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Bronson House, Peninsula, Ohio

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The Bronson House is a Greek Revival House built in 1845 by Herman Bronson. The house is one of 70 buildings in the Peninsula Village Historic District. Bronson is responsible for creating the initial plotting of the village on Peninsula in 1837. The town is named after the fact that the Cuyahoga River makes a sharp twist. Thus the town appears to be at the tip of a peninsula. The town was the site of a series of locks along the Erie Canal. Bronson is also responsible for the construction of the Bronson Methodist Church. The church, now owned by the Peninsula Foundation, stands across the street from the Bronson House.

Images

The Bronson house photographed in May, 2015.

The Bronson house photographed in May, 2015.

The Bronson house photographed in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The Bronson house photographed in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The first of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The first of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The second of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The second of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The third of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The third of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The fourth of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The fourth of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The fifth of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The fifth of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The sixth of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

The sixth of six pages of architectural drawings of the Bronson house made in the 1930s. This image comes from the Library of Congress.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The H.V. Bronson House, located in Peninsula, Summit County, Ohio, was built in 1845. The exterior walls of the two-story house are made of native sandstone, which was quarried nearby. The house, located west of the Cuyahoga River, also features a wood cornice, a three-bay facade, and is still in good condition. The town is located in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Bronson initially plotted the town of Peninsula - so-named because it resembles a peninsula on the Cuyahoga River - in 1837, but arrived there in 1824; it had been settled as early as 1818. In 1832, he tunneled through the neck of the peninsula, creating an 8-foot drop and providing water power for a gristmill. Bronson came to Ohio from Connecticut, and was descended from the White family, which came to the New World on the Mayflower. The town was the site of a series of locks along the Erie Canal, and was a bustling canal boat stop, with several mills, quarries, boat yards, a cheese factory, five hotels and 14 bars until 1887. It's one of about 70 historic buildings preserved as part of the Peninsula Village Historic District. Many of those buildings were renovated and restored by village resident and professional designer Robert Hunker. Those not yet fully restored are in good condition and capable of being restored.

Sources

Peninsula Village Historic District, Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor. Accessed June 23rd 2020. https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/ohioeriecanal/pen.htm.

H.V. Bronson House, Library of Congress. Accessed June 23rd 2020. https://www.loc.gov/item/oh0306/.

Peninsula Foundation, Accessed June 23rd 2020. https://www.peninsulahistory.org/.

Peninsula Village Historic District, National Register of Historic Placees. Accessed June 23rd 2020. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/b1fc51ed-7cc7-456e-8943-d1eea1c546b2.

Additional Information