Crowell/Hilaka
Click here for a virtual tour of the camp, researched, photographed, and organized by a Strongsville Girl Scout. It takes a few minutes to download - but is well worth the wait.
Click here for a closer look at the many features of Camp Crowell/Hilaka.
Camp Crowell/Hilaka, in Richfield, features beautiful forests, a wide range of camping opportunities, and some of the most fascinating history in northeast Ohio.
The southern third of the camp was owned by only two families before it came to the Girl Scouts: the Oviatts and the Kirbys.
Mason and Fanny Oviatt were married in 1831. They lived with their eleven children on their farm, raising cattle, pigs, and sheep. They were ordinary people of quiet courage and integrity. Mason worked with John Brown (later famed as an abolitionist who raided Harper’s Ferry and was hanged for treason). Mason helped John Brown transport escaped slaves along the route to Canada. Fanny helped care for Brown’s family during a severe illness. The farm passed down to their grandson, who sold it to the Kirby's.
James B. Kirby was a creative mechanical genius who became wildly successful as an inventor and engineer. His whimsical touches can still be seen (and experienced!) on his old estate. Kirby House was Jim Kirby's family home. The mill was his workshop. When Kirby purchased the estate, it did not have electricity, and he needed electricity for his inventions. So, he built the water wheel and connected it to a generator. It was the first water wheel to be mounted on ball bearings, which made it so easy to turn that a mere trickle of water was enough to provide the power he needed.
James Kirby sold the camp to the Girl Scouts in 1937.
The nothern two thirds of the camp was owned by several families, most recent by the Neals. The Neals were farmers, and there were several fruit orchards on the property. They established the grocery store that is now the Giant Eagle store at the top of the camp driveway.
The Girl Scouts acquired this portion of the property in 1957.
Click here for a closer look at the many features of Camp Crowell/Hilaka.
Camp Crowell/Hilaka, in Richfield, features beautiful forests, a wide range of camping opportunities, and some of the most fascinating history in northeast Ohio.
The southern third of the camp was owned by only two families before it came to the Girl Scouts: the Oviatts and the Kirbys.
Mason and Fanny Oviatt were married in 1831. They lived with their eleven children on their farm, raising cattle, pigs, and sheep. They were ordinary people of quiet courage and integrity. Mason worked with John Brown (later famed as an abolitionist who raided Harper’s Ferry and was hanged for treason). Mason helped John Brown transport escaped slaves along the route to Canada. Fanny helped care for Brown’s family during a severe illness. The farm passed down to their grandson, who sold it to the Kirby's.
James B. Kirby was a creative mechanical genius who became wildly successful as an inventor and engineer. His whimsical touches can still be seen (and experienced!) on his old estate. Kirby House was Jim Kirby's family home. The mill was his workshop. When Kirby purchased the estate, it did not have electricity, and he needed electricity for his inventions. So, he built the water wheel and connected it to a generator. It was the first water wheel to be mounted on ball bearings, which made it so easy to turn that a mere trickle of water was enough to provide the power he needed.
James Kirby sold the camp to the Girl Scouts in 1937.
The nothern two thirds of the camp was owned by several families, most recent by the Neals. The Neals were farmers, and there were several fruit orchards on the property. They established the grocery store that is now the Giant Eagle store at the top of the camp driveway.
The Girl Scouts acquired this portion of the property in 1957.