath Township 32 years ago. An avid history buff and a board member of the Bath Township Historical Society, Bauman said the barns in Bath are an intrinsic part of the area’s landscape.
“If you drive around in Bath — especially on what is known as the Heritage Corridors, which is most of the main roads … if you try to mentally erase the barns that you pass by, it would change your view, the feel of your drive substantially,” she said. “We want to encourage owners to maintain those properties, because you feel like you’re in just a different special place.”
Discover Bath Barns is hosting a speaker series this summer to coincide with the launch of the trail. The next event is Tuesday, July 9, and will feature local resident Tim Franklin, owner of the design firm Franklin & Associates. He will discuss barn restoration options.
Other barn-related events happening in Bath this summer include the annual Barn Social and the Barn Burner 5K, both in September. Those interested in learning more about Bath’s agricultural history should visit the Bath Township Historical Museum to view the current exhibit “Agriculture: The Foundation of Bath Township.”
