My elementary school days were happy times. As one who is slow in acclimating to big change, the relatively small numbers and consistency of classmates and teachers, coupled with several seasons in the same building, had formed a certain routine familiarity and comfort level I loved.
In 1988, my cozy little existence was turned upside-down. As I entered the seventh grade, everything changed—new teachers, new classes, new classmates, new schedule, new bus, new building, and even a new town. Though Middlefield was merely five miles from home, it may as well have been halfway across the globe. The bustling town was different in character and size. For me, it was a whole new world.
Two centuries prior, Middlefield was also a whole new world for the children of Isaac and Jane Thompson. What they arrived to find, however, was miles of uninhabited, wooded wilderness. In 1799, Isaac visited family and scouted for new land in Mentor On The Lake. He was unsatisfied with his recent purchase in Beaver, Pennsylvania, and the threat of malaria in this Lake Erie outpost had him disappointed again.
He decided to make his way home by way of a newly-blazed trail from Painesville to Warren – what we know today as Route 608 – and continued the search for a new spread. Thompson spent the night near the present day intersection of Route 608 and Burton-Windsor Road. He liked the fact that the woods were less dense in this area. This would make clearing easier, a major consideration for those early settlers. After surveying the area for a few more days, Isaac decided to purchase 300 acres at what is now the village center. Soon after, he erected a cabin. The family of six moved into the newly-named Thompson’s Corners. A town was born.
Realizing that their new homestead was the midpoint between Painesville and Warren, the Thompsons made their cabin to also function as a tavern to serve weary travelers. In 1818, Isaac’s son James erected a new tavern, called the Century Inn. It was said to be the largest house between Warren and Painesville, regularly hosting a dozen or more guests, and became the place for early meetings, gatherings, and elections. This early landmark is still standing today, serving as the home of the Middlefield Historical Society.
The year after the Thompsons arrived, another family was enticed to the area by Isaac himself. The Johnson clan settled north of town, in the area Isaac Thompson spent that first night on his journey to his old homestead. Members of the Johnson family were very influential, along with the Thompsons, in the development of Middlefield for generations, including the formation of what would become one of the town’s most well-known companies.
Middlefield, known in its beginnings as Batavia, (which reminds me, have you read my article What’s in a Name yet?) developed an industrial base from nearly the very start. However, nearby Parkman, with its high flow of water from the Grand River, rapidly became the hub of commerce for the area. It remained that way until 1873 when a narrow-gauge railroad was installed from Painesville and Warren by way of Middlefield’s center. The new line forever changed the face of local industry, making water power obsolete and bringing area businesses to our featured town for rail access. Middlefield flourished in the era to follow, and in 1901 the center was incorporated into Middlefield Village.
In 1895, a corporation was formed to manufacture pails and tubs. John and Hugh Johnson, great-grandsons of the original settlers, were involved in the early formation and development of the Ohio Pail Company, which over the next few decades realized great success, even through two crippling fires. The stock market crash of 1929, however, took a heavy toll, taking the booming business into the red. Several diversifications were tried in an effort to jump start the floundering factory, including home dry cleaners, electric welders, metal reels, and others. Nothing worked. They also purchased a small unit to manufacture rubber gaskets for their pails, and it was that tiny investment that would prove to be the wisest. In 1936 the steel pail business was sold off and the name became the Johnson Rubber Company. Catapulted by the need for gaskets and seals in World War II, the manufacturer marched on to reach sales of nearly sixty million dollars. Sadly, with the decline of the auto industry and the discovery of a substantial bookkeeping error, The Johnson Rubber Company closed its doors in 2008.
Today, Middlefield is still a town buzzing with businesses big and small. It is home to the Cardinal Local School District and the Geauga County Airport. And there is much to do! One can visit Middlefield Cheese, another well-known area business (make sure to watch for a future story). Soon, the Amish Heritage Center will open, giving visitors a glimpse into the history of the world’s fourth-largest Amish settlement. If you feel like cooling off, take the kids to the splash park or take a stroll through Swine Creek Park.
What do you like about Middlefield? Let us know below!
Author: Ty Pilarczyk
Ty is the president of the Huntsburg Historical Society, and has lived in Huntsburg most of his life. When he is not designing, installing, and maintaining landscapes for the family construction business, Ty enjoys vegetable gardening, restoring and collecting old pressure lanterns, and spending time with his family.