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“Whose Legacy is it?” Revisited

Architectural; Illustration; Rendering; Sketch; Watercolor; Zanetta; Zanetta Illustration; Architectural Rendering; Architectural Illustration: Watercolor Rendering; Watercolor Renderings

Over a year ago, when these columns called “Postings from the Park” began, (as a generous contribution from the Morning Journal) and we started to tell the story of the restoration of Firestone Park in Columbiana, the initial column asked the people of Columbiana and the Firestones, “Whose Legacy is it?” It’s time to revisit that question and its importance to the community.

As Phase 1 of the restoration is in its final stages and we begin an ambitious Phase 2, the people of the little town where Harvey S. Firestone was born, raised, and is buried, are again asked to consider his legacy to Columbiana.

Throughout the multi-year process, we of Restoration and Beautification, have been in touch with the descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Firestone. As Postings from the Park 16 noted, they finally responded to our requests for support when we shared with them the plans for the Idabelle Firestone Gathering Place and Garden. The donations have come in from Martha Firestone Ford, the Roger Firestone Foundation, Brooks Firestone, Heather and Jeff Firestone, and Ray Graham III, to the amount of more than $225,000. In the “Whose Legacy is it?” earlier column, it was suggested, they, the Firestones, have a stake in the legacy given by Harvey and Idabelle Firestone more than 80 years ago. They have now answered that question with their generous contributions, and we hope with more to come from other descendants. It is a shared legacy.

For that reason, a mailing will be going out this week to 100 citizens, organizations, and businesses in Columbiana, asking them to match the Firestones’ donations. The money from both the Firestones and the town of Columbiana will go to fund a new phase of the project called the “Hanna Homestead Spring and Ruin Garden” as well as to contribute to the Idabelle project which includes a beautiful new pavilion/performing arts center, as well as heritage gardens.

All this will compose the “Legacy Trail” which will include the above-mentioned sites, as well as “Harvey’s Lookout” (the spot where he watched the park being built), the Lilac Stroll Garden, and the Great Tree Lawn. Interpretive panels developed by Terra Design Studios will tell the story along the way of the pioneer settling of the Benjamin Hanna Family in what is now Firestone Park and their neighbors nearby, the Joshua Dixon Family. The Legacy Trail will take visitors down the hill past the swimming pool, the football stadium, and past the newly-renovated sports courts to the recently-restored Mirror Lake and the three stone pillars at its north end honoring great friends Harvey Firestone, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison. The Legacy Trail offers all kinds of possibilities for adding to the history of the park and its stories.

The accompanying renderings show the Hanna Homestead Ruins and the Spring Garden as envisioned by Terra Design Studios and based on as much research as we could locate to recreate the important beginnings for the town. As there is no documentation as to exactly where the log cabin was, or its appearance, the recreation is an imagining of it. The spring still exists, of course, in the corner of the pool parking lot, and guarded over these many years by a “neighbor,” Dr. Jim Garstick. It was his historic contribution to the town that kept it visible and honored. Dr. Garstick passed away several years ago, but not before we had a chance to share with him our plans to develop the spring garden. We are also deeply indebted to several members of the local Historical Society for their interest and participation in this worthwhile project: Jay Groner, Debbie Firestone-Himes and Mary Louise Dicken, who have all made noteworthy contributions as we sought out the story of the beginning of Columbiana.

Restoration and Beautification trustees would like to think we are creating a new legacy for the town, a newly-restored park, but also the story of its origins and the pioneers who settled it, as well as the Firestones who gave it such glory in endowing us with the park.

So, in answer to the question, “Whose Legacy is it?” — we hope we can now say it belongs to all of us — donors, citizens, and the next generation who will know our story.

(To read past columns and for more information on the activities of the Restoration and Beautification Committee of Columbiana and its 3 million dollar-plus capital project to renovate Firestone Park, visit restorecolumbiana.com.)

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