Dining With History

Some of you are probably tired of hearing about our 50th wedding anniversary but one more post can't hurt. On the actual date of our anniversary we revisited a place where we have enjoyed dining for special occasions--Don's Pomeroy House. It is in Strongsville, Ohio, not far from us. After our delicious dinner and the house specialty dessert, a chocolate eclair, we waited for our car to be brought by the valet. (Bob likes to make a special evening very special by valet parking.)

As we waited, I noticed the historical marker by the steps. I don't know why I hadn't seen it on previous visits. Perhaps we haven't been there since it was put in. That piqued my curiosity and I decided to investigate further. I had no idea we were dining in such a historical setting. I was just enjoying the atmosphere and the food.

The house dates back to 1847 and was built by Alanson Pomeroy. Next to it he built a general store. He was also connected to some banks in the area. The really interesting part of the history I found on the Pomeroy website was that it was used as part of the underground railroad during the Civil War era. Slaves would be brought from Oberlin concealed in a wagon of hay. They would hide in the basement until Pomeroy received word that a boat was sailing from Rocky River to Canada. He would then transport them at night in his own wagon and send them on their way.

The only way they discovered that the "Homestead" as it was called was a stop on the underground railroad was through Harlan Pomeroy who witnessed his mother taking food down to the slaves hiding in the basement. His father then later told him the story.

The history of the house is fascinating as well as the job of restoring it. Now I need to go back and look at it more closely. We ate in what is called the library. I'd like to explore a bit more now that I know about some of the original woodworking and staircases. Besides, there is a lot more on the menu to explore as well.