GRANVILLE, OHIO


Not far from the RV park is Granville, one of the most charming little towns you’ll find anywhere. It’s like one of those Norman Rockwell paintings: historical, New England style houses; tree-covered hillsides interrupted by the occasional church steeple; inns; a few boutique shops, and small restaurants with sidewalk dining.

We ate lunch at the Buxton Inn, Ohio’s oldest continuously operating inn. The historic building opened in 1812 as a way-station and stagecoach stop. Reputed to be one of the most haunted inns in the area, we didn't have any sightings during our stay. I was sure I had died and gone to heaven. Here we were, enjoying a really excellent lunch in an amazing inn located in quaint town…with brilliant yellow and orange leaves wafting down from the huge old trees that line the property. Ahhh….this is the life.

After visiting the historical society’s museum, we learned that it wasn’t always so peaceful in Granville. It was here that anti-slavery citizens (abolitionists) had a nasty conflict before the Civil War with locals who supported slavery. Ohio was a Union state, and most people didn’t like slavery. And yet, some folks didn’t like the idea of interfering with what was going on in the South.

Granville eventually became an important stop on the Underground Railroad, so I’ll likely include it in my book about where to go to see towns, houses, and sites that were part of the route used by escaped slaves who were making their way north to Canada. Darned to luck…we’ll HAVE to go back to Granville next year. Oh, and for anyone who attended U. C. Berkeley, the world-famous historian and publisher, Hubert H. Bancroft for whom the Bancroft Library at Berkeley was named, was born in Granville. I located a particularly interesting story about his family’s involvement assisting slaves with their northern journey, something else I’ll need to follow up on during our next trip here.

The weather changed in the afternoon, and it began to rain. We spent the rest of the day snuggled inside the RV with hot cocoa, some goodies, and a nice dinner. I’m finally getting the knack of cooking in a postage stamp size kitchen and simply adore the combination microwave and convection oven. I haven’t cooked anything fancy, mind you, but I may attempt to bake something next week.

Tomorrow, Rick and I will meet with Dr. Dick Shiels, the university and Newark Earthworks historian, who will take us on a tour of the Great Circle. Rick took lots of photos, which will be on the next Blog entry. Hope you’ll stay with us!