EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published in 2015 on Richland Source.
It wasn’t that long ago when the land on the west side of South Trimble Road was under cultivation.
The neighborhood of the Crossings, the complex of the Ohio Cancer Specialists, and the Waterford at Mansfield all sit in the cropland once belonging to the Finney Farm.
In fact, the street itself was known as Finney Road for most of Mansfield’s history, and was disconnected from Trimble Road because they both met Cook Road at different places.
Looking at the current photo you’ll see Tuttle’s Landscaping on the left, the Waterford on the right, and in the middle foreground a lovely little copse of trees which is the only remainder left behind to indicate where the Finney’s farmhouse and huge barn once stood.
I lived in that house as a child , probably 1969-72. Afterwards, my sister, sculptor Brenda Hubbard lived there with her husband Sam. I cannot tell you what an idyllic property it was. The fruit trees and fruit bearing bushes were sumptuous and varied. My father rented the property from a Dr Brody. The fields were farmed by a German family, the Gherharts. (Sp).
The massive barn was a playground beyond belief. When we moved in, Finny Riad was a 2 land dirt road, and soon after it was paved and changed to Trimble road. There was a tragic fatal accident in front of the house with a trench collapse as they laid new pipes.