Go to Ohio State Parks website http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/quailhlw.htm for more information. Also visit http://www.quailhollow.org/ for more information and a few pictures of each trail. Quail Hollow State Park 13480 Congress Lake Avenue Hartville, Ohio 44632 (330) 877-1528 Activity Facilities Quantity Resource Land, acres 701 Water, acres 2 Activities Hiking Trail, miles 19 Mountain Bike Trails 2 Picnicking yes Visitor Center yes Programs, year round yes Winter Cross-Country Skiing yes Cross-Country Ski Rental yes Ice Skating yes Sledding yes Camping Group Camp, capacity 25 Quail Hollow is a landscape of rolling meadows, marshes, pine and deciduous woods surrounding a 40-room manor. Go to Ohio State Parks website http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/quailhlw.htm for more information. Scenic woodland trails, gardens and the house offer a variety of natural and cultural experiences for visitors. Camping The park's primitive group camp is available on a reservation basis to incorporated organizations. The camp includes a fire ring and picnic table. Water must be carried in and trash must be packed out. Parking, water and restrooms are 1/4 mile from the site. Tours and Park Programs Quail Hollow State Park is devoted to the recreational study and appreciation of Ohio's cultural and natural history. The former Stewart family home is primarily used for educational, nature-oriented and community activities. Tours are offered on Sunday afternoons, June through October and at other times by appointment. The carriage house, library, kitchen and dining room can be rented by incorporated organizations wishing to hold meetings at Quail Hollow. A visitor and nature center is located within the home. Workshops and special events are held at Quail Hollow year-round including Christmas at the Hollow in December, the Craft and Herb Fair in May and Reptile Day in September. Interpretive programs may be arranged upon request for classes or groups. Trails Quail Hollow has over 19 miles of trails ideal for hiking, jogging, nature study or cross-country skiing. Eight interpretive nature trails explore the unique natural habitats for which each is named. There is also a five-mile, day-use bridle trail and four-mile mountain bike trail (for a review of the trail, link to the Cleveland Area Mountain Bike Association). The Nature For All trail is a 2000 ft. paved interpretive trail for those visitors with a physical challenge. Interpretive audio tapes and brochures are available at the visitors center as well as along the trail. Fishing Fishing is recommended at the Shady Lane Pond but prohibited in the beaver pond on the park's north border. A valid Ohio fishing license is required. More To Do At the park's visitor center, a certified Backyard Habitat site attracts a variety of wildlife and may be viewed year-round from inside the visitor center. One-way glass allows visitors an up-close look at animals while a hidden microphone brings birdsong indoors. A short walk from the visitor center is the 9,000-sq-ft. herb garden with more than 300 culinary, medicinal and scented herb plants. A playground and volleyball court are located at Shady Lane picnic area. Picnicking Picnicking is available in several locations. All picnic areas are available to the public year-round during park hours. Nature of the Area The rolling fields, stately woodlands and moist wetlands of Quail Hollow are evidence of the effects of glaciation which occurred over 12,000 years ago. Glaciers have had a profound effect on the drainage system, topography and soil/mineral composition of the area. Natural lakes are a feature of the glaciated landscape. These bodies of water were formed when large pieces of ice broke off the glacier and melted in depressions forming these kettle lakes. Most are small, old and more properly classified as bogs or marshes. Nearby Congress Lake is one of Ohio's natural lakes. Quail Hollow's habitat diversity allows for an abundance of plant and wildlife populations. Poison sumac and other unique plants grow in the sphagnum peat bog. A tall-grass prairie supports blazing star , sneezeweed and other prairie plants. The woodland swamp is home to spring peepers, chorus and green frogs while the deciduous and coniferous forests provide shelter for the red fox, raccoon, white-tailed deer and wild turkey. History of the Area The turn of the 19th century witnessed the coming of frontiersmen to northeastern Ohio. Although the land was still wilderness, the American Indians were already being forced westward. Tribes native to what is now Stark County, principally the Delawares, were virtually gone by 1810. One of the earliest settlers to enter the region was Conrad Brumbaugh. His first home on the new property was built around 1820 on land that was to become the park Acquisition of the Brumbaugh homestead and other properties, ultimately totaling 720 acres, was begun in 1914 by Harry Bartlett Stewart. The Stewart's original tract, adjacent to the Brumbaugh homestead, was called the Minnie Taylor Farm after Harry Stewart's wife. The small farm house on the Minnie Taylor Farm was built in 1838. During the first few years the Stewards owned it, the home was used mainly on weekends during the autumn hunting season. By 1929, additions to the farm house and construction of its two neighboring structures were completed and the home became the permanent residence of the Stewart family. The main house, the adjacent servant's cottage and the garage appeared as they do today, reflecting strong Greek Revival and Federal architectural influences. The Stewart's son, Harry Bartlett Stewart, Jr. and his wife Catherine moved into the manor in 1937. Mr. Stewart, like his father, was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad. The Stewart family resided in their home until 1975 when they offered the acreage and building to the state for one-half the appraised valuation. The U.S. Department of Interior provided funds for the state to acquire Quail Hollow State Park. On May 15, 1975, Quail Hollow came under the administration and management of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation. Area Attractions Quail Hollow is located in Hartville, a town renowned for its fine restaurants. The area surrounding Quail Hollow has a large Mennonite population plus many craft and antique shops, as well as several golf courses. Longaberger baskets and Hartville chocolates are made in Hartville. There are many points of interest in the nearby Akron-Canton area. Tours are available of the tire-making plants; Stan Hywet Hall, an English Tudor mansion; the Hoover Historical Center; and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Nearby West Branch and Portage Lakes state parks offer excellent opportunities for camping, swimming, fishing and boating. Several state nature preserves in the area offer glimpses of unique bog vegetation. Jackson Bog, Triangle Lake and Kent Bog are open during daylight hours.