Boston... Not the One in Massachusetts

After a detour into the current political climate, we will now return to the day last week that I spent in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  I ended my day at one of the park's visitor centers in what was once the village of Boston.

When the Ohio & Erie Canal was opened in 1827, the village of Boston flourished with boatyards and businesses serving the canal traffic.  Even after the end of the canal era, Boston continued to prosper with the construction of the Valley Railroad in 1880 and the establishment of the now defunct Cleveland-Akron Bag Company.   The company factory stood next to the railway and company houses for the workers were built.  Today, the factory is gone, and Boston consists of a handful of buildings, many of them owned by the park service.

What was once the Boston Mill General Store is now the Boston Mill Visitor Center.  

Inside there are displays pertaining to the park.  Rangers answer questions on hiking trails and things to see.  There are also park souvenirs for sale, and I bought a few items to take to Mexico.

The building to the left used to be the Boston Land and Manufacturing Company Store.  It too now sells local souvenirs.  Profits go to benefit the park.  (I do not know if the old gas station is still a functioning business.  It appeared to be closed while I was there.)

A short drive beyond the center of the village took me to the Stanford House.

James Stanford claimed this land in 1806.  He was a surveyor with the Connecticut Land Company.  (After the Revolutionary War, the state of Connecticut claimed the northeast corner of Ohio... an area known as the Western Reserve.)  His son George built this house in 1843 and operated a prosperous farm and lumber yard.  Today the park offers accommodations to individuals and groups in this restored house.

A view of the Cuyahoga River at Boston as it flows northward toward Cleveland where it empties into Lake Erie.

 At this point I was considering taking a hike to Blue Hen Falls.  However, it was mid-afternoon, and the temperature was up to 90 F.  I thought it best that I save that hike for a cooler day, and I headed back home.