Quail Hollow State Park
Encyclopedia
Quail Hollow State Park is a 703 acres (284.5 ha) Ohio state park in Stark County
, Ohio
, in the United States. The park was opened to the public in 1975. It was previously a privately owned family farm and later a hunting camp. Quail Hollow State Park is open for year-round recreation and features trail that are open to hiking
, mountain biking
and cross-country skiing
, a small pond for fishing
and ice skating
as well as camping
and picnic
facilities.
. The last tribe to call the area home before being forced out by the encroachment of Anglo-American settlers in the Ohio Country
were the Lenape
, also known as the Delaware.
The first permanent settler in the area was Conrad Brumbaugh. He cleared some land and began farming in the area in 1820. The homestead remained in the Brumbaugh family until 1914, when it was purchased by Harry Bartlett Stewart. Stewart was the chairman of the board of the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad
. Initially the Stewarts used homestead for a hunting camp before eventually expanding the home and making their permanent residence on what they called the Minnie Taylor Farm, named for Mr. Stewart's wife, Minnie.
Harry Stewart passed the land onto his son, Harry Bartlett Stewart, Jr. The Stewart's continued to improve the buildings on the Minnie Taylor farm. The original house was expanded into what they called a manor with Greek Revival
and Federal architecture
influences.
The Stewart's remained at Minnie Taylor farm until 1975 when the sold it to the state of Ohio for half the appraised value. The land was purchased from the Stewarts with financial help from the United States Department of the Interior
. Quail Hollow State Park was established on May 15, 1975.
area. Northeast Ohio is part of the Interior Plains
region of North America. The land is largely flat with a few hills that are a remnant of the last ice age. Small glacial lakes, known as kettle lakes are spread throughout the region. These lakes formed when the glaciers gouged out a depression in the land and large clumps of ice broke off the receding glaciers filling the holes and creating lakes.
One of these kettle lakes has shrunk into what is best classified as a bog
at Quail Hollow State Park. This bog provides a habitat for and abundance of plants and wildlife. Poison sumac
grows in the sphagnum
bog. There is a remnant tall grass prairie
in the park that supports sneezeweed, blazing star
and various other prairie plants. The mixed tree forests of the park provide habitat for White-tailed deer
, Spring Peeper
s, Wild Turkey
, Chorus
and Green Frog
s, raccoon
, and red fox
es.
and church youth groups. The campground is remote and it without running water or trash facilities. All water and trash must be carried in and out. The park has 19 miles of trails open to hiking, mountain biking and cross-country skiing. Careful observers will see some wildlife along the trail along with a variety of plant species. There are eight nature trails in the park. Quail Hollow State Park has a five mile horse trail. Shady Lane Pond is open to fishing with a valid Ohio fishing license. The picnic area and playground are near Shady Lane Pond.
Stark County, Ohio
Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 375,586. It is included in the Canton-Massillon, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, in the United States. The park was opened to the public in 1975. It was previously a privately owned family farm and later a hunting camp. Quail Hollow State Park is open for year-round recreation and features trail that are open to hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
and cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
, a small pond for fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
as well as camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
and picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
facilities.
History
The land in and around Quail Hollow State Park was inhabited by various Indian tribesNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. The last tribe to call the area home before being forced out by the encroachment of Anglo-American settlers in the Ohio Country
Ohio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
were the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, also known as the Delaware.
The first permanent settler in the area was Conrad Brumbaugh. He cleared some land and began farming in the area in 1820. The homestead remained in the Brumbaugh family until 1914, when it was purchased by Harry Bartlett Stewart. Stewart was the chairman of the board of the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad
The Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad was a railroad that existed between 1907 and 1982, running from Mogadore west to Delphos, Ohio, United States. It began as the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railway, a short line connecting Mogadore to Akron...
. Initially the Stewarts used homestead for a hunting camp before eventually expanding the home and making their permanent residence on what they called the Minnie Taylor Farm, named for Mr. Stewart's wife, Minnie.
Harry Stewart passed the land onto his son, Harry Bartlett Stewart, Jr. The Stewart's continued to improve the buildings on the Minnie Taylor farm. The original house was expanded into what they called a manor with Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
and Federal architecture
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
influences.
The Stewart's remained at Minnie Taylor farm until 1975 when the sold it to the state of Ohio for half the appraised value. The land was purchased from the Stewarts with financial help from the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
. Quail Hollow State Park was established on May 15, 1975.
Ecology
Quail Hollow State Park is in a rich agriculturalAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
area. Northeast Ohio is part of the Interior Plains
Interior Plains
The Interior Plains is a vast physiographic region that spreads across the Laurentian craton of central North America.-Geography:The Interior Plains are an extensive physiographic division encompassing 8 distinct physiographic provinces, the Interior Low Plateaus, Great Plains, Central Lowland,...
region of North America. The land is largely flat with a few hills that are a remnant of the last ice age. Small glacial lakes, known as kettle lakes are spread throughout the region. These lakes formed when the glaciers gouged out a depression in the land and large clumps of ice broke off the receding glaciers filling the holes and creating lakes.
One of these kettle lakes has shrunk into what is best classified as a bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
at Quail Hollow State Park. This bog provides a habitat for and abundance of plants and wildlife. Poison sumac
Poison Sumac
Poison sumac is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 7 m tall. All parts of the plant contain a resin called urushiol that causes skin and mucous membrane irritation to humans...
grows in the sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
bog. There is a remnant tall grass prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
in the park that supports sneezeweed, blazing star
Liatris
Liatris is a genus of ornamental plants in the Asteraceae family, native to North America, Mexico, and the Bahamas. These plants are used as a popular summer flowers for bouquets.They are perennials, surviving the winter in the form of corms....
and various other prairie plants. The mixed tree forests of the park provide habitat for White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, Spring Peeper
Spring Peeper
The Spring Peeper is a small chorus frog widespread throughout the eastern USA and Canada.-Subspecies:There are two subspecies of the Spring Peeper, the Northern and the Southern Spring Peeper . The Northern is similar to the Southern except for a strong dark marking on the Southern frog's belly...
s, Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
, Chorus
Chorus frog
Chorus frogs are a genus of frogs in the Hylidae family, and are found in North America on both sides of the Rocky Mountains from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Gulf of Mexico....
and Green Frog
Green frog
The Green Frog is a species of frog native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada. There are two subspecies—the Bronze Frog and the Northern Green Frog.-Description:...
s, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
, and red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
es.
Recreation
Quail Hollow State Park is open for year round recreation. There is a primitive campground that is open to large groups such as the ScoutsScouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
and church youth groups. The campground is remote and it without running water or trash facilities. All water and trash must be carried in and out. The park has 19 miles of trails open to hiking, mountain biking and cross-country skiing. Careful observers will see some wildlife along the trail along with a variety of plant species. There are eight nature trails in the park. Quail Hollow State Park has a five mile horse trail. Shady Lane Pond is open to fishing with a valid Ohio fishing license. The picnic area and playground are near Shady Lane Pond.