Couple Throws Party for their House

One of Strongsville’s most historic properties celebrates a significant anniversary this year, and, fittingly, a party was thrown in its honor.

The Franklin Strong house, which sits atop what was once called “Stone Hill” at Pearl and Boston Roads, turns 175 years this year, and Jim and Valerie Jerome, its owners for the last 40 years, thought that called for a celebration.

More than 100 people joined them for a Labor Day open house.

The Jerome family moved into the home just before Christmas 1971.

“We weren’t looking for a historic house when we bought it, just more room for our family,” says Jim Jerome, who retired as Strongsville’s Fire Chief in 1994. “But it just felt like home right away.”

Of course, in a house this old, one must ask: Have they seen any ghosts?

“No,” Jerome laughs. “But my grandkids won’t go down into the basement — just in case.”

He shares some interesting facts about the home that was built by the son of Strongsville’s founder. For instance:

• In 1831, Franklin Strong purchased 250 acres of Strongsville property for $6 an acre.

• Cuyahoga County’s second-highest elevation (1,167 feet) is located on the property.

• Strong, his wife and children lived in a log cabin on the property during the six years it took to construct the home.

• The house originally had six fireplaces, but no kitchen. A kitchen was added in 1846.

• Built of sandstone quarried from the southern end of the property, the Franklin Strong home is believed to be the oldest sandstone house in Cuyahoga County. The stone walls are one-and-a-half feet thick.  

• A primary building material of the era, sandstone was quarried from the property until the early 1900s. The stone fireplace at the Strongsville Historical Society came from the Franklin Strong property.

• The home remained in the Strong family until 1865.

• Prominent Cleveland businessman Henry Bulkley, brother of Senator Robert Bulkley, bought and used the property as a summer home in the early 1900s. The family employed a caretaker who lived above the barn and made jellies and jams from the fruit trees that once populated it. Hundreds of jelly jars are still in the attic.

• The home was owned by the Schneider family, owners of Schneider Pharmacy in Berea in the mid-1900s. The family also grew soybeans, potatoes and corn on the property.

• Modern conveniences were added throughout the years, including outlets for gas lights and modern plumbing. Although there must have been an outhouse, it was well concealed after it had outlived its usefulness. Though they’ve tried, the Jeromes have yet to determine its location.