Chardon Courthouse Square District

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. A historic map-sheet match is not published yet. The record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary.

From the record

“The Chardon Courthouse Square District is located in Chardon, Ohio, and contains the Geauga County Courthouse as well as the several buildings serving as the courthouse annexes. The district was added to the National Register on 1974-10-18.”
Wikipedia article Chardon Courthouse Square District, CC BY-SA 4.0.

one of 11 National Register listings in Geauga County · listed in 1974 · category: District.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 22 buildingss as contributing to the listing.
Address. Public Green, roughly bounded by Main and Center Sts., Chardon, 44024
When was it listed? 1974-10-18
Category. district
Township. Chardon city
National Register reference number. 74001502 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

53,440 words

The chapter on Chardon Township in Pioneer and General History of Geauga County, with Sketches of Some of the Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1880 names Chardon. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

Geographically, the township of Chardon is known as number nine, in the eighth range of townships of the Western Reserve. It is bounded on the north by Concord, Lake county, east by Hambden, south by Munson, and west by Kirtland, Lake county. The village of Chardon, the county seat of Geauga county, is situated upon a most pleasant, healthful and sightly elevation, near the southeast corner of the township, about four miles distant from the county line on the north, and four and one-half miles on thp west. That old and popular summer resort, the Little Mountain, is in the northwest corner of the township, and its new and delightful rival, "Bass Lake," (formerly Munson pond,) is about three miles distant from the court house by road, in a south-westerly direction.

Passage source: Pioneer and General History of Geauga County, with Sketches of Some of the Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1880.

The pioneer history of Chardon, so far as furnished for this volume, is mostly embraced in a series of articles written by Mr. E. V. Canfield, and published in the Geauga Democrat (now Republican ), in 1870-71. These are given below, with such notes and corrections as are necessary to show what deaths, changes of residence, etc., have since occurred. -

Passage source: Pioneer and General History of Geauga County, with Sketches of Some of the Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1880.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Chardon Township - 53,440 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 2,921 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 2,921 specimens collected within 10 miles of Chardon Courthouse Square District between 1887 and 1975: 2,792 Animalia, 113 Plantae, 14 Fungi, 1 Chromista, 1 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. F. Clewell, A.E. Daugherty, Aldritch, J W and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Species	Year	Collected by	Where, as recorded
Riparia riparia riparia (Linnaeus, 1758)	1891	Fred Haggart
Medeola virginiana L.	1895	Watson,J.R. s.n. [1895-06-30]	[label: Herbarium of J.R. Watson, Berea, O.] Geauga Co. [County]
Scapania undulata (L.) Dumort.	1896	Edo N. Claassen	Thompson Ledges
Asplenium trichomanes L.	1887	Leonard, F.E.	Little Mountain.
Dryopteris marginalis (L.) A.Gray	1887	Leonard, F.E.	Munson
Melospiza georgiana (Latham, 1790)	1889	Collector(s): F. S. Haggart	No specific locality recorded.
Cypripedium reginae Walter	1896	J. R. Watson	Geauga
Stachys cordata Riddell	1896	Guttenberg, G.	Burton
Accipiter cooperii (Bonaparte, 1828)	1897	Ray Densmore	Leroy
Butorides virescens virescens (Linnaeus, 1758)	1897	Ray Densmore	Leroy, Grand River, swamp
Conocephalum conicum (L.) Underw.	1897	Jesse M. Greenman	Little Mountain
Conopholis americana (L.) Wallr.	1897	Ashcroft	Mentor

All 2,921 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Chardon Courthouse Square District: 1 past producer, 1 plant, 1 producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Best Sand Corporation	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Plant
Best Strip Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Hambden Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer

Every working recorded in Geauga County

Storms near this property

60 of 72 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Chardon, the town this property stands in, in 72 storm reports between 1996 and 2026: 46 thunderstorm wind, 23 hail, 2 flash flood, 1 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
May 2010	Flash Flood	Chardon	$4,500,000	Slow moving thunderstorms dumped locally heavy rainfall on portions of Lake, Geauga and Cuyahoga Counties. Rainfall rates of between two and three inches per hour caused flash flooding. The worst flooding occurred in Chester Township in northwestern Geauga County. An automated rain gauge just east of Chesterland measured 3.62 inches of rain with most of this rainfall falling between noon and 1:30 pm. Flooding along several streams and small rivers was reported in Chester Township. Extensive flooding was reported in a neighborhood just southwest of the intersection of U.S. Route 322 and State Route 306. Homes along Marilyn Drive and Wyandot Road had up to two feet of water on their ground floors. Several people had to be rescued from their homes. A large portion of the downtown business district in Chesterland saw flood waters at least two feet deep. Extensive damage was reported to most of the businesses. Portions of U.S Route 322 and State Route 306 were washed out. Damage was also reported to several other state routes in the area. Significant flooding was also reported along County Line Road in Chagrin Falls. Dozens of streets had to be briefly closed because of flooding. An 18 year old had to be rescued from the Chagrin River in Russell Township. Flood waters reportedly toppled many trees along the river near where rescue occurred. The West Geauga School District had to cancel classes on June 1st because of flood damage. Hundreds of homes sustained flood damages during this event. Most of the damage was from basement flooding, but a few dozen buildings and homes did sustain major damage.
May 2011	Hail	Chardon	$100,000	Thunderstorms produced a swath of quarter to golf ball sized hail. Numerous vehicles were damaged by hail. Homes and crops were also damaged as a result of the large hail.
May 2011	Hail	Chardon	$100,000	Thunderstorms produced a swath of hail ranging in size from penny to half dollar to golf ball. Numerous vehicles and homes were damaged by the large hail. Crops were also damaged as a result of the hail.
July 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$50,000	Many trees downed across the central portion of the county. Twenty four trees were reported down in Chardon with three homes sustaining minor damage from falling trees. One car was also damaged by a falling tree in Chardon.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$40,000	Thunderstorm winds caused damaged in Munson Township. Several trees were snapped about 20 feet above the ground. Some roofs in the area were also damaged.
November 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$35,000	Thunderstorm winds downed many trees and large limbs northeast of Chardon in Hambden Township.
November 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$25,000	Thunderstorm winds downed several trees in Chardon Township. State Route 87 was blocked by some of the fallen trees.
August 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$25,000	Trees and utility lines were reported down throughout the county.
August 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$20,000	Downed tree punctured roof of home in Chardon.
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$15,000	Thunderstorm winds downed several trees across the county.
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$15,000	Thunderstorm winds downed 10 healthy trees in Chardon.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$10,000	Law enforcement reported several trees down from thunderstorm winds in northern Geauga County with some trees down on Route 6 and Chardon-Windsor.
September 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$10,000	Thunderstorm winds downed numerous large trees and powerlines near State Route 608 and Brakeman Road.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$10,000	Thunderstorm winds downed several trees.
July 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$10,000	Several trees were reported down.
October 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$10,000	Thunderstorm winds downed many trees.
December 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$6,000	Several trees were reported down throughout the county.
September 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$6,000	Thunderstorm winds downed three trees.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$5,000	A tree fell onto a house causing damaging.
August 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$5,000	Several large limbs were reported down across the county.
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and large limbs.
September 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$5,000	Two trees downed just north of Chardon.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$4,000	Chardon Fire Department reports trees and wires down across the city. Locations impacted include: US Route 6 at Auburn Road, Irma Drive, and Battles Court.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$3,000	Thunderstorm winds downed two trees.
August 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$3,000	Several large trees were reported down.
October 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$3,000	Thunderstorm winds downed one tree and one large limb in Chardon Township.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$3,000	Trees were downed.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$2,000	A tree fell onto a garage.
March 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$2,000	Thunderstorm winds downed a tree near Chardon and a second near South Russell.
September 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$2,000	A few large limbs were reported down.
August 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$2,000	A tree and a large limb were downed just south of Chardon.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$1,500	Tree downed onto car at 309 North Hambden Street in Chardon. Driver was not injured.
September 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds downed a tree.
January 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree limbs.
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds downed a few large trees.
April 2011	Hail	Chardon	$1,000	Thunderstorms produced pea sized hail.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree branches.
August 1996	Lightning	Chardon	$1,000	no account filed
March 2026	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Healthy tree snapped at the intersection of Mentor Road and OH Route 44 on the northwest side of Chardon.
March 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Trees downed at St. Denis Golf Course and power pole downed at intersection of Chardon and Auburn Roads on west side of Chardon.
March 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Numerous trees downed about one-mile SSW of Chardon.
April 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Large tree was downed and caused collapse of power pole in Chardon.
April 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Tree downed along South Street in Chardon and another tree downed in Montville.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Trees down at U.S. Route 6 and Calico Lane in Chardon.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Numerous trees down at Ravenna Road and Wintergreen Drive in Chardon. One tree fell onto house.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Tree down onto power lines in Chardon. Another tree down at 11291 Claridon Troy Road in Aquilla. Yet another tree down on house along Kile Road in Hambden Township. House suffered a hole in its roof.
November 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Large tree down and blocking roadway at Ravenna and Hosford Roads in Chardon area.
November 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Trees down across roadway at OH-44 and Clark Road about four miles NNW of Chardon.
November 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	Power poles down at South Street and Randall Court in Chardon.
January 2019	Hail	Chardon	-	Penny-sized hail was reported northwest of Chardon. This report was via a photo on social media.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Chardon	-	A large tree was reported blown down.
May 2013	Hail	Chardon	-	Quarter sized hail was observed.
May 2012	Hail	Chardon	-	Penny sized hail was observed.
June 2011	Hail	Chardon	-	Penny sized hail was observed.
August 2011	Hail	Chardon	-	Nickel to quarter sized hail was observed.
August 2011	Hail	Chardon	-	Penny sized hail was observed.
August 2011	Hail	Chardon	-	Penny sized hail was observed.
May 2011	Hail	Chardon	-	Thunderstorms produced nickel size hail.
May 2010	Hail	Chardon	-	Quarter sized hail was observed.
May 2006	Hail	Chardon	-	Penny size hail was observed.

Every storm recorded in Geauga County

Newspapers printed here

0 digitised pages

3 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 0 issues, 0 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

Newspaper	Published
The Jeffersonian Democrat	1854 to 1865
The Geauga Republican-Record	1922 to 1952
Geauga Record	1952 to 1962

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

From the nomination file

2,380 words on record

When this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is quoted below word for word, never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.

Description of the property

large rectangular mass; 61 feet by 85 feet and 50 feet high, with a High Victorian Italianate Style, 231 feet long and 66 feet deep, two the courthouse. The ground floor fronts of both of these blocks have undistinguished, or do not qualify for inclusion in the district. lodge hall rises an additional story. The windows have stone molded buttressed tower at the corner, and pointed windows. Built in 1883-1886 stands in the center of the north half.It is a large two-story building tions to the exterior design of the building. picturesque late Victorian character to they blog Pre-Columbian ! - 15th Century - Urban Planning STATEMENT OF

Statement of significance

the area after a devastating fire. Finally, the builders and architects tion of the village was destroyed by fire, including forty businesses, citizens, it was decided to rebuild immediately, with fireproof cons- rick had come to Cleveland in 1836 at the age of ten, became a 1869. After Randall's death, the courthouse was completed by Carpen- (first in 1832).
Because of its mass and color, it makes an effective 1868-1870 Commerce Communications losophy Science Architecture Aboriginal Transportation Industry Military Engineering Theater SIGNIFICANCE Religion/Phi Agriculture Landscape itarian Literature Prehistoric Education Invention Music Political Social/Human- Conservation Herrick and Simmons of Cleveland.The builder Rensselaer R.Her- architect of the courthouse was Joseph Ireland, active in Cleveland Sculpture history as a testimony to the enterprise of the citizenry in rebuilding Victorian Italianate Style, which are unusually harmonious in design truction.
As the effort would have been too great on an individual The Italianate Style of the courthouse is conservative by comparison terminal to the architectural character of the northern block. a contract for the construction of the Union Block was given to In the early morning of July 25,1868, the entire business sec- The church was the second building of the Methodist Church This district is significant for three reasons.It is an excellent tractor for the courthouse.Its cornerstone was laid on September 10, In September,1868,L.J.Randall contracted to built the Ran- ter and Matthews of Meadville, and occupied on August 20, 1870.The dall Block just south of the Union Block.Randall was also the con- offices, meeting halls, and the first courthouse.
At a meeting of the of Commerce),1866,and the Daniel Eells resi- dence on Euclid Avenue,1876.He returned to New York in1885. mayor of Cleveland in 1879.

Read the complete 2,380-word case file.

The whole case file for this property - 2,380 words, 20 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 74001502, 20 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

Listed places nearby

4 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Chardon Post Office Building	0.1 miles	2008
Claridon Congregational Church	4.9 miles	1974
Hathaway, Lot, House	5.5 miles	1974
Domestic Arts Hall And Flower Hall	7.9 miles	1979

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 74001502 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Geauga County	All 11 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.