MADISON – A small, but dedicated group of supporters gathered on the front steps of the Madison Historical Society Saturday afternoon, Oct. 4, to commemorate the rededication of a sundial monument originally placed at the Madison Home 100 years ago, which had spent 31 years at the Lake County Courthouse.
Cheryl Swackhammer, president of the Madison Historical Society, opened the ceremony by thanking everyone who’d made the move back to Madison possible, singling out workers from both Madison Village and Township who’d cooperated to get it in place.
“It’s good to know men who have the skills to operate a backhoe and pour concrete – remember that,” she said.
Kenneth Gauntner, a former Madison Township trustee and Lake County administrator, said he’d helped to get the project moving in 2024, when he was contacted by the county regarding a project he’d overseen in Painesville during his tenure as administrator in the 1990s.
“It dawned on me that this sundial is sitting on the front lawn of the courthouse and no one really knew how it got there, other than me,” he said.
Gauntner and several other local officials began working on moving the monument back to Madison.
The sundial was dedicated on Saturday, Oct. 24, 1925 during a conference of the Women’s Relief Society at what was then the Madison Home, a state-run residence for Civil War veterans. War widows and former Army nurse who served during that conflict.
During the 1980s the Madison Home served as the administrative building for Madison Township and as headquarters for the Madison Township Police Department, but was sold to the county in 1992 when maintenance and upkeep became too expensive, according to Gauntner.
In 1993, Gauntner was contacted when someone tried to steal the sundial monument from the then-vacant building’s courtyard. With help from county workers and Behm Monuments, Gauntner was able to have it relocated to a safer place on the Lake County Courthouse lawn.
Working with former Lake County Commissioner and Madison Village Councilman John Hamercheck, Gauntner was able to coordinate with Madison Township Administrator Tim brown and then-Service Director Paul Cook on getting the move started.
Madison Council President Mark Vest helped to arrange for village workers to pour the footer and township workers moved the sundial, putting it into place on Mov. 12, 2024.
“I told Paul, when you go to Painesville and get it, don’t drop it,” Gauntner joked.
Gauntner expressed his satisfaction in being able to bring the sundial home to Madison.
“Here it is today,” he said.
The Madison Seminary, located at 6769 Middle Ridge Road in Madison Township, was chartered in 1845 and completed in 1847. Cross shared that the Madison Seminary was originally started as an education of higher learning.
Madison Home history from the Madison Historical Society
• 1859 – A new brick structure was completed and the old building was converted into a boarding hall. This is now the east wing of the facility.
• 1889 – The Madison Seminary was purchased by the National Women’s Relief Corps, to be used as a home for the needy widows, mothers, and Children of Ohio’s Veterans of War.
• 1891 – The west wing was constructed and is known as the Ohio Cottage.
• 1904 – Due to the fact that the National Women’s Relief Corps could no longer operate this building, it was donated to the State of Ohio.
• 1904 to 1962 – The state ran this building as it was run before, for the needy widows, mothers and children of Ohio’s veterans. They named this building the Madison Home. It also had severe financial difficulties.
• 1959 – The brick, one-story center section was constructed, joining the Ohio Cottage and the east wing together. This section was used by the Madison Township trustees as their public meeting room during the 1980’s and early 90’s.
• 1962 to 1975 – To help alleviate the financial situation, the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene took over this building and used it at first for rehabilitating the mentally ill from the Cleveland State Hospital. With some of these patients still living and working there, the building became a subsection of the Apple Creek Institute. Its name was changed to Opportunity Village, and further served to rehabilitate and educate handicapped persons. As the years passed, Opportunity Village reached a point where their operating monies had dwindled so much that they could no longer afford to remain in operation. In April of 1975, Opportunity Village was closed down.
• 1977 – On March 28, the Commissioners of Lake County, Ohio, passed a resolution to purchase Opportunity Village. The deed was filed on June 3, 1977.
• 1978 – Madison Township moved into the building and started using it for the operation of the Madison Township government.
• 1981 – Madison Township officially takes title to the property from the Lake County Board of Commissioners.
• 1989 – The Lake County Commissioners buy the property and building back. The township continued to lease the building from the county until 1993.
• 1993 – Madison Township moves out of the building and the building becomes vacant.
• 1997 – The Lake County Board of Commissioners pass a resolution to sell the building and land.
The building and land were sold to Madison Township nurseryman John Cassell. The building was known for possibly being haunted and was primarily used for research by paranormal groups.
• 2002 – The Madison Historical Society moved into a portion of the building.
• 2016 – The property was purchased by Adam Kimmell who initially came to the property to film a paranormal documentary. Now the allegedly-haunted building is home to ghost tours and paranormal investigations.
