Second life sought for wood from historical Shawville Station bunkhouses in North Ridgeville

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — Though the clock is ticking on a pair of bunkhouses once used as lodging for railroad workers, members of the North Ridgeville Historical Society are hoping wood from the buildings can continue serving a useful purpose into the future. Historical Society treasurer Bill Noll was working on removing some of the wood Monday. He has been chipping away at the project since mid-December, when the Historical Society voted to take down the buildings, which it has owned for years after receiving them as a donation. Solutions other than demolition had been explored in the past, Noll said, but the private property on which the bunkhouses now sit was sold, and a March 1 deadline was set to remove the buildings. The bunkhouses, each estimated to be from the 1850s, have been moved from their original locations in the past. They are now further back from the railroad tracks along state Route 83. Trees in that area have recently been chopped down, making the buildings more visible from the road. Although it is a bit frustrating to see the bunkhouses go, Noll said moving them again would not be practical anymore. Even if the Historical Society was able to move the buildings effectively, the costs of transporting them to a new location were expected to be high. "We couldn't afford to do it," he said. Shawville Station was a former railway station built in North Ridgeville about 1868, named after Samuel Shaw, the man who sold the land to the Cleveland & Toledo Railroad Company, according to the North Ridgeville Historical Society. It was originally called just "Ridgeville Station." A settlement including a hotel, tavern and a post office formed around the station. Passenger service ended at Shawville in 1940, according to the Historical Society. The station building itself was sold and moved by rail to the east side of Elyria, and it remains standing today. Noll said the wood used for the building is old growth Douglas fir, and he believes someone can find a good use for it. He said there have been conversations with the local business My Wood Loft, which specializes in reclaimed barn wood. He initially believed the buildings were made of pine until the former owner told him it was actually Douglas fir, which took him by surprise. "This is nice wood," he said. No matter what comes of the situation, Noll believes there is a future for the wood. Anyone with an interest can contact the North Ridgeville Historical Society, Noll said. Additionally, there are plans for commemorative items to be made out of some of the wood remembering Shawville Station. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.