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Ohio's
Penitentiary Glen Reservation offers views of a
variety of meadows. The reservation was once a
working farm owned by Samuel and Blanche Halle.
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KIRTLAND,
Ohio - Penitentiary Glen is a dark, shady, hemlock-lined
gorge east of Cleveland.
It is the
featured attraction in Lake Metroparks' Penitentiary
Glen Reservation, a place with seven miles of trails and
lots of other attractions.
The
424-acre park makes a great day trip for families, with
a nature center, a wildlife rehabilitation center, train
rides and picnicking.
You can
look into the 100-foot-deep sandstone gorge, hike around
it and, occasionally, you can join naturalist-led,
get-your-feet-wet hikes into the heart of the
ecologically sensitive glen.
Early
settlers called it Penitentiary Gully because it was so
hard to get out of.
The
sandstones and shales are up to 360 million years old
and create a picturesque setting.
Access to
the gorge is restricted because of its steep walls,
exposed rock and fragile vegetation along Stoney Brook.
But the
park district offers several overlooks into the gorge
from wooden decks and 141 steps that descend to Stoney
Brook Falls.
The gorge
hikes book well in advance, so check with the park if
you are interested.
The park
off Kirtland-Chardon Road was also the one-time farm of
Samuel and Blanche Halle.
Samuel
and his brother, Sal, owned and operated the Halle Bros.
Co. department stores in Greater Cleveland.
In 1912,
Samuel and Blanche Halle bought 184 acres in Kirtland as
a summer estate and a weekend retreat for them and their
five children.
Maude
Doolittle, a Massachusetts teacher who loved nature, was
hired as a governess for the children over the summer.
The
property was a working farm with corn and hay. It was
managed by Jack Burnett and was the year-round home of
the Burnett family.
Today
Halle-Burnett memorabilia and photographs of the farm,
called Hallefarm, are featured in the Penitentiary Glen
Nature Center.
In fact,
that building is the lone Hallefarm survivor.
It was
the original horse barn built in 1930.
The park
offers a map and brochure for the self-guided Hallefarm
Trail, a quarter-mile loop with 12 stops along what once
was.
You can
see the stone foundation on the edge of the gorge next
to Stoney Brook. It was once a log cabin that the Halles
turned into a Tudor-style "home away from
home."
Not far
away are stone pillars that once supported a suspension
bridge that led to a guest cottage that was surrounded
by formal gardens. Ann's Cottage, as it was called, was
often used by the Halles for garden parties.
You can
also see the cement walls in the creek bed where a
swimming pool was built by the Halles.
The
children originally swam in Stoney Brook until a snake
joined them one day. The children then asked their
father for a swimming pool.
Nearby is
the site of an old Halle rose garden. It was once
divided into four sections for four different-colored
roses. Today it is filled with wildflowers.
Ask at
the service desk at the Nature Center about the Heritage
Library. It was once a tack room filled with Ann Halle's
horse show trophies and Walter Halle's African safari
mounts.
Sam Halle
and Jack Burnett grafted apple trees and the orchard is
today the home of the Glen Meadow and Orchard Railroad,
with miniature you-can-still-ride-them trains operated
by the Lake Shore Live Steamers.
Free
rides are offered on select Sunday afternoons. The next
dates are 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 30 and Oct. 7.
The
nature center includes a butterfly garden, a 150-seat
auditorium, exhibits, wetlands, an outdoor amphitheater
and a nature store.
It is
open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The Kevin
P. Clinton Wildlife Center is next door to the nature
center. It is part animal hospital and part zoo.
It treats
about 2,000 injured or orphaned animals and birds a
year, with the goal of returning them to the wild.
Animals
that cannot be released are featured in educational
programs.
You
probably will see hawks, falcons, turkey vultures,
rabbits, turtles and more in the cages outside the
center.
It is
open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Penitentiary
Glen is a busy park with lots of activities and gets
more than 150,000 visitors a year.
The day I
visited, the park was filled with butterfly counters,
armed with nets and tromping through the park's meadows
and fields.
Penitentiary
Glen offers seven trail options.
The
longest trail is a three-mile section of bridle trail
that also doubles as the Buckeye Trail. It loops through
the park.
Bobolink
Trail is a one-mile loop through meadows. The Gorge Rim
Loop is a 1-mile circuit, although it features a
shortcut, if you are so inclined. It offers some of the
best views in the park.
You will
also see stones scattered along the trail - rubble from
the last glacier 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.
Stoney
Brook flows to meet the East Branch of the Chagrin
River.
In
addition to hemlocks, you will find red ashes, beech,
hickory, tupelos, maples, chestnuts and oak.
The gorge
creates a micro-climate with plants and birds normally
found farther north in Canada.
The
Kirtland Connector stretches several miles to Kirtland
City Hall.
The park
also offers snowshoeing at Penitentiary Glen, with
rentals in the winter.
The park
district bought 88 acres in November 1974 and added
nearly 173 acres of Hallefarm in January 1976 from the
Halle heirs.
It opened
as a public park in July 1980.
Park
hours: sunrise to a half-hour past sunset.
The park
hosts the Candy Wonderland exhibit from mid-November
through Dec. 31 as a holiday exhibit that is centered on
the board game Candy Land and the Halle Bros. Co.
department stores.
For
information, contact Penitentiary Glen Reservation at
8668 Kirtland-Chardon Road, Kirtland, OH 44094;
440-256-1404.
You can
contact Lake Metroparks at 440-358-7275 or 800-669-9226.
The Internet site is http://www.lakemetroparks.com.