Chardon Water Tower

Chardon Savings Bank

This building, which I still think of as the "Chardon Savings Bank" is  the most modern looking building on the Square, and perhaps the ugliest.  This was built in the days when beautiful historic buildings were torn down without a second thought and horrific things like this were put in their place.  I'm not sure what stood here before, but it had to be better than this. 

If you look closely, you can see a slight difference in the color of the bricks and make out the original building which was only one story tall.

For many years during the sixites, a 10 foot tall stainless steel wedge-shaped edifice stood near the sidewalk at the east corner of the building. It had an electronic sign that displayed the time and temperature, which were often incorrect.  I can remember days when the sign happily displayed a temperature of 100 degrees during the coldest winter snow storm.  

Chardon Savings Bank took pride in being known as "Geauga County's Oldest Bank".  It became Bank One in the 80's and then JP Morgan Chase. Who knows what comes next!

Chardon Square

"Chardon Square" was a power-mod band based in Southern California that attracted a loyal cult following in the 80's.  Their sound was post-punk, with 60's overtones.  Although they never gained major recognition, the band was successful enough to score opening acts for groups such as "The Ramones" and "The Bangles". Band members consisted of guitarist Perry Tollet, bassist Bill Sass, guitarist Phil Cuzimano, and Doni Costello on drums.

I have no idea what connection they have to Chardon, but there has to be one somewhere...does anyone know?

You can find more about them and even hear some samples here:

http://www.mistersuave.com/2008/01/mod-sounds-chardon-square.html

Ice House on Ferris Ave.

A collection

Nearly buried

Chardon Arabica closed

On the naming of Chardon

This is a 1963 photograph of Chardon Street in Boston.

If you happen to visit Boston (highly recommended!) and find yourself strolling around the vicinity of Haymarket Square, you might notice a short street named "New Chardon Street" and wonder if there is any connection between it and our small town here in northeast Ohio.

Well, if you know a little bit about the history of Chardon, you might recall that the name of our town was taken after Peter Chardon Brooks, the original property owner of the land parcel who, legend has it, gave use of the land on the condition that the town to be built there should bear the name "Chardon".

So you might wonder, why did he chose his middle name to be commemorated instead of his surname?  

Wouldn't one expect the town to be named "Brooksville" or "Brooksfield"?

The answer lies in a story of religious persecution, friendship, and remembrance.

Following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in the late 1600's, many French "Huguenots" (French Calvinist Protestants) left their home county in fear of a return to the days of horrible unrest and violence that marked the religious wars in France during the late 16th century.  Many fled to Great Britain, or Prussia, or Switzerland. Some, like the Chardon family, had the money and courage to pack up their belongings and venture to the New World in search of freedom and a better life.

By the early 1700's the Chardon family had established themselves as successful Boston merchants and lived near Bowdoin Square on a street that now bears their name.  One son, named Peter Chardon, chose to attend Harvard and while there befriended another student named Edward Brooks from Medford. The Brooks family were highly respected. and in fact were among the first families to settle in Massachusetts. The two young men formed an unusually close relationship and remained in touch after they completed their education. Both were highly regarded as intelligent men of the highest virtue by all who knew them.

Unfortunately, Peter Chardon's life was tragically cut short when he died unexpectedly in 1766 while in the West Indies.
The sad news of Chardon's death reached Edward Brooks just six days before the birth of his son. In honor of his deceased friend, he named his son Peter Chardon Brooks.

Peter Chardon Brooks grew up to be an extremely successful entrepreneur; one might think of him as the Warren Buffet of his day. Even by today's standards after adjusting for inflation, he ranks as one of the top 100 richest Amercians in history.  The bulk of his fortune was made in the business of marine insurance, but he also held substantial land investments in the Western Reserve.

And so it came to be that nearly 550 miles away as pioneers were building up settlements around Geauga County the time had come to chose the location of the county seat. Most people expected Burton or Bondstown (now Hambden) to be the obvious choice, but the Ohio commissioners were interested in an undeveloped tract of land on top of a hill located in the northern part of the county...land owned by Peter Chardon Brooks. A deal was struck, and a name was chosen - not so much to immortalize the name of Peter Chardon Brooks himself, who was known as a man to give generously "without parade", but a name to commemorate his legacy and to honor the friendship between his father and Peter Chardon - a man that he never met.

One final note...Peter Chardon Brooks never visited Chardon, but legend has it that he held the town dear to his heart and as a token of his kindness, he donated a large bell with the request that it be hung in the first church to be erected in the settlement. The bell is still in use to this day and can be found hanging from the bell tower in front of Chardon United Methodist Church on North Street.

Behind the Scenes

Back door - 141 Main Street Chardon

1953 Geauga County Maple Festival

Click on the posting title above (not the image) to watch

an amazing 2-1/2 minute video of the 1953 Maple Festival.

Be sure to check out the the names of the stores on Main Street.

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