Quail Hollow State Park - History

History

The land in and around Quail Hollow State Park was inhabited by various Indian tribes. The last tribe to call the area home before being forced out by the encroachment of Anglo-American settlers in the Ohio Country were the Lenape, also known as the Delaware.

The first permanent settler in the area was Conrad Brumbaugh. He cleared some land and began farming in the area in 1820. The homestead remained in the Brumbaugh family until 1914, when it was purchased by Harry Bartlett Stewart. Stewart was the chairman of the board of the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad. Initially the Stewarts used homestead for a hunting camp before eventually expanding the home and making their permanent residence on what they called the Minnie Taylor Farm, named for Mr. Stewart's wife, Minnie.

Harry Stewart passed the land onto his son, Harry Bartlett Stewart, Jr. The Stewart's continued to improve the buildings on the Minnie Taylor farm. The original house was expanded into what they called a manor with Greek Revival and Federal architecture influences.

The Stewart's remained at Minnie Taylor farm until 1975 when the sold it to the state of Ohio for half the appraised value. The land was purchased from the Stewarts with financial help from the United States Department of the Interior. Quail Hollow State Park was established on May 15, 1975.