Wilson's Mills Settlement District

Wilson's Mills is a small residential district where Chagrin River Road crosses the Chagrin River and meets Wilson Mills Road in Gates Mills, Ohio. Fourteen wood-frame buildings, dating from 1834 to about 1905, stand on widely spaced lots within sight of the river crossing. Most are traditional vernacular or Greek Revival houses, with a Queen Anne house at the end of the period. The group also includes an 1843 sawmill built by Peleg Sherman, the only one surviving in the township, a former tavern, a house that once served as post office and store, and a church built around 1903. The settlement grew around water power from the river, with mills, a store, and a hotel appearing within five years of the first building boom in the 1830s. After the 1890s, interurban rail service and land development turned it into a commuting suburb. Despite additions and moved buildings, the district keeps the feel of a mill crossroads adapted for comfortable suburban living.