The Mystery of Chaffee: Ohio’s Lost Village

Northfield/Sagamore Hills, Ohio

Hidden in the history of about every county in Ohio is a small village or two (or more) that used to exist, but no longer does. These villages disappear for many reasons, such as larger towns swallowing them up or a number of other circumstances. For example, Moonville was abandoned back in the 1940s when the coal mines closed. Many times, all that’s left of the villages is a small sign that marks where they were once located, and maybe a historic home, barn, or other structure.

This brings us to the mystery of Chaffee. According to the Ohio Ghost Town Exploration Co, the Village of Chaffee was located at the intersection of what is now Route 82 and Chaffee Road. It extended westward, into the National Park, and included the Station Road Bridge and one of the Canal locks. The problem is that the village doesn’t appear on any maps from the time period. Let’s go over this in some depth.

Checking the Maps for Chaffee

This map is from 1856. It shows that Comfort J. Chaffee owned a plot of land where the village was supposed to be located. However, it doesn’t indicate that a village was actually in the area.

When you look at older maps, you’ll notice that they focus more on who owned which plot of land, and less on roadways and other features. Usually, village, county, and township boundaries are indicated on them. One good example of this is Little York, another village in the Northfield area:

This is a screenshot from the same 1856 map. The Village of Little York is clear noted, and matches up with the small marker on Olde 8 Road that declares the area (now part of Northfield) to be “Little York.”

A map of the same area from 1874 also notes that Chaffee owned the land, but still doesn’t indicate a village. Land ownership means just that – Comfort J. Chaffee owned that plot of land. There’s no proof here that there was a Village of Chaffee in the area.

Station Road Bridge

According to the same article, the village of Chaffee included part of what is now Cuyahoga Valley National Park and among the few remaining landmarks are the Station Road Bridge and a lock. The Station Road Bridge is still there, and has been converted to a footbridge, making it part of the walking paths in this area. The bridge was constructed in 1882, and is described by the park service as being “near Brecksville.” There’s no mention of the Village of Chaffee.

In addition, a historical marker that’s supposedly alongside the canal, on the towpath, near one of the locks around one-third of a mile north of the bridge does not exist. Well, there’s a marker, but it’s about a manmade stream and dam known as Mudcatcher or Mudcatcher Falls. The marker doesn’t mention an old village or even who made the mudcatcher.

Who Was Comfort J. Chaffee?

Finally, we have census records and a useful book to go over. According to several books on the history of Summit County, there is no Village of Chaffee. While Comfort J. Chaffee features prominently in the aptly named History of Summit County: With an Outline Sketch of Ohio, the author places him in the city of Northfield, not a village named after himself.

According to the records, Comfort J. Chaffee was born in Massachusetts in 1817. He was one of the many sons of Comfort and Perses Chaffee. The family can trace their lineage back to Thomas Chaffee III who came to what is now America sometime before 1635, where records show him living in Massachusetts Bay Colony and working as a fisherman.

Comfort J. Chaffee married Asenath Ward Ferry in 1845, and the two moved to what is now Summit County Ohio where they settled on 375 acres of land, raising cows for dairy and meat purposes. Among their children were Anna M, who married lawyer Franklin Coates and settled in Berea. Both of them are buried in Woodvale Cemetery in Middleburg Heights. Graves for Comfort J and his wife have yet to be found.

Comfort J and his appear several times in the census records. In 1880, he’s listed as living in Northampton Township, and in 1900, in Northfield Township. Neither record has him living in a village named Chaffee.

One Exception to the Village’s Absence

With that said, there’s one record that mentioned a Village of Chaffee. It’s in A Portrait and Biographical Record of Portage and Summit Counties, Ohio, where on page 848, Arvan Murphry of Northfield Township is described as having a post office in Chaffee, Cuyahoga County. After going over all of the other evidence, I’m inclined to believe that this is incorrect information, but it explains where Ohio Ghost Town Exploration Co. got the idea.

A Quick Conclusion

Although the Village of Chaffee may never have existed, parts of Comfort J. Chaffee’s land still do. There are now houses on a street that runs north-south through part of his land, from Route 82 to Valley View Road. That street is called Chaffee Road. If nothing else, now you know where the street name came from.

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