Splurge at a Historic Restaurant

 Last Friday we did not have any dinner plans with friends so I suggested we splurge and go to what is perhaps the most elegant restaurant in Strongsville... the Pomeroy House.

The restaurant is housed in a historic house that was built in 1847.  The original owners were Alanson Pomeroy and his wife Kezia.  Pomeroy was a prominent citizen of Strongsville.  He was the Justice of the Peace, a leader of the Congregational Church, founded the Bank of Berea, and built the town's general store.

Portraits of Alanson and Kezia hang in the dining room.

The two of them were active in the abolitionist movement, and the house served as a stop along the Underground Railroad.  Runaway slaves would be brought to the house from Oberlin by night, concealed in a load of hay.  They would be hidden in the cellar until they could be transported to Lake Erie where a boat would take them to Canada.

By the 1960's the house was abandoned and had fallen into disrepair, but the people of Strongsville strongly resisted any attempt to demolish the house.  In 1975 the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Shortly afterward the it was purchased by a local restauranteur.  The building was meticulously restored, and in 1980 the restaurant was opened.

It had been a long time since I had eaten there.  Although the restaurant is rather pricey, the food is excellent.  It was a real treat to eat at this historic restaurant.