Stonibrook was a large estate off Northampton Road in Peninsula, Ohio. The location was near what is now Blossom Music Center. Bill and Anna Johnson were a married African American couple who owned the 45-acre estate filled with evergreens and three inland lakes. Bill was a World War II veteran who returned to the United States after the war and worked as a physicist for the Atomic Energy Commission. His work for the AEC gave him the means to purchase the estate. The couple purchased the property at an unknown date in 1957. In July 1957, the resort suffered destruction in an arson attack that appeared to be racially motivated.
Location of Stonibrook Arson | Call & Post, July 13, 1957
The property is only mentioned once in the July 13, 1957 edition of the Cleveland Call & Post. Local tract records kept by local historians do not mention that the property was ever owned by the Johnsons. Despite the absence of the Johnsons from tract records, the Call & Post reports the property was purchased through Akron real estate agent Ed Griner. The property was comprised of lodges all furnished with electricity, and three inland lakes fed by spring water. The Johnsons planned to develop the property with $250,000, equivalent to about $2,400,000 in 2021. They intended to operate the estate as a summer camp for underprivileged Black youth. Months after the purchase of the property the Stonibrook was a target of arson on July 1, 1957. Call & Post reported the fire as a hate crime. Nearby, Cuyahoga Falls, nicknamed “Caucasian Falls,” was a known sundown town. An oral history collected by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park reports that the Ku Klux Klan had an office located off Northampton Road. Although the involvement of the Ku Klux Klan is unconfirmed, there is a pervasive history of hate crimes in the area which must be considered.
After the fire, Bill Johnson told the Call & Post, “If I die I am going to make certain that this property is made available to Negro youth, who have no opportunity to attend a summer camp.” Bill Johnson believed that there was a deliberate attempt by the Akron Beacon Journal to silence the arson story. He stated, “There was a complete newspaper blackout of the incident by Akron daily and other area newspapers.” Later in the article the owner of the Northampton resort, Bill says, “I was told during the war that this was a fight for democracy overseas – well, I’m fighting for it right here at home now, and if necessary, they may come to call this Johnson’s tomb.” It is unclear what happened to the Johnson family, as this is the last time the couple appears in the Call & Post. The family is never mentioned in the Akron Beacon Journal.
Resources
- Loewen, James W. Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism. New York: Touchstone Press, 2005.
- Williams, Bob. “Mystery Fire Razes Negro Resort: Set Hate Blaze Damage At $30,000; Owner To Rebuild.” Call & Post. July 13, 1957.
So what happened to the property? Did mr Johnson’s dream of it becoming a camp for youth become a reality?
Hi William,
Unfortunately, it is unknown what happened to the Johnson family. Local newspapers do not mention the estate or the Johnson family afterward. And unfortunately, no resources suggest that the summer camp ever came into being. The history of the property is not detailed in any land tract records I have found from local researchers, either. In 1966 the Musical Arts Association purchased the Blossom property. The land is now in Blossom Music Center/The Cuyahoga Valley NP.
What was the chain of ownership between Johnsons and Musical Arts Association? Less than 10 years later.
Hi Michael,
I have not been able to find exact details. I have asked local researchers and archivists and no details have emerged. I will update the story if any resources are found.
I thought that this property was on the opposite side of Northampton Rd and a little northwest of Blossom. There is the remains of a dam from a rather large lake that shows on many older maps. Above the former lake is an old chimney that appears to have been inside of a cabin at one time. Someone once told me that the KKK had destroyed a cabin in there. This is the first time, though, that I have seen a reference to the area as Stonibrook. The land is owned by NPS and has been for 30+ years.
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for your comment. You are correct. The property is a bit northwest of what is now the Blossom Music Center ampitheatre. It is located on a piece of land that was later accquired by Blossom Music Center and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The ruins at the former Stonibrook property is what prompted the initial interest in the location. I started this research as a Park Ranger at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and later brought it to Green Book Cleveland. There are CVNP oral histories that recall a hate-crime in the area and other locals who have reported similar stories.
-Erich S