Shandy Hall

Shandy Hall

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Modest in appearance on the exterior, there are 17 rooms inside Shandy Hall, including the original cellar kitchen with cooking fireplace, bake oven, and a splendid banquet room with coved ceiling and early nineteenth century scenic French wallpaper.

Our Shandy Hall Virtual Tour will walk you through the fully decorated rooms of Shandy Hall, and shed some light on its fascinating history!

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About Shandy Hall

Shandy Hall, built in the early 19th century was home to several generations of the Harper Family.  The residence is modest in appearance from the exterior and boasts 17 rooms including the original cellar kitchen with a cooking fireplace and bake oven, a splendid banquet dining room adorned with early 19th century scenic French wallpaper, sitting rooms and Robert Harper’s law office.  The house appears much like it did in the early to mid-19th Century when Robert Harper, his wife Polly and their 4 daughters lived at Shandy Hall. Furnishings, tableware, prints and collections were acquired by the Harper family and are on display for visitors to see.

Robert Harper built a four room home in 1815, then over the next twenty years transformed the house into what was considered a mansion. The two generations that succeeded Robert Harper took great care to preserve the furnishings, tools, and traditions that exist today at Shandy Hall.

Robert was the youngest child of Alexander Harper. In 1798, Alexander bought land from the Connecticut Land Company and moved the family from New York to the Western Reserve. The Harpers were the first family to settle in what is now Ashtabula County.

Robert’s daughter Ann had a favorite book, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. The book featured eccentric characters, which Ann likened to her family. She began to call her home Shandy Hall, and the name became popular with the community and has remained for over 170 years.

Many wonder if this home was a stop on the Underground Railroad, however, Robert Harper was a practicing attorney and took cases from slaveholders seeking the return of their runaway slaves. Slaves seeking freedom would have stayed away from Shandy Hall.

Shandy Hall is under preservation and is not currently available for public visitation. Tours are available on a limited basis by appointment only. Email info@wrhs.org for details.

Western Reserve Historical Society is the oldest cultural institution in Northeast Ohio, the region's largest American history research center, and one of the leading genealogical research centers in the nation.

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Cleveland History Center
10825 East Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio 44106 ↗

Phone
(216) 721-5722

Hours
Thursday: 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

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