Interesting tidbits behind the names of Lake Metroparks properties
In 1959, 30 acres of land was donated by Painesville realtor William H. Wyman in memory of his mother, Helen Hazen Wyman. It became the first park in the Lake County Metropolitan Park District. The Painesville Telegraph called the donation “one of the most significant land transfers to be recorded in Lake County.” The Wyman family later gifted 20 acres of adjoining property to the park district in 1971.
Helen Hazen Wyman Park
This cabin at Hidden Valley Park in Madison was donated by a group of concerned citizens who formed a non-profit organization called Resources, Inc. in 1963. Resources, Inc. purchased land that was in immediate need of preservation and then donated or sold it at no profit to the Lake County Metropolitan Park District. Resources, Inc. helped to preserve 135 acres for the park district.
The Resource Center
The park is named for Willoughby residents Ronald and Harriet Parsons who donated ten acres of land to the park district in 1967. Mrs. Parsons said, “My husband and I feel this valley was meant for the people. We wanted to make something for posterity, something nice for the people here.” Her request for that land was that it remains “a park forever.”
Parsons Gardens
Colonel Hendrick Paine, nephew of Edward Paine, founder of Painesville, moved his family to this valley in 1818 and it became known as “Paine’s Hollow.” The natural water power allowed Paine to build a saw mill and an iron forge and furnace, and in the years that followed, many other industries came to the “Hollow.” By 1850, surrounding forests had been cleared and new technology superseded water power. Many of the settlers moved away and the area fell into ruin.
Paine Falls Park
Girdled Road Reservation is named for the first road that European settlers built from the Pennsylvania line to Cleveland in the early 1800s. As the settlers moved west, they traveled on a narrow trail, but soon a wider road became necessary. Trees along the path were “girdled,” which meant that the bark around the trees was cut through to stop the flow of nutrients so they died.
Girdled Road Reservation
In the early 1800s, a thriving port community called Ellensburg existed at the junction of Arcola Creek and Lake Erie. Bog iron was discovered nearby in 1812. The stream and the park are named for the Arcole Iron Works, which was located south of the mouth of the creek. “Arcola” is simply a mispronunciation of “Arcole,” but the name stuck.
Arcola Creek Park