Bicentennial Farm Profile – Call’s Farm 

Howard and Charlie Call gathering sap from maple trees. Circa 1920s

The farm today. Today, Charles E. and Jean Call own the farm and represent the fifth generation currently living at Call’s Farm. After years of running a dairy operation and producing agricultural items such as maple syrup, firewood, eggs, stewing chickens, and sweet corn for on-farm retail sale, and then leasing the land, the Calls decided to return the land to its original forested state. Since 1989, the Calls have planted more than 33,000 oak, tulip poplar, maple, and pine trees. Today the farm consists of 90 acres. 

The farm in 1803. When Josiah Starr first settled the land, it was heavily wooded. In three years he cleared 12 acres for crops, including wheat and oats, and built a log cabin home and several out buildings. He produced maple syrup, raised sheep for wool, and raised cattle. He also built a sawmill and ran a cobbler shop. By the 1890s, the farm was a dairy and also bought, sold, and distributed beef to surrounding communities.  

Notable ancestors and accomplishments. Moses D. Call was a justice of the peace for 46 years and held court and trails in what is now the dining room of the Call’s home. Moses was also a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1860. Charles Call, in the 1890s, installed a hydroelectric water wheel and generated electricity for the farm and the house. This allowed for a modern kitchen and bathrooms in their farmhouse, which was virtually unheard of at the time. His son, Howard, was an agricultural pioneer, setting up Extension schools and offices, and organizing many agricultural groups, including the Central Ohio Breeders’ Association, the Ohio Forestry Association, the Ohio Seed Producers’ Association, the Summit County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Summit County Farm Bureau. Recognized as a successful and progressive farmer, he was enshrined into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1968. 

“Quotable quote.” “It is important to reflect on the past to assist and guide us in the determination of how to attack the future. It is equally important that we use the successes and failures of the past to direct our efforts to continue to improve our agricultural techniques to keep available to the American consumer the highest quality of food at the smallest percentage of disposable income in the world.” – Charles Call, bicentennial farm owner, on preserving our agricultural heritage.