The North Royalton Historical Society (NRHS) is now the proud owner of the Smith/Rutledge House, which has served as their home and museum for many years. The house and .55 acre property was owned by the North Royalton Methodist Church. The society had the right to take the house and move it, according to Don Harris, Vice President of the NRHS.
The house was originally occupied in 1858 and was one of the first homes in the area. The first floor and second floors are open to the public and represents life from 1850 to the mid 1900s. According to the History of North Royalton, 1811-1991, “It has an open walnut stairway, original wrought iron latch hardware, woodwork and baseboards, with some original Christian doors and wideplank floors. Heavy hand-hewn beams and hand-quarried stone are found in the basement. A birthing room is located off the living room.”
“This all transpired last October, when we were notified that the church was going to fold up.
They approached us at that time to see if we were interested in purchasing the property, which was already parceled off, from when Pearl Rutledge owned the house.” Rutledge was the last owner of the house and deeded the house and property to the North Royalton Methodist Church.
Back in 2011, the Historical Society updated the property, transforming the rather plain white house to a cream colored house with burgundy trim. They also installed landscaping and did concrete, asphalt and sidewalk work. Recently, they re-sided the back porch and will be using it for a display area. “We are in the process of revamping the upstairs,” said Harris.
In 2015, the Smith-Rutledge House was formally dedicated as the James Buckingham Museum, honoring James Buckingham. He was a founding member of the Smith-Rutledge House was formally dedicated as the James Buckingham Museum in the late 1970s. He also co-authored the book ‘The History of North Royalton. He was known for his devotion to North Royalton history and, upon his death, included the NRHS in his will.
The Museum is located at 13759 Ridge Road. It is open on the first and third Sunday of every month from 1 to 3 p.m. The museum will have special hours during the Bicentennial functions, according to Harris. Look at their Facebook page for more information.
The Society has about 60 members currently. They are always looking for new members to join them. Meetings of the North Royalton Historical Society are the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Smith/Rutledge House. Membership dues are $10/year for an individual, $15/year for a family and $125 for a lifetime membership.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer