Jaite in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Jaite - More Than a Company Town
...the biggest thing I remember...was the houses. All in a row and all the same color. And I remember that was strange to me...I understood it was good business to provide places for your employees because after all it was rural.
Hazel Broughton (Married into Jaite Community, mid 20th century)
The National Park Service Headquarters before you was once a thriving community built by the Jaite Paper Company. The duplexes on Riverview Road were built in 1906 to house workers. The single family bungalows on Vaughn Road were added 11 years later.
Unlike other company towns, Jaite had no company script as money and had no enforced codes of conduct or curfews for workers. Picture a community, complete with children playing, adults tilling small gardens, and orchards growing behind the homes. Jaite had its own post office, train stop, and general store.
Most residents were Polish immigrants recruited from Cleveland neighborhoods or through relatives who also worked at the mill. In the 1950s the era of the company town ended as first the mill and then the housing were sold. The National Park Service converted the buildings to their current use in 1986.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Man-Made Features • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.
Location. 41° 17.322′ N, 81° 34.394′ W. Marker is in Jaite, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. Marker is at the intersection of Vaughn Road and Riverview Road, on the right when traveling west on Vaughn Road. Marker is in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville OH 44141, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Stanford Farm (approx. 1˝ miles away); Boston Township World War II Honor Roll (approx. 1.7 miles away); Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (approx. 1.9 miles away); Bustling Boat-Building Village (approx. 1.9 miles away); Fortunes Rise and Fall (approx. 1.9 miles away); Building a Canal Boat (approx. 1.9 miles away); Early 1900s Boston (approx. 1.9 miles away); Rail and Industry Shape the Valley (approx. 1.9 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on July 23, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Jaite, a Paper Mill and Company Town. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on June 23, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 820 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 23, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 3. submitted on June 23, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on July 23, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.