Lakewood's Oldest Stone House, built in 1838, contains a treasure trove of memorabilia that unlocks the pioneer past of the city. 

It's a dwelling made of sandstone from area quarries by settler John Honam, a weaver from Scotland, and has been preserved as a typical early period home. 

It served as a residence on Detroit Avenue from 1838 until 1870. It remained there for the next 82 years with a diversity of tenants. At various times it was a post office, shoe repair shop, grocery, doctor's office, upholsterer's store and barbershop.

There is a rich collection of relics–spinning wheels, furniture, household items, clothing, tools, books, dolls and toys. 

All are presented to provide an authentic insight into the life and times of pioneer Lakewood. 

There is a large kitchen with a fireplace for cooking and four-harness loom, a furnished parlor with horsehair sofa, a sick or borning room with old-fashioned care equipment, and two upstairs bedrooms featuring roped beds, handmade quilts, coverlets and homespun sheets. The museum also includes samplers and folk art. 

On display is a bust of Dr. Jared Potter Kirtland, naturalist, botanist, doctor, legislator, teacher, writer, and most celebrated citizen of Lakewood during the 19th century. 

He is credited with originating 26 varieties of cherries and six of pears, and held the distinction of giving his name to a warbler, water snake, mollusk, raspberry, strawberry and fossil plant. 

Behind the house, within a split-rail fence, is an herb garden, a source for scents, dyes and flavoring used in pioneer cooking. Tombstones from the old Wagar cemetery are on display in one area of the garden.

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Linked with the Oldest Stone House Museum as a sister facility is the Nicholson House at 13335 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood. 

This white frame homestead, built by James Nicholson in 1835, is a fine example of early Western Reserve architecture. The interior parlors are restored to the mid-Victorian period to reflect the later lifestyle of the prosperous Nicholson family. 

Nicholson (1782-1859) was the first permanent seller on Detroit Avenue. An industrious man imbued with community spirit, he organized Lakewood's earliest church and helped build the first schoolhouse in this area.