Jonathan Goldsmith House
Hale Farm & Village

Oak Hill Road
Bath Township, Ohio

History

This house was built on Erie Street in Willoughby for William Peck Robinson between 1830 and 1832  by master builder Jonathan Goldsmith of Painesville. Mr. Robinson passed away the same year the house was competed, leaving his widow and their four children in debt. His wife Caroline was determined to keep her grand home; she turned the homestead into a boarding house, renting out rooms beginning in 1845. It didn't cure the mounting debt problem and the house was eventually sold in 1862. The house had about a dozen owners over the next century until 1973 when it was donated to Hale Farm.

Hauntings

Visitors have reported feeling the presence of Caroline Buell Robinson. A former employee reportedly noticed an upstairs bed indented as if someone were sitting on it; it sprang back when she entered the room. Mrs. Robinson has been said to be a welcoming presence, opening her doors for the weary traveler.

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Photographs

1965 photo of the Robinson House in Willoughby. (Martin Linsey, HAER)

Moving the Goldsmith House in 1973. (CSU Dept. of History)

Documents