Sheffield Village Historical Society & Cultural Center
The mission of the Sheffield Village Historical Society is to promote an appreciation of our Village’s rich heritage by discovering, collecting, preserving, interpreting, and presenting the history of Sheffield. The Society’s main avenues of communication are (1) the Society’s quarterly journal, The Village Pioneer, which presents authoritative articles on Sheffield’s history as well as features on recent activities, (2) Weekly Bicentennial Bulletins prepared in conjunction with Sheffield’s Bicentennial Celebration held in 2015, (3) the 432-page, all color Bicentennial History of Sheffield, Ohio—1815–2015.
The concept of a historical society for Sheffield Village had its origin in 2003 when villagers participated in a Lorain County-wide exhibit of pioneer life held at the French Creek Nature Center located in the village. A formativemeeting of about 20 interested citizens was held at the historic Jabez Burrell House in 2005 to plan the organization of the Society. The group decided to call itself the Sheffield Village Historical Society and Cultural Center. The first meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on July 13, 2006, and a Constitution and Bylaws were adopted on October 11, 2007. The Society is an all-volunteer organization. The Society works in conjunction with the Garfield Farms Landmark Foundation to document and preserve historic structures in Sheffield. Both organizations are designated as 501(c)3 charitable, educational, nonprofit institutions.
Sheffield Village is a traditional farming community of some 5,000 inhabitants in northeastern Lorain County, Ohio. The Village was settled by New England families in 1815 as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve and was organized as the first township in Lorain County in 1824. Today, Sheffield Village is in a period of transition as residential and commercial development spreads westward from the Cleveland metropolitan area. With a focus on Sheffield’s rich heritage, the Society was created to archive documents and other materials, which illustrate the history of Sheffield and its environs, thereby engendering civic pride in our community for long-time and new residents alike.
The Society has obtained and renovated an early 1900s farmhouse for offices, meetings, archives and artifact exhibits, known as the Sheffield History Center (4944 Detroit Road, Sheffield Village, Ohio 44035). Many descendants of the early settlers still live in the region, and they have graciously contributed many documents, photographs, and artifacts to the History Center. The Society’s officers have formulated a set of guidelines for the operation of the organization. Volunteers transcribe, electronically scan, and digitally record historic documents, maps, drawings, photographs and artifacts, while preserving the original materials. They are perfecting techniques for the preservation of physical artifacts from the mid-1800s, including wooden, leather, and textile objects, as methods are developed for the proper storage, climate control, display, and handling of delicate historic artifacts. A group of Society members restored the Village’s 1946 fire engine, a donation from the Village of Sheffield.
