Moreland Hills in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Making a Homestead

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 15, 2025

1. Making a Homestead Marker

Inscription.
Self-reliance, hard work, and a sharp axe were required to thrive here. Abram Garfield married Eliza Ballou in 1820 in Muskingum County, Ohio. In 1827 the Garfield family bought these 50 acres and moved here, bringing their three surviving children: Mehetable, 8, Thomas, 7, and Mary, 6. James was born here on November 19, 1831.

The early settlers of the Western Reserve cleared roads, bridged the streams, built frame houses with glass windows, planted orchards and erected school houses. This area was known as Orange Township from 1820 until 1929 when it was incorporated as the Village of Moreland Hills.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is November 19, 1831.

Location. 41° 26.219′ N, 81° 26.651′ W. Marker is in Moreland Hills, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It can be reached from S.O.M. Center Road, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located in the woods behind the replica Garfield cabin. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chagrin Falls OH 44022, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this

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marker is in Greater Cleveland,

on the Lake Erie Shore,

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Settling Down Near Family (here, next to this marker); Garfield Neighbors (a few steps from this marker); Finding His Voice at Pulpit Rock (a few steps from this marker); From Log Cabin to the White House (a few steps from this marker); The Larger World Calls (a few steps from this marker); The Canal (a few steps from this marker); Teaching and Preaching (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to the Farm (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Moreland Hills.

More about this marker. On the left of the marker is a photograph of “The Garfield family in 1855: Eliza, front row

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 15, 2025

2. Making a Homestead Marker

in bonnet, with her children, from left, Thomas, Mehetabel, James, and Mary. Father of the family, Abram, did in 1833.”
The right of the marker contains an “Artist’s rendering of the original Garfield homestead.”

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 15, 2025

3. Making a Homestead Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2025, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 90 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 21, 2025, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.