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Our Church's Rich History
Life at the Settlement of Lander Circle
Lander Circle was settled in the 1830's. Only farm country surrounded it
with Lander Road a few feet east of where it is now and Chagrin Boulevard
(Rt. 422) just a crossroads. The diagonal direction of Rt. 422 and Lander
Circle itself were not established until the late 1920's.
In 1832 charter members of the Bible Christian Church, the forerunner of
Garfield Church, Mr. and Mrs. Almon Smith and Susan, arrived. They lived
on Hiram Trail between SOM and Lander Roads.
From at least 1833 to the turn of the century the Abell farm was on the
northwest quadrant of Lander Circle. The data of the Abells' arrival is
uncertain, but George Abell is known to have been born on the farm in
1833. He and his wife, Marilla Giles, lived there until 1900.
The next family to take up residence was the Raw Jackson family who came
from Yorkshire, England, in 1835. Raw's first name is spelled "Row" in
Memorial Records of Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland, and "Raw"
in the little cemetery where the Jacksons lie buried across from what is
now the Heinen's shopping center. On the northeast quadrant of Lander
Circle, the Jacksons bought two farms.
In 1836 John and Ann (Newcomb) Stoneman came to Orange from Devonshire,
England, and purchased a large amount of land on the southern half of
Lander Circle. They not only had a farm but built a steam sawmill which
John Stoneman operated until the end of the century. The Stonemans were
also charter members of Garfield Church.
The monument that marks their graves is the tall gray marble shaft leaning
against the conventional low grave stone in the northwest corner of the
cemetery and the shopping plaza southeast of Lander Circle on Pinetree
Road.
Other settlements grew in the surrounding area. One known as the Orange
Hill Settlement was located where SOM and Fairmount Roads intersect. The
Orange Center was another, formerly existing where SOM and Pinetree now
meet. The North Solon Settlement was located roughly at Miles Road between
Lander and Brainard Roads. There were several other settlements, but the
Lander Circle or British Church Settlement, located where Rt. 422 and
Lander Road now meet is of concern to this history, the one that must
capture our interest for from it springs the beginnings of our Garfield
Church.
The Church and its Beginning
During these years of the early 1830's, these early settlers met in homes.
In 1839 they formed the forerunner of Garfield Church known as the Bible
Christian Church, with background rooted in John Wesley's Methodist
church.
James A. Garfield, later the twentieth President of the United States, was
a young lad of seven when the church started. Thomas Jefferson and John
Adams had died only 14 years earlier. Van Buren was President. Abraham
Lincoln was 30 years old and unknown. The Civil War was to start 22 years
later.
The crossroads at Lander and Chagrin had much more activity in the 1840's
than earlier. The little church congregation was finally able in 1848 to
build a church on the south side of Pinetree Road east of the circle where
the church cemetery can be seen today. The church was build on the farm of
John and Ann Stoneman.
The early church was called the British Church because of the British
background of much of its congregation. Some of the stones in the cemetery
read: William Price, Jr., Longthorpe, Gloucestershire, Old England, 1848;
George Fry, Native of England, July 1851.
The Church Grows
By 1866 a larger building was needed and was built on land purchased from
George and Marilla Abell (among the first settlers of Lander Circle) on
the north side of Kinsman Road (Chagrin Boulevard) in the north half of
what is now the "Circle." The new church building was to be 28 feet by 38
feet and the cost was $1,457. This was the first of two successive
buildings here due to church facilities becoming outdated or inadequate.
After 1883 it was called the Orange Methodist Protestant Church, bur after
1929 was renamed Garfield Memorial Methodist Church, promoted by its
proximity to the birthplace of President James Garfield.
The third church was built in 1915 on the site of the second one on Lander
Circle. The old building had become too small and out of date. The
week-long activity the accompanied the dedication of this church was
probably one of the most important community observances ever held in this
area. The week of festivities, in November of 1915 included concerts, a
community Thanksgiving feast, picnics, baseball games, and other
entertainment.
In 1929 when the church was renamed in memory of President Garfield, Mrs.
Garfield, the widow of the President, donated $150 and a picture of the
former President to have an inset made for a window.
Sanctuary, 2004
The fourth building was built in 1930 when the frame part of the old
church was moved from its place to be incorporated into a new layout. That
is the building that now houses Fellowship Hall. The old stained glass
windows are dedicated to John and Ann Stoneman. The move made room for the
current Lander Circle. The plans for the remodeled church were drawn by
the firm headed by Abraham Garfield, son of the President. When the church
was moved and rebuilt on its present site the Garfield children asked that
the picture of their father that had been made into an inset for a window
be removed and a plaque made of President Garfield while in office. The
picture is now a meaningful feature in our church narthex and hangs above
the restored pulpit from the now defunct Disciples Church of Christ in
Chagrin Falls where James Garfield was an occasional minister in a lay
capacity.
Exterior, 2004
Interesting Facts
*The church became affiliated with the Methodist Protestant Church in
1884, after the Bible Christian Church had become extinct in 1883 leaving
the church without affiliation. In 1939 the three largest branches of the
Methodists combined to form the Methodist Church so that now we are an
affiliated congregation within that church.
*Temperance was one of the issues of the day in the middle and late 1800's
and the early years of the 1900's. The church had many lectures and
sermons on the subject. One man's name was removed from the church rolls
because "he was very drunken."
*Concerning participation in the Civil War, the Annals of Cleveland for
August 26, 1862, states:
Orange Township furnished 55 men in the volunteer service. The assessor's
return show 125 men listed and subject to the draft. One third of her
eligibles have already enlisted.
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