Jacob Shupe came to Black River Township (now Russia Township before it was detached from Amherst/Black River in 1825) in 1810 where he constructed a small, crude log cabin.   A year later he moved to a point on Beaver Creek about a mile and a half north of the present-day City of Amherst on what would become Cooper Foster Park Road.  In 1811 he permanently settled here, probably constructing a second log cabin at this site.  In 1813 he built the first mill in Lorain County, powered by the flowing water of Beaver Creek.  His sawmill and gristmill were most probably located in the same building being powered off of the same water wheel.  In 1815 he constructed his distillery.

Not long after his mills were finished, construction of his frame house began, probably in 1813.  It was first taxed in 1826.  Houses in Lorain County were first recorded and taxed in this year.  The 1827 records state that he had a house of wood being taxed at $250.  We strongly believe that the Shupe frame house, which was the first to have been built in Amherst, and is one of the oldest of its kind still standing in Lorain County, was finished before 1818.  It is of the Greek Revival style.

Written histories state that Mr. Shupe did in fact build the first frame house in Amherst, and another early settler who arrived soon after Shupe, Frederick Onstine, built the second frame house.  The Chiliab Smith (arrived about 1815) house is also in the running for the second frame house; we are unable to make a positive verification of which early settler in fact did build the second.  It has been said that Frederick Onstine, who returned to America after moving to Canada, brought his house building supplies from the East.   He came between 1815 and 1818.  If this anecdote is true, he would have his building supplies readily accessible and did not need to construct a log cabin, as many early settlers did.  Chiliab Smith probably did build a log house before the frame structure.

Please direct any inquiries regarding this updated history to the New Indian Ridge Museum’s offices.

The Jacob Shupe Homestead along the Beaver Creek in Amherst.  Construction was started in 1813 and finished before 1818.

I was extremely excited and wanted to learn more.  This information subsequently led to an excursion of the area and the photos below. These photos, made at the “Beaver site” along Beaver Creek, which we are now calling it, clearly show evidence of their existence once again in the Beaver Creek Watershed.  Beavers have not been noted as being inhabitants of the area for many, many years, so this is quite a find.  The trees that they are working on look to be mostly Cottonwood.  We plan to continue to monitor this development and will travel this portion of Beaver Creek with a kayak at some point in the near future to learn more about the beavers in this area.

After Col. Vietzen’s Indian Ridge Museum was sold, Col. Ron Sauer acquired the Mammoth remains.  In November 2011, the Rounds family purchased these important local artifacts for preservation at the New Indian Ridge Museum.  We are excited to preserve these unique pieces.

Just think, this Mammoth roamed Lorain County thousands of years ago!

The Mammoth Bones in a case at the New Indian Ridge Museum.  The tag in the photo with the words “Mammoth Lower Jaw Lorain Co., O.” is in Col. Vietzen’s hand and accompanied the jawbone in Col. Vietzen’s case. 

November 18, 2011

RE: Curator of the Amherst Historical Society Position

Please be advised:

Col. Matthew W. Nahorn, Director and Founder of his New Indian Ridge Museum in Amherst, has been named Curator of the Amherst Historical Society effective immediately.

“The Amherst Historical Society, a nonprofit 50lc(3) organization, was founded in April of 1973 and currently boasts about 350 members. The Society became accredited in 1990 by the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums (OAHSM). Only about 15% of Ohio museums and historical societies have achieved such accreditation.”  It is located at the intersection of N. Lake Street and Milan Avenue in Amherst.

Col. Nahorn, 22, is excited to accept the responsibilities of this new position, in an effort to continue his life-long passion of preserving our local history and educating residents on our rich past.  He stated, “The Amherst Historical Society is a prestigious local institution, and I am pleased to have been chosen to curate its important collection of artifacts, historical documents, and buildings here in Amherst.  As a lifelong Amherst resident, I look forward to continuing to study our past while preparing for our future.”

Col. Nahorn will immediately delve into a research project this January, working with historical documents and related information, in an effort to compile a history of “early Amherst” which will document the years around the time of the City’s founding.  It will be a fitting project, as this is Amherst’s Bicentennial year.

For more information, please visit or contact:

http://www.amhersthistoricalsociety.org/

http://www.newindianridgemuseum.org

Submitted by the Office of the Director of the New Indian Ridge Museum

The specimen he donated is a large chunk of a White Oak (Quercus alba) tree that was found a good eight feet deep into the ground while excavating a house foundation in Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio, just west of the Sandusky River, in 1970.  In 1999, the log section was found to be 400 years old through an analysis performed by the University of Toledo.  The tree had fallen into a boggy, clay area 400 years ago and was preserved in this largely anoxic area, away from decomposers that would have broken down the wood.  The specimen is in excellent shape, and even after four centuries of being sealed in the boggy area eight feet below the surface, it still has a nice white oak “wood” smell.

This is a great piece of Northern Ohio’s history, and we are very pleased Mr. Scaife chose the New Indian Ridge Museum to preserve this unique specimen for years to come.  We look forward to studying the piece and gaining knowledge from the specimen’s rings and other interesting preserved features.

Col. Nahorn stands beside the newest addition to the Preserve’s “Arboretum,” a Black Gum. 

Visit the LaGrange Engine Club’s website for more info: http://www.lagrangeengineclub.com/