Brown-Bender Farm (Boundary Increase)

On a wooded hilltop above the Cuyahoga River valley in Summit County, Ohio, the Brown/Bender Farm includes a c. 1840 Greek Revival farmhouse, a raised bank barn built in 1886, and a grave marker, all listed earlier in 1979. The boundary increase adds a c. 1930 glass greenhouse, an orchard and vineyard on the hillside, and about 35 acres of river-bottom fields. Census records show the farm raising corn, oats and potatoes in 1850 and producing cheese from a larger dairy herd by 1870. Andrew Bender bought it in 1907, and his son Earva later turned it to truck farming, growing sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelons and pumpkins for wholesale and retail markets as Akron grew. The Benders' roadside vegetable stand became a local landmark by the 1940s. The farm is significant for agriculture and illustrates the valley's move from dairy and grain to market produce. A modern garage and four oil wells are noncontributing.