Ohio's Outstanding Century Farm Awards Program
Century Acres Farm
Harold and Flora Phillips
8831 Old State Rd., Chardon
Geauga County
Albert Winchell bought 100 acres of land in Concord Township, Geauga County, in 1869 that included a house and barn built in 1847. This farm had passed through the hands of four different people in the previous ten years. However, Winchell and his subsequent family members have kept the farm within the family for nearly 125 years.
Only three generations have owned the farm. Albert passed the farm to his son, Clyde, who then passed the farm to his daughter, Flora, who lives on the farm today with her husband, Harold Phillips. Together, they operate the farm along with help from their daughter, Nancy and her husband and two children.
The homestead is a unique two story house and was selected in 1971 as one of Geauga County's contributions to Richard N. Campen's book, Architecture of the Western Reserve, 1800-1800. The house provides a rare example of vernacular stone architecture east of the Cuyahoga River. The stone was all hand-tooled.
The hip-roofed red barn added by Winchell is a focal point of the farm. To maintain the historical integrity of the farm, a second barn added in 1985 was sited so as not to directly disturb the visual harmony of the original buildings.
In writing the application, Flora Phillips wrote: "Building on Ohio's 19th Century farms, Ohio was able to grow and diversify during the industrial and now, informational revolutions. Today, the wealth and status Ohio enjoys is due, in large measure, to the heritage of Ohio's farms."
The "Ohio's Outstanding Century Farm" award program is jointly sponsored by The Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio's Country Journal, and the Ohio Historical Society. The purpose of the program is to recognize farms and/or homesteads which have been in the same family for at least 100 years. For more information, contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture at (614) 752-9811.