History of Solon
Cleveland Daily Leader | Jul 3, 1858
[Concluded]
Solon Center is naturally a law piece of ground, and before it was cleared up was quite wet and marshy Therefore it was called a Frog pond. But since it has been settled and cleared up, it has arisen from what was called a Troy pond to a thriving business place – a township where more cheese was shipped or carred than any other station oon the Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad. The toanage of cheese packed and carred alone was about six hundred tons, and other freight nearly in proportion.
Solon at this time stands No. 1 in enterprise, intelligence and morality, compared with the Township of old Cuyahoga.
The first settlement made in the Northwest part of the Township, was made on the old State Road leading from Cleveland to Aurora, by Joh Morrison, as early, I think, as 1827 or ’28, and soon after there came into that neighborhood, from the State of New Hampshire, Mr. Joseph G. Patriek, Baxter Clough, Asa Stephens and R. M. Haniford;. and as the above families came from New Hampshire, the street was called New Hampshire street, and is so called at this time.
The first Religious congregation was organized in the year, I think, of 1831 or 2, and that was the Congregationalists.
They depended on speakers from abroad for several years before they were able to employ or settle one permanently. As late as 1834 it was difficult for travelers to find the road in making their way to the Center of Solon. Professor Rufus Nutting, of Hudson College, who occasionally preached to the Congregationalists Chureh, got belated one Saturday night in making his way to his Solon brethren, lost his way when not more than a mile from the meeting house, and after wandering in a low piece of ground for some time, and becoming satisfied that he could not find his way out, got a little dry knole, dismounted from his horse, and as it was quite late in the Fall, quite chilly, with a little snow, the Professor took the saddle from his horse, including a saddle bags, took the muffier from his neck, cutting it in two, putting it on his feet, then putting his feet into the saddle bags, put up for the night. There he waited patiently until morning, when he found is way to his congregation, about exhausted, being unable to speak until the afternoon service.
