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BLOOMFIELD -- After two years of renovations, a historic township home hosts special programs and events that included the recent 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.
More than 25 people attended the event in the two-story, 1845 Charles Brown Home, off state Route 45, which is called Center Brook Manor.
Hosting gatherings since 2021, Roger Jr. and Heather Peterson of Bloomfield handled the renovations with the help of local volunteers, family and church friends.
Roger Peterson said work has been done on the dining room and master bedroom. A commercial septic system also was installed.
Peterson said he was researching the Boston Tea Party and learned that the 250th anniversary was recognized Dec. 16.
"We thought that was a special occasion to hold a program here," he said.
HISTORY OF THE HOUSE
The house sets south of Bloomfield Center near the town hall, built in 1893, and across the street from the Brownwood House, constructed in 1819 and owned by Terry and Judy Sheridan.
Judy Sheridan, who attended, said the Petersons have done a lot of work to restore the home. She said the history of the Western Reserve and other events has always fascinated her.
Peterson said work began on the house in 2020. The Petersons purchased the house in fall 2018 and have been working on restoring it, with the goal of opening it up for historical venues, teaching programs and school groups.
"We recognized the historical significance of the home, which was the driving factor for us to want this house. Our goal is to have regular small events here such as a living history presentation or small dinner," Roger Peterson said.
He said the house was "in rough shape" with the roof nonexistent in some places and had 14 cats coming in and out.
"It was a rough start for us, but we wanted to fix it up and preserve it and hold programs and presentations here," Peterson said.
Work has included replacing the roof, foundation work, fixing electrical and plumbing systems, and replacing windows.
The house, which is of the Gothic Revival-style from the 1800s, has a full walkout basement. The 6,000-square-foot house sits on a hill overlooking state Route 45 on a 5-acre site. The house has six bedrooms, including one with a balcony.
Peterson said the interior and exterior walls of the house are solid wood and are called stack plank construction.
Plans are to showcase a collection of Civil War items.
"We can have school students come here and see the local history. History is more than just memorizing dates for a test," he said.
Ephraim Brown was one of the co-owners of Bloomfield and was raised to despise slavery. He became one of the foremost abolitionists in northeastern Ohio.
More than 198 years ago, residents of Bloomfield assisted slaves to get to Canada and evade those hunting them, Peterson said. Peterson said the house was the last stop on the Underground Railroad in Trumbull County before the slaves ventured into Ashtabula. Because Bloomfield is rural, slaves could hide in barns, Peterson said. Slaves also would hide under the stairwell or in the kitchen cupboards of the Charles Brown Home, which both had false backs.
Because the house is privately owned, no grant money is available for upgrades.
Meghan Reed, Trumbull County Historical Society director, said she toured the Charles Brown House several weeks ago. Reed said the Underground Railroad is a significant part of Bloomfield's history and state Route 45 was known as the "Road to Justice."
BOSTON TEA PARTY
Peterson said when he researched the Boston Tea Party six months ago, he learned the spilling of the tea happened Dec. 16, 1773, and his father, Roger Peterson Sr., was born on Dec. 16.
"I learned it was the 250th anniversary and wanted to have an event," he said.
Peterson said the Loyal Nine was a secret patriotic political organization formed in 1765 to protest the Stamp Act and took part in the Boston Tea Party. He said the nine included businessmen who were distillers, printers, jewelers, painters and a ship captain.
"These were men of above average means and of different walks of life who planned and executed what happened 250 years ago," he said.
The men were against paying taxes on the tea from East India, which was on three ships, and on Dec. 16, 1773 -- the deadline for paying the taxes -- the men set their plan in motion to dump tea into the harbor.
"It was their act of defiance against the British crown," he said.
Peterson said the tea weighed 92,000 pounds and was in 340 chests. It was worth $1.7 million.