The Rotary Club of Akron had the pleasure of listening to Kevin Gross at our Tuesday, October 10 Club Meeting discuss the Crown Point Ecology Center where he is the Executive Director.
HISTORY
1800’s:
Jacob and Abigail Swigart purchased the property and built a Farmhouse in 1854. The property changed hands several times between 1862-1879 with Roswell Hopkins Jr. purchasing the property in 1879 for $9,300. He owned the property until 1949 but never lived onsite. Many renting farmers resided on the property and farmed the land.
1900’s:
In 1910 an appraisal of the property revealed 110-acres of plowable land, 23-acres of pasture, 15-acres of timber and a Farmhouse that was in fair-good condition. The barn was listed as new. The barn listed in the appraisal is the same barn present at Crown Point today.
In 1949, the property was purchased by Hugh and Mary Stoller. Hugh and Mary Stoller later reached the age of retirement and began making efforts to sell the property as neither of their children were interested in maintaining the property and farm.
In 1967, The Sisters of St. Dominic visited the property with the Bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland. By September 1967 the Sisters of St. Dominic had taken the initial steps to purchase the property from the Stollers. Initially the house was renovated and turned into a pre-school. In 1997 Crown Point began to grow produce for distribution to the Akron/Canton Regional Foodbank. Crown Point has donated more than 140,000 pounds of organic produced food to the Foodbank. In 1998 Crown Point began a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Today, the CSA averages 110 families each year.
2023:
Mission: Crown Point, guided by the core values of community, sustainability, spirituality, and justice, has a mission to demonstrate the practical applications of ecology and to connect spirituality, social justice, and environmental protection.
Vision: To be a role model for food security and sustainable land use, through farm stewardship, advocacy, education, and collaboration.
The Center consists of 115 acres, approximately 75 acres as native prairie with 5 miles of hiking trails, and 8 acres of a certified organic farm.
The Center provides a variety of programs including a Summer Science and Farm Camp, a venue for weddings and other gatherings utilizing the barn. The Century Barn can accommodate 150 guests and up to 250 Guests on the spacious lawn. The Farm also provides a Farm Internship program and the CSA Shareholders program.
To get a better feel of how the Crown Point Ecology Center might benefit fellow Rotarians, I encourage everyone to check out their website at www.crownpointecology.org. You won’t regret it!
Yours in Service,
Terry Dalton
Club Secretary and Scholarship Chair
