Self-Guided Walking Tour

of Historic Wildwood Preserve

Photo The Blade collection

Horse Stables/Visitors Center

Constructed in 1936, today’s Metz Visitors Center marked the first building erected on the former estate of Champion Spark

Plug Company co-founder, R. A. Stranahan, Sr. This building served as the family’s horse stables and included a blacksmith shop. Above the stables, a horse trainer and his family lived in an apartment now used as staff offices.

Look for the original stable doors. They were split in half to provide fresh air to the stalls. Stop by the Window On Wildlife exhibit to see how Metroparks altered the building to provide natural educational opportunities all seasons of the year. As you walk the trails today, imagine traversing them by horseback and experience the wonders of nature earlier enjoyed by the Stranahans.

S T A T I O N 1

Photo Metroparks collection

Riding Arena/Ball Room

This clearing once held a ball room and indoor horse-riding arena. The Stranahans used the site to host parties for their

business clients and elite social circle. The building included an orchestra stand, large fireplaces, and built-in tables. The ball room overlooked a riding arena where horse shows dazzled the family’s guests.

Can you spot any of the original stone foundation blocks? When Metroparks acquired the property in 1974, the building was in such disrepair that it could not be saved. After it burned to the ground, only a few stone blocks remained to mark its location.

S T A T I O N 2

Both photos Metroparks collection

Clay Tennis Courts/ Staff Parking Lot

Hidden under this parking lot rests a clay tennis court used by the Stranahan family and their guests from the late

1930s through the 1960s. Following a match, workers at the estate smoothed the court’s surface and re-taped the court lines preparing it for the next game. The family loved sporting activities and promoted healthy lifestyles and exercise throughout their lives. Frank Stranahan, who grew up at this estate, ran over 100 marathons and was an accomplished professional golfer and body builder.

Can you find any of the bricks that originally lined the outside of the court?

Tennis was among the Stranahan family’s many athletic interests. R.A. Stranahan is shown here with the tennis club at Harvard University, where he finished a four-year degree in just 2 1/2 years.

S T A T I O N 3

Photo Habitec collection

River Diversion/Island/ Air Intake Tunnel

One feature that enticed the Stranahan family to purchase this property in the 1920s and 1930s was that scenic Ottawa

River passed through the grounds. During construction of the home, workers diverted the waterway a half-mile from its original course so it flowed through the back yard and created an island behind the home. Later, a tunnel ran from the banks of the creek into the basement and provided cool air throughout the home on hot summer days.

Can you see the brick pump-house on the island that provided water to the sprinkler system and other areas of the estate? Take the boardwalk trail and you will see some of the stones the family deposited in the river to create the sound of a babbling brook in their backyard.

S T A T I O N 4

Photo Metroparks collection

Putting Green

The original owners of the Manor House, the Stranahan family, maintained a nine-hole putting green in their front yard.

R. A. Stranahan, Sr. and his son Frank honed their skills by dropping balls in the grassy oval inside the driveway and chipping them onto the putting green. The lady of the house, Page Stranahan, and Frank’s wife Ann were also well-respected local golfers.

While the Stranahan family boasted many accomplished golfers, Frank Stranahan was by far the best. Tutored by golf legend Byron Nelson, Frank placed second in the Masters Tournament and the British Open as an amateur in the 1940s. His finish in the Masters remains the best ever for an amateur in that prestigious tournament.

S T A T I O N 5

Both photos The Blade collection

Manor House

This beautiful, but imposing Georgian Colonial style mansion was constructed for R.A., Sr. and Page Stranahan during the heart

of the Great Depression. About 100 local craftsman, architects and laborers erected the 32,000 square foot home in a two year span, from 1936 to 1938. The home includes 35 primary rooms, 17 bathrooms and 16 fireplaces. It is built of steel and reinforced concrete.

The Stranahan home was the centerpiece of a 750 acre estate known as “Stranleigh.” The title combines the family’s last-name and an old English suffix meaning meadow or clearing in a forest. Stranleigh boasted a large farm with cattle, sheep, corn and bean fields, as well as extensive orchards and staff housing.

The manor house stood as a sanctuary for the Stranahan’s large family for more than three decades. In 1974, Metroparks purchased a por-tion of the original Stranleigh property and re-named it Wildwood Preserve. Today the park covers 500 of the original 750 acre estate.

S T A T I O N 6

Photo Metroparks Collection

Photo The Blade collection

Swimming Pool

Buried under this lawn is a 25 by 75 foot in-ground swimming pool. Installed in 1938, the pool featured both high and

low diving boards. In the summer months, R.A., Sr. and Page Stranahan hired a swimming instructor to come to the estate and give lessons to their grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. The white cabana buildings are original to the property and once housed changing rooms, showers, bathrooms, and a small kitchenette to service guests using the pool.

S T A T I O N 7

Photo The Blade collection

Formal Gardens

Restored in 2008, with a generous donation from the Carson family, the formal gardens were designed by famed landscape

architect Ellen Biddle Shipman. During the first half of the 20th century, Shipman designed gardens for the likes of the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Fords, and other wealthy entrepreneurs. At one point, over 600 of her gardens dotted the American landscape, today only a hand-full remain in their original condition. This is one of the only Shipman gardens open to the public, free of charge.

Historically this garden was lit at night with multi-colored landscaping lights. Look for the lights that once shone down on the garden from above.

S T A T I O N 8

Photo Metroparks collection

Limousine Garage/ Metroparks Hall

After making their fortune in the automotive industry, the Stranahan family enjoyed traveling in style. This building

housed their limousines and provided a work area to maintenance their other vehicles. In 1912, 26 year-old R. A. Stranahan, Sr. secured a contract to become Ford Motor Company’s sole supplier of spark plugs. The lucrative contract lasted nearly 50 years, and brought great wealth to the family and northwest Ohio.

This building originally had two additional garage doors; can you tell where they were located? Notice the garage’s four arches, cupola on the roof, and coloring. You will see these features repeated in other buildings on the estate.

S T A T I O N 9

Photo Metroparks collection