Bicentennial Farm Profile – Kirkwood Farm

The farm today. In the early- to mid-1900s, the farm had cattle, hogs, tobacco, and hay. Charles Kirker, Sr. implemented conservation practices, digging ponds and springs, clearing land, and seeding waterways. Charles Jr., the current owner, spent his life working on the farm and has been an active member of the Soil Conservation district and the community. The farm has specialized in the production of shorthorn beef cattle since the 1860s. It is interesting to note that the shorthorn breed originated from northeast England, very near northern Ireland, from where the Kirkers originally immigrated. 

The farm in 1803. Little is known about the farm’s early beginnings. One certainty is that a great deal of timber existed in this wooded area, which was cleared and probably sold. It was not until the 1860s that Shorthorn cattle were imported from Europe. 

Notable ancestors and accomplishments. The farm, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was home to Ohio’s second Governor, Thomas Kirker. He was the first to settle outside the stockade after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, taking a land trust for his role in protecting the area from the natives. Governor Kirker served in the House of Representatives, the Ohio Senate, and became Ohio’s second governor by succession after Governor Tiffin resigned. He was never technically re-elected, but served a second term by default when the winner of the election was declared ineligible and the other candidate refused the position. 

“Quotable quote.” “I never wanted to be anywhere (else). I just loved my home.” – Charles Kirker, Jr. in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 1999