Thegatewaynews.com - Historic home's destiny depends on donations

RPC Photo / Miles Jung-Kilbreath The Singletary House has rested on a flatbed truck for two years. Donations are needed to help the Streetsboro Historical Society give it a new home, say foundation officials. It is the oldest home in Streetsboro, built in 1828.

by Miles Jung-Kilbreath

Reporter

Streetsboro -- Nearly two years after being saved from demolition, the city's oldest home still sits on a truck bed behind the Streetsboro Commons development on Singletary Drive, in need of funds before it can rest on the earth again.

"It's sad to think the home could deteriorate after so much work has been put into restoring it over the years," Streetsboro Historical Foundation Corp. President Betty Defer.

Defer said the historical foundation is hoping that members of the community can help give financial assistance to help the project get done.

The home of Col. John Singletary was built in 1828 at the center of town. The arch that adorns the house's front door appears in architecture books and on the city seal, according the Heritage Foundation Secretary Gilbert Stewart.

Stewart said the home became a "crossroads" for people heading out west and pony express riders, which helped give the city its nickname as "the gateway city."

The home was moved to a location on Route 14 near the future Ohio Turnpike in 1971 and became the home of the Defer family.

The home was later moved, in 2006, to its current location next to the Defer Tire store on Singletary Drive in through a donation from Streetsboro Commons developer Woodmont Co. and its anchor store Wal-Mart, according to Defer.

Without the donation, she said the home would have been torn down to make way for the parking lot at Wal-Mart.

After move, the house was given to the Streetsboro Historical Foundation Corp., a 501(c)3, non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the house. Defer said a turnover in leadership within the foundation led to a delay in getting the house on the ground and other fundraising opportunities.

However, with Dave Giambrone of Giambrone Construction Co. acting as construction manager of the project, Defer said progress is being made.

"Since then, we have received a very generous donation of $10,000 from an anonymous person, so we are starting to make progress," Defer said.

Defer said a lot of work has already been pledged to the home from local construction companies, including work to dig the basement, lay the foundation and rebuild the roof, but more is needed before the home can be opened.

Stewart, who grew up in Streetsboro and later moved to Kent, offered to donate the supplies and labor to redo the roof, but later became more hands-on, joining the Streetsboro Heritage Foundation. He said members are seeking companies who might lay the home's foundation, but if a company cannot be found, they will have to raise around $80,000 to get the job done.

"After that, there is carpentry that will be needed to repair any shifting that may have occurred from the move. Then, there will need to be plumbing; heat and electricity that will be needed to be hooked up to the house," Stewart said.

Stewart offered a "rough estimate" of around $250,000 needed in "supplies and labor to open the doors" of the house including the $80,000 for foundation work.

If the home is opened, Defer said it would become a historical museum, housing items from the city's original historical society dating back to the 1800s.Many of these items are currently stored at the police station. She said with so many new residents in the community, a museum would be a great way for them to learn about the history of Streetsboro.

As part of a new push to raise funds for the house, Defer said the Streetsboro Family Days attendees July 31 to Aug. 3 may donate at the foundation's information booth.

For more information or to make a donation, call Defer at 330-677-1163. Donations are tax-deductible.