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South Russell Village Hall
South Russell Village Hall has not always been what it is today or where it is. In January 1848, the building was located close to Chillicothe Road and was the home of the Disciple of Christ Church or "Cambellities" as the followers of Thomas and Alexander Cambell were then called. The church remained active until 1921 when it joined with what is now the Federated Church in Chagrin Falls. As the village became incorporated in 1923, the now empty church building was moved back a bit further and became the South Russell Village Hall. It was located on a .50-acre lot at this location.
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Old Village Hall as Disciple Church |
April 1948 the South Russell Grange, the 9th Chapter in Geauga County, was organized. There were sixty-seven charter members and for years would hold their meetings in the village hall. On August 16, 1949, the local Grange #2731 offered to pay one half of the cost of drilling a well on the village property. Council authorized them to proceed with the job. Much of the equipment in the hall belonged to or was purchased by the Grange. In May of 1954, the original pews from the church were removed and replaced by chairs donated by the South Russell Grange and the South Russell treasury was enriched the grand sum of $3.00 per bench from the sale of the church pews. The pews around the outside wall of the hall remained.
In June of 1959, council passed an ordinance to appropriate the land that surrounded the Village Hall from Georgia L. Palmer of Shaker Heights in the amount of $12,000.00. This land of 4.44 acres would later become all part of the Village Hall complex.
Village Hall located out on Chillicothe Road before being relocated.
In 1976, the South Russell Village Hall was again relocated to its present site today. A basement was built and the Hall was modified to accommodate the police department that had been housed in the front portion of the service building that is now the building department offices. The new accommodations included a basement jail cell.
In 1992, the police department moved to a new location and the Village Hall today is the offices of the Village Clerk, Mayor, the Finance Office and the Council Chambers.
Several of the old original hanging lanterns fixtures used to light the church for evening serviced can be found in the main council room. An original Stained Glass window from the church is in the possession of the village and may be displayed in the future.
Maintenance, upgrading and improvements have been made over the years including the completion of the handicapped accessibility entrance. New council tabled and chairs, including chairs for the visitors and carpet has aided in a comfortable working atmosphere.
South Russell Service Department Building;
including the South Russell Building Department
In June of 1959, council passed an ordinance to appropriate the land that surrounded the Village Hall from Georgia L. Palmer of Shaker Heights in the amount of $12,000.00. This land of 4.44 acres would later become all part of the Village Hall complex.
With the purchase of the above land, Mayor Johnson in 1960 asked if council had any objections to an architect doing some planning for a service building with a future.
In February, Mr. Jack Zoller presented drawings relating to the proposed building of a service building on the village property showing mainly at this time the position of such a building in relation to the site and traffic pattern at the corner intersection. He was instructed to proceed with more definite plans for the building itself.
By April, preliminary plans for the new service building were presented. An estimated cost of $14,000 - $15,000 was given. The building was suggested to be to the east side of the Bell Road driveway with the office part facing Bell Road. Zoller was given permission to proceed with the working drawings.
In June of 1961, a resolution was presented and passed for the building of a service department building (1961-16). In July, an ordinance (1961-6) for the new service department was introduced and passed. This section of the building consisted of two bays and an office area to the front of Bell Road with approximately 1,980 sq. ft. In March of 1970, four additional bays were added with another approximate 1,980 sq. ft.
In October of 1975, three additional bays were added to the east of the original building adding another approximate 1,938 sq. ft. Two of the bays (middle of the building) were used for service department vehicles. The third bay furthest to the east was added and used as an ambulance bay when South Russell housed an ambulance company for the community in the mid 1970's.
In October of 1982, an outside-attached storage shed was built aiding with equipment and supply storage of an additional 720 sq. ft.
Storage of salt and cinders was needed for the winter season. In July of 1992, a new salt storage dome of 3,564 sq. ft. was built to the rear of the service garages. Prior to this new enclosed salt dome, salt and cinders were stored in covered storage bins allowing for only small supplies of materials to be on hand at any given time.
The front office areas were first used as the police department until they moved to the basement of the relocated Village Hall. After their abandonment of the building, both the service department and building department shared offices in the front of the building.
South Russell Village has always had building inspectors. For years, either the Geauga County offices performed inspections or village hired inspectors. In April of 1979, the Mayor asked Council to seriously consider that South Russell Village operating their own Building Department. And so it began. In 1982, Building Inspector King reported the Building Department Office in the Service Building was ready to be occupied. The Building Department and Service Department both had offices in the front of the service building.
In 1995, with the growth of the building department and the need for additional room, the old ambulance bay at the east end of the building was converted into the service department office and lunchroom. All the front offices were renovated and the building department now occupies the entire area.
South Russell Police Department
The police department has been located in several buildings as improvements and additions have been made. First located in the front office area of the service building, in 1976 the police department moved to the basement of the newly relocated Village Hall.
In October of 1991, South Russell Village purchased the 4.0 acres and house at 1228 Bell Road from Robert and Sally Syme for $150,000.00 and on December 1, 1992 the police department moved from the basement of Village Hall to its current location.
The Bell Road (Rarick) Cemetery
The Bell Road Cemetery is located west of Chillicothe Road and just east of Southwyck Lake Development on the south side of Bell Road.
One half acre (.50) was purchased from S.R. Willard on November 15, 1849 for forty dollars. A deed which deeds the cemetery property to approximately twenty-five individuals, to be used as a cemetery and for no other purpose whatsoever was dated April 25, 1851. It was enlarged in 1863 by two rods of property on the south side purchased from Isaac Rarick for ten dollars.
It is recorded that Stephen Loesy, who was killed by having a tree fall on him, was the first burial in this cemetery.
Rarick Cemetery was the first burial-grounds for Russell Township.
The last burials were former mayor Charles Reiss and his son David in the 1970's.
On July 14, 1975, council passed an Ordinance 1975-22, discontinuing burial in the Cemetery within South Russell for the plots are all used.
The cemetery is still maintained and visited by few regulars and some history seekers. In 1976, the new stonewall and an iron fence with gate at the front Bell Road entrance was installed as part of the bicentennial project.
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