Medina Square: Consumption through Commerce Past and Present : The American Hotel, The Phoenix Bank/Block, The Courthouse

Life on Medina Square was very different regarding the transportation of people, goods, and services from the 1830’s through the 1870”s compared to today. The Cleveland –Columbus road of the early 1800’s, which passed through Medina, wound its way over much the same route as today’s 42, but then it was only a mud trail. A few years later a plank road was laid down, which became known as the Wooster Pike because it passed through Wooster on its way to Columbus.

              A dozen or more taverns and roadhouses dotted the route, serving as overnight and meal stops, and offering change of horses for the coaches.  Spaced at approximately three-mile distances, some of these taverns were known as “mile houses”

            The route passing through Medina left Cleveland via the Cuyahoga River Valley and made its way through the farmlands of what are now Parma and Parma Heights.

            This is where the American Hotel comes into the picture. It served as a landmark in Medina during this period of time. Located at the northeast corner of Court and Liberty Streets facing the public square, this hostelry was the scene of many of the village functions and social events in the early days. It was host to people in every walk of life, from presidential candidates to the common man.

            Stagecoaches between Cleveland and Cincinnati once clattered up to the old inn door, and travelers would step out onto a wood plank sidewalk. Beneath the bar room there was a stone-walled wine cellar which was supported by hand-hewn beams as thick as a man’s waist. The village post office was once located in a room next to the lobby.  Throughout the years, the hotel was a lively hub of Medina life. ( information courtesy of Historical Highlights of Medina completed by the students of the class of 1966 MSHS Published by Alfred Meyers Lithographers Inc. Medina, Oh p.97-98)

            Medina’s first American Hotel was built in 1830 in the Federal style and was later replaced with a three-story brick building that had thirty sleeping rooms.  During the 1870 fire, blankets and quilts were laid on the roof and kept wet with salt and water. The building was saved, but the furnishings were badly damaged when they were hurried moved from the building. The porch and second story verandah were added in 1875 and were a favorite gathering place for Medina’s “sidewalk superintendents”.(courtesy of Building a Firm Foundation 1995 McKiernan/King publishing p. 124)