A piece of Medina County’s Underground Railroad history has a new owner. Friends of the Cemetery finalized its purchase of the H.G. Blake House at 314 E. Washington St. on Nov. 6, taking over a property once used as a refuge for people escaping slavery in the mid-19th century.
The nonprofit announced the acquisition as a way to safeguard a site central to the region’s Underground Railroad story, according to Cleveland.com. H.G. and Elizabeth Blake provided food, shelter and other necessities to freedom seekers passing through the area during that era, per the same report. The Blakes are buried at Spring Grove Cemetery in Medina, where Friends of the Cemetery is involved in preservation work.
A Stop Between Wooster and Oberlin
The Blake home’s role in the Underground Railroad has been documented before. A 2024 Cleveland.com report quoted a local historian describing the house’s place in the network: “Their home still stands to this day, and it served as a stop between Wooster and Oberlin.” That same reporting tied the Blake family’s legacy to the broader effort Friends of the Cemetery has made to honor Medina families connected to the Underground Railroad.
Teresa Merkle, president of Friends of the Cemetery, said the purchase builds on work the group has already been doing to keep that history visible. “Acquiring the historic Blake House is a natural extension of our commitment to preserving and sharing the remarkable story of H.G. and Elizabeth Blake,” Merkle said, per the group’s statement to the outlet.
Restoration Plans Still Taking Shape
Friends of the Cemetery says it intends to restore both the house and its surrounding grounds while keeping the property’s historic character intact. The organization has not set a specific timeline for finishing renovations, and it plans to hold an open house once the work is done, the group told the news outlet.
To help fund the project, Friends of the Cemetery says it plans to launch a capital campaign that would let community members contribute directly to the preservation effort. No fundraising goal or campaign start date has been announced.
Part of a Larger Recognition Effort
The Blake House purchase complements Spring Grove Cemetery’s own standing in national historic preservation circles. According to the Friends of the Cemetery, the cemetery was accepted into the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program in March 2022. The group’s website notes that recognition followed an earlier milestone: Spring Grove was listed on the Register of National Historic Places in 2006, with the federal Underground Railroad designation following in 2022.
Friends of the Cemetery’s work extends beyond property acquisition. Its projects also include educational efforts related to the Underground Railroad.
A Regional Pattern of Preservation
The Blake House purchase echoes other historic-home preservation efforts in Medina County. The Medina County Historical Society spent more than $700,000 to buy and restore the McDowell-Phillips House in 2019, according to Ideastream Public Media, offering a local benchmark for the kind of investment such projects can require. Friends of the Cemetery has not disclosed a purchase price, funding source or renovation budget for the Blake House.
For now, the group says its focus is on moving forward with restoration while keeping the Blakes’ story at the center of its mission. Those interested in the project can reach Friends of the Cemetery at 330-591-4870.
