No. 43, The Nature Conservancy | Ashtabula County Barn Quilt Trail

About the quilt and The Nature Conservancy

Address:

3973 Callender Road, Rock Creek, 44084

Directions:

From Interstate 90, take Route 45 to Callender Road, south of Rock Creek. Turn right and follow road to bridge across Grand River. After crossing bridge, look for The Nature Conservancy’s education campus on the right. Head straight on drive for roughly 1,150 feet, then west (left) to the barn quilt barn. Quilt is on north side. While at the campus, visit the nature trails and learn about the Morgan Swamp natural area.

Quilt:

Lake Effect, 0riginal pattern.

Artist:

Karen Adair

The pattern of "Lake Effect" is significant to the Nature Conservancy's protected land at the Morgan Swamp. It is because of the lake effect that this unique habitat exists. A pile of snow in the front of the barn hints of the lingering impact of this effect, which occurs when cold air passes over the warmer Lake Erie and dumps snow on Ashtabula County. — The pattern of “Lake Effect” is significant to the Nature Conservancy’s protected land at the Morgan Swamp. It is because of the lake effect that this unique habitat exists. A pile of snow in the front of the barn hints of the lingering impact of this effect, which occurs when cold air passes over the warmer Lake Erie and dumps snow on Ashtabula County.

About the location:

This property was formerly a summer camp owned by the Cleveland City Mission. Prior to that it was a summer camp for Jewish families from the Cleveland area, and prior to that was a private hunting estate for a judge. It was settled by the Callander family, who farmed the land.

The Callanders once had a small steamboat landing at this location and the boat would make short excursions on the Grand River, as far as Shaffer Road to the north and Route 6 to the south. A picnic grounds was at this location, and the Callenders made money by selling baked goods and holding concerts and picnics on the grounds.

About The Nature Conservancy and Morgan Swamp:

The Nature Conservancy received the camp as a donation from Cleveland City Mission. Some of the buildings were razed, others, including the gymnasium and former hunting lodge, have been renovated and repurposed to provide a campus for outdoor education. TNC also owns the Morgan Swamp, one of the largest protected wetlands in Ohio. All told, the Conservancy protects more than 1,400 acres in Ashtabula County. There are hiking trails, interpretive signage and programming available at the campus on Callender Road.