Oviatt House

Oviatt House Built in 1836 by Mason & Fanny Oviatt in Richfield, OH with ties to the Underground Railroad. A rich history with an inspiring story.
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Built in 1836 and owned by Mason Oviatt and his wife Fanny, Oviatt House is one of the oldest homes in Richfield and has ties to the Underground Railroad and the American abolitionist John Brown. The house stands in Richfield Heritage Preserve at West Streetsboro and Oviatt roads in Richfield, Ohio, near the Summit-Medina line. Oviatt House Incorporated is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organizat

ion, making your donation to restore and preserve the house is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. One hundred percent of the money collected goes directly towards restoration and preservation of this historic landmark. In 1979, the National Park Service (NPS) honored Richfield and its history by naming Kirby’s Mill, built by inventor James Kirby, to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2020, the NPS named the entire 336-acres of Richfield Heritage Preserve to the National Register of Historic Places under The Camp Crowell Hilaka Historic District in honor of it roots as the Crowell Hilaka girl scout camp. In May 2021, Oviatt House was added to the NPS’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program. On August 2, 2021, OHI signed an agreement with the Richfield Joint Recreation District granting exclusive permission to perform restoration work on the historic Oviatt House.

06/18/2026

High Winds!

Please avoid the park until after 4pm today due to high winds.

The latest edition of our newsletter, The Network is now available. Check it out at the link below. https://www.oviattho...
06/02/2026

The latest edition of our newsletter, The Network is now available. Check it out at the link below.

https://www.oviatthouse1836.com/uploads/1/3/7/6/137607326/the_network_spring_summer_2026_edition.pdf

Oviatt House at Richfield Heritage Preserve was selected to receive the Underground Railroad History Exterior Restoratio...
05/18/2026

Oviatt House at Richfield Heritage Preserve was selected to receive the Underground Railroad History Exterior Restoration Award presented by the Summit County Historical Society of Akron, OH and Progress Through Preservation of Greater Akron at the 2026 Architectural Heritage Awards luncheon on Sunday, May 17. This biennial award ceremony recognizes projects, individuals, and organizations that celebrate and enhance the architectural importance and historic character of Akron and Summit County.

Present to receive the award were Oviatt House Board President, Tricia Steiner, and RJRD Board President, Anita Gantner. Oviatt House is thrilled to be acknowledged for this prestigious honor and holds much gratitude to everyone within the Oviatt House community for all the generous support and contributions that led to this remarkable achievement!

Thank you!

Nearly one year ago, we launched our Open the Doors to History Capital Campaign with a goal to raise $50,000. This dedic...
05/04/2026

Nearly one year ago, we launched our Open the Doors to History Capital Campaign with a goal to raise $50,000. This dedicated amount was needed to provide a 50% match to the funding allocated to Oviatt House in the 2024-2026 State of Ohio Capital Budget.

Thanks to the support of this incredible Oviatt House community, our fundraising numbers consistently and continuously climbed within only a few short months! While closing the final gap has taken a little bit longer, we are delighted to report that our capital campaign fundraising goal has finally been met!

We cannot thank you enough for all the support, encouragement, and generosity that allowed us to not only reach $50,000, but to exceed it! Thank you!

Our immense gratefulness lies not only with everyone who has been able to offer a charitable donation, but to all of you for your ongoing contributions, volunteerism, and partnership that you continuously provide to champion Oviatt House! Thank you!

We would not be here without the dedication of the many volunteers that have contributed to Oviatt House these past five...
04/24/2026

We would not be here without the dedication of the many volunteers that have contributed to Oviatt House these past five years!

Whether you've worked directly on the restoration of the house, cleaned up the yard, helped us at an event, or answered the call for an odd job here and there, we are are always so grateful to have you join us in this journey! Thank you!

Before this escapes us, we want to recognize the following very generous donors for pushing us closer to our $50,000 f...
04/23/2026

Before this escapes us, we want to recognize the following very generous donors for pushing us closer to our $50,000 fundraising goal! Thank you!

The phenomenal teams from Summit Excavating and Nall's Plumbing were hard at work again this week installing a new water...
04/23/2026

The phenomenal teams from Summit Excavating and Nall's Plumbing were hard at work again this week installing a new water line all the way from Oviatt House to the north side of the Kirby house. This big project connected the new line to the existing water line from the Mable Smith well, which is currently undergoing an Ohio EPA standardization and repair process performed by Donamarc Water Systems.

This is one piece of the larger puzzle that we are glad to have completed toward our goal of accessing water for a museum restroom. We are getting there!

Thank you to photographer Sophie Sand Kannberg at Sophie Sand Media LLC for capturing Oviatt House's receipt of the Awa...
04/02/2026

Thank you to photographer Sophie Sand Kannberg at Sophie Sand Media LLC for capturing Oviatt House's receipt of the Award of Distinction for Restoration and Rehabilitation at the 2026 Celebration of Preservation awards ceremony.

Produced by the Cleveland Restoration Society and AIA Cleveland, check out the video that was presented as part of the ceremony linked below.
https://youtu.be/5F9dc5zF5o0?si=aNHAzzrrgseRyBBa&t=2544

Following a quick flurry of approvals, the expert teams from Summit Excavating and Nall’s Plumbing were able to act quic...
03/31/2026

Following a quick flurry of approvals, the expert teams from Summit Excavating and Nall’s Plumbing were able to act quickly thanks to an unexpected opening in their schedules earlier this month!

Working in tandem, they installed the Ohio EPA approved wastewater pump station, connected it to the wastewater treatment plant, and installed the first phase of interior plumbing required for the new restroom at Oviatt House.

The rough plumbing inspection by the Summit County Building Department was subsequently passed and we are so happy to check this large task item off the list!

Address

3771 Oviatt Road
Richfield, OH
44286

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