History

“Hinckley is 26.86 miles square but contains 1133 acres more than the conventional 16,000 acres, due to the hills and valleys and generally ‘wrinkled’ surface. It was identified as Township 4N Range 13W.”

“In the distribution of the lands of the Western Reserve among the original land speculators (who bought it from the State of Connecticut), the Hinckley area became available to Judge Samuel Hinckley of Northampton Massachusetts. He was reputed to be one of the shrewdest land proprietors of his time. He predicted that the day would come when his land in Hinckley would sell for as much as $10 per acre but he did not expect to live long enough to realize such profits.”

“As the pioneers from the East began to move westward, the Judge was quick to place his holding in other parts of the Western Reserve for sale. He was in no particular hurry to dispose of his Hinckley holdings because they were of less value and Hinckley remained a wilderness for quite a while after adjoining townships had been settled.”

Historical Society

The Hinckley Historical Society was established as a non-profit organization in 1988.  For over thirty (30) years, it has grown into a well-known society.  The Hinckley Historical House is located in the Hinckley Town Center.  As the Hinckley community continues to grow, Hinckley Historical Society encourages the residents and citizens to reflect on our township’s community past.  To help share our colorful heritage with your family and future generations, we hope you will visit and support the Hinckley Historical Society.

The Hinckley Historical Society House is located on the corner of Ridge Road (State Route 3) and Center Road (State Route 303) at the center of Hinckley, Ohio.  This quaint historical house is owned by Hinckley Township which the Historical Society leases from.  The office and research library are housed in the 1846 small white clapboard Greek revival home at 1634 Center Road.  The research library contains Hinckley family records, township history, old map & tax books and many displays showing Hinckley’s past and what life was like in the early days in our community.  It is an important feature in order to learn about the history of the township and much more.

The Historical Society was first housed at the “Worden Heritage Homestead“, an 1862 farmhouse, that was located at 895 Ledge Road in the Hinckley Metroparks.  The home had the original hardwood floors, wavy glass windows and wood doors.  The homestead was furnished with period items belonging to the Worden family.  These included the original rope bed belonging to Hiram Worden ca. 1842, a Goodrich Treadle sewing machine and a melodeon (a reed organ).  After Hiram passed away, the farm and buildings went to his daughter, Nettie, who lived there until her death in 1945.  After she died, her third husband took ownership of the land and farm house.

It was Nettie’s third husband, Noble Stuart that made the greatest contribution to the property.  He was a brick layer by trade and came to the Cleveland area to work.  He eventually purchased land near the Worden Homestead where he had met Nettie and married her after a short courtship.  On the property beyond the fields are sandstone ledges, now called Worden Ledges.  This was an area that the family often used for picnics, recreation, and, at times, for quiet reflection.  This is where Nobel Stuart started his carving shortly after he married Nettie.  The carvings, about 10, are of things that interested Noble.  Noble’s carvings include a schooner, the face of George Washington, a cross and bible, and the face of Ty Cobb. 

After his death, the land was purchased by the Cleveland Metroparks and is part of the Hinckley Reservation, often known as the jewel of the Emerald Necklace.  The Worden Heritage Homestead house no longer stands; however, there is a room on the second floor of the Hinckley Historical Society building that is dedicated to the Worden Heritage Homestead with many of the items, including some of the carvings. The Hinckley Historical Society building has some great pieces of the history of Hinckley.

Settlement

1795 — Judge Samuel Hinckley purchased Hinckley Township from the Connecticut Land Company for 23 cents an acre. Hinckley has 100 plots at 160 acres each.

1831 — Judge Hinckley came from Massachusetts to collect on the land he had sold. In return for naming the township after him, he had promised to deed 160 acres to the trustees for school purposes or whatever the townspeople wished. When the Judge was reminded of his promise, he “hesitated, ‘hemmed and hawed’ and finally with a long face, sadness and regret spread all over his physiognomy, he begged off.” After much discussion, the Judge finally compromised by donating a much smaller tract two and one-half acres in the center of the township for a Public Square and two burying grounds one and one half acres each. This total donation of five acres was all the township received of the original 160 acres promised. The deed for this land may be found verbatim in the History of Medina County, 1881.

The Connecticut Western Reserve

At present the term Western Reserve has only an historical meaning; but to the Medina pioneers it had immediate significance, because originally Medina was a part of this unique section of Ohio.

What are its unique characteristics? First, that the State of Connecticut was permitted to retain this part of her western lands in 1787 when the other states ceded theirs to the federal government; and secondly, the way in which Connecticut disposed of this huge piece of land which extended westward 120 miles from the Pennsylvania-Ohio boundary and southward from Lake Erie to the forty-first parallel, comprising an area of over 3,000,000 acres. The Western Reserve may also be described as a somewhat irregular quadrilateral in northeastern Ohio, with Conneaut, Youngstown, Willard, and Port Clinton at its corners. A glance at the map will show that the forty-first parallel is the southern boundary of both Connecticut and of the Western Reserve.

The Great Hinckley Hunt of 1818

Almost one decade before Hinckley Township was organized, a great hunt took place in the Hinckley hills and valleys on December 24, 1818, nearly 200 years ago.

It was claimed that several of the participating hunters were veterans of the American Revolution and of the war of 1812 which will account for the near military plans made and followed throughout the adventure.

Judges Samuel Hinckley of Massachusetts, who owned the land now comprising the township named after him, had made little or no effort to dispose of his acreage, because it wasn’t considered suitable for agricultural purposes and was over-run with wild animals.

In the meantime, or by around 1818, townships adjoining Hinckley had gained a considerable number of settlers who cleared numerous tracts of land of large trees and prepared the land for cultivation to provide food and fodder for their oxen and horses, and herds of sheep and cattle.

Other Bibliographical Resources

More information regarding the history of Hinckley Township can be found at the Hinckley Historical Society under these titles.