“Geauga – Buy It Now!”

c. 2011 Rod Ice
All rights reserved
(8-11)



For collectors and yard-sale enthusiasts, eBay represents a resource of boundless proportions. The online marketplace makes it possible to buy cast-off trinkets and forgotten relics without traveling. In an age when the cost of fuel has risen to frightening levels, this alone would be enough to sustain its prominence. But the savings in time is also considerable. Even those with daunting family or career responsibilities can find a moment to log on, and search for artifacts of all kinds.

On eBay, one might expect to discover household appliances, electronic devices, and sports memorabilia. But among their many listings are items more closely tied to home.

Yes, Geauga County is part of the online consumer continuum.

A recent search on the website revealed several interesting local items for sale:

CHARDON, OHIO-CHARDON SQUARE-CHARDON HOUSE-GREAT RPPC!

Price: US $25.00 Buy It Now

“Antique real photo postcard, features: Main Street & Chardon House, Chardon, Ohio. Published by the Leiter Post Card Co., 310 Broadway, Lorain, Ohio. KRUXO stamp box with tiny corner circles, indicating years of 1908 - 1920s. Absolutely gorgeous street scene of Main Street, Chardon, Ohio. The large building at the back of the photo clearly has a huge sign that reads: Chardon House. This is Chardon Square and with my magnifying glass I can pick out the town clock, and a sign on the right that reads: R.L. BOSTWICK. I can see a barbershop pole and a really neat light colored buggy with the name on the side of it reading: R.F. Goodrich. It appears to be a delivery wagon. On the far left in the foreground is a wonderful horses drinking fountain! One of the neatest street scenes I have had for a while.”

RP POSTCARD CHARDON, OHIO BUSINESS STOREFRONTS 1907

Price: US $9.99 Buy It Now

“Here is your chance to add to your collection of vintage postcards. You are bidding on this great real photo postcard from Chardon, Ohio. This card shows a real photo view of Business Storefronts 1907. Tears and creases on card. Please judge the condition by the scan. This card is postmarked 1907.”

GEAUGA COUNTY OHIO HISTORY-CHARDON OH-WESTERN RESERVE

Price: US $9.86 Buy It Now

“Early days in Geauga County, OH and its communities of Chardon, Middlefield, Huntsburg, Burton, Chester Cross Roads, and Parkman, are recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this NEW 16 Page Booklet of excerpts reproduced directly from the 1892 Centennial edition of Henry Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio and other hard-to-find sources. The spiral-bound booklet is single-sided on 60# paper, with the fine print enlarged for easier reading. Illustrations include a picture of the public square in Chardon in 1846, the Chardon public square in 1887 and making maple sugar. Among the many and diverse topics covered in the booklet are: hardships of early settlers, the Great Drought of 1845, the New Connecticut People, the Western Reserve, the maple sugar industry, cheese making, fishing, the abundance of widows and an anecdote concerning Rutherford B. Hayes. A 1933 history of newspapers in the county, a brief look at Ohio's maple sugar industry (1941), and maps showing the 88 Ohio counties and 1805 Ohio are also included. Genealogy buffs will find a list of 1888 county officers and businesses, and biographical information on Gov. Seabury Ford, Judge Peter Hitchcock (father of the Constitution of Ohio), Gen. Mortimer D. Leggett (who fought for free schools in Ohio), and remarkable Civil War veteran E.P. Latham.”

DELOS W. CANFIELD, ALLEN, CHARDON, OHIO ENGRAVING

Price: US $19.95 Buy It Now

“We offer you this beautiful steel engraving of Delos W. Canfield. He was born at Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio, September 21st, 1828, is the fifth son of Platt Canfield, a farmer of prominence, who removed from Tyringham, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, several years before, and who cultivated an extensive farm in Geauga county, until his death, in 1841. His grandfather, Aaron Canfield, a grandson of Colonel Samuel Canfield, of New Milford, Connecticut, who was a colonel in the Revolutionary army, the father of Platt, came from Massachusetts with a brother in 1814, and made large purchases of farm and village property in Chardon. Through his mother, who was born a Read, he was related to T. Buchanan Read, the poet, painter. His education was principally obtained in the schools of Chardon, under Professors Holbrook and Harvey.”

GEAUGA COUNTY OHIO VINTAGE MAP CHARDON, OH GENUINE 1914

Price: US $24.95 Buy It Now

“Printed in 1914 by the Ohio Division of the National Highways Association, this is a beautifully detailed, 97-year-old map of Geauga County. It measures about 10 1/2 by 13 1/2 inches (about 27 by 34 cm.), and is in Fine condition. This map is very detailed showing topographical features (rivers, lakes, creeks, etc.), townships, cities, villages and Post Office towns, routes of old railroads, and of course old roads and highways. These are marked ‘Inter-County Highways’ and County Roads. There are no asphalt or concrete roads - nothing like what we would call a highway today - not even the old US Highway or the States Highway systems, although many of the Inter-County roads shown on this map were later incorporated into modern highway systems. Scale is about three miles to the inch.”

One can conclude with certainty that Geauga County is an important part of America - even in cyberspace!

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