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The old stone house at 1338 East Perkins Avenue has a
very rich and interesting history. An undated paper in the historical files at
the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center provides many details about this
structure. In Sheila Gockstetter's paper, “The Stone House: Ever a
Refuge,” the author explains that Aaron Whipple and his
nephew Allen Remington designed and built this limestone home around the shell
of a small log cabin that was near the site of the former settlement of African
Americans known as Africa. For many months, the men dug
out huge limestone blocks from the quarry in Perkins Township. They used
buggies and sleds, drawn by horses to transport the stones to the intersection
of what is now East Perkins Avenue and Remington Avenue, on a plot of land that
was twelve acres.
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| In this closer view, you can see details of how some of the stones were assembled to build the house |
By 1863, Allen Remington had purchased the land and
stone house from his uncle. He brought his bride, the former Quintrilla Hand,
to live at the stone house with him. You can see the name A. Remington on this
portion of a historic map of Section 2 of Perkins Township, dated about 1900.
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| Map courtesy Erie County Auditor’s Office |
Allen Remington was known for the excellent cider that
he pressed in an outbuilding located east of the main stone house. Farmers from
all around Erie County brought him apples, and he made the apples into cider
and vinegar.
Allen and Quintrilla Remington had seven children. After Cora
Belle Remington Anthony lost her husband, McDowell Anthony, at a young age, she
moved back to the stone house as a widow with her two young children. Besides
making cider at the stone house, Allen Remington had an interest in a line of
fishing boats, along with Lorenzo Dow Anthony, Cora Belle’s father-in-law. It
is believed that in the days of the Underground Railroad, Mr. Remington and
Mr. Anthony harbored slaves in the fruit cellars of the stone house, and saw
that they got transported to fishing boats headed to Canada in the darkness of
the night.
Allen Remington died in 1911. His son, named Allen Hand Remington,
lived in the stone house with his wife and children after the death of his
father. The younger Allen Remington passed away in 1944.
From the late 1940s through the late 1980s, the Stone
House became a popular restaurant with several different proprietors, including
Frank Mulheran, Gil Rossman and Bud Linton.
From 1977 through the 1980s, the Baxter family owned the Stone House.
Since about 1990, the historic building at 1338 East Perkins Avenue has been
commercial property, having been home to a variety of businesses. In the spring
of 2017, a financial office, legal office and Piccolo’s Wine Cellar are all
housed in the historic Stone House building.
5 comments:
Love to read family history! My grandma (Ritenour) was the daughter of Corabelle who came to live there after her father died
what terrific info!!!!
My cousin must have written the previous post (hi!). By coincidence I happened to google the Stone House. I wonder when it was built? If it was in 1863, the house would not have been used in the Undergroung railroad.
The article states that Remington purchased the property and house from his Uncle (Whipple) in 1863. Remington had helped his Uncle build the house. The article never really states the time frame over which the house was built.
Right! Thank you!
I remember going there in the 1950s. My mother would take me there for dinner many times. She and my father were friends of Bud and Marge Linton former owners.
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