GALLANT
FARM PRESERVE HOME TO NATURAL TREASURES
9627 Fontanelle Road, Ostrander
If you could walk the Gallant family farm, you would discover a
number of Delaware County's hidden treasures.
You would pass through a mosaic of natural habitats that includes
untouched forest, meadows, wetlands and the ancient, rocky remains
of retreating glaciers.
You would see the imposing bulk of “Big Troy,”
the second largest bur oak tree in the State of Ohio, and plants
not found everywhere in this area, such as twayblade, green dragon,
waterleaf and larkspur. Hiding undisturbed in these quiet ranges
you would also find large flowering trillium, a variety of mosses
and a number of ferns: Christmas, New York, Ebony Spleenwort and
Rattlesnake.
You would come upon a huge, thriving American elm tree, a lone mature
survivor of a species almost completely eradicated by the Dutch
elm disease that, in less than twenty years, has made these magnificent
shade trees little more than a memory.
And you would stand before the final resting place of some of the
earliest residents of Delaware County in a family graveyard from
the early 1800’s.
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The
Gallant Farm Preserve is under the protection of
Preservation Parks of Delaware County and is
one of six exceptional parcels dedicated to conservation,
and use as public open spaces.
In
1899, 86 acres of woods and farmland known as “Horn
Place” was purchased by Charles S. Gallant from
a brother-in-law, John Jones. Because Horn Place had
no road access, Charles Gallant bought an adjoining
farm, “Hughes Place,” in 1924 from another
family relation. The estate was then called “South
Farm.”
The original frame house on the former Hughes Place
was lost to a fire in 1929, and in 1930, Charles Gallant
dug, by himself, the foundation for a new, smaller tenant
house with little more than a slip-scraper and a team
of horses. He also dug his own water wells to serve
the tenant farmers and livestock.
“There is a well in the woods where the cattle
were pastured,” said Charlotte Gallant, granddaughter
of Charles and donor of the original 86 acre Gallant
parcel. “My grandfather had the cattle brought
by train to the Radnor stockyards, then by truck to
the farm. When he drove them down the lane to the woods,
all the neighbors came out to help. The children lined
up along both sides of the lane to keep the cattle from
straying.”
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South
Farm was willed to Ellis H. Gallant, Charles’ son,
and then to Ellis’ children, Charlotte and Ellis
F., at his own passing. Charlotte bought the entire farm
from the family in 1971.
“I wanted that farm for its woods,” she said.
“They were the woods I had walked in, and made trails
through.”
These were the woods she gave to Preservation Parks
in 1996. An anonymous donor enabled Preservation Parks
to obtain most of the remainder of Gallant Farm at the
same time, and, in 1998, the Dale Walters property, an
adjoining site containing “Walters Grove,” 11
acres of old growth trees, some 200-300 years old.
“The farm has so many wonderful and interesting features
that must be protected,” Charlotte said. “I
knew it would be safe with Preservation Parks.”
A Nature trail, play area, picnic area and small environmental
education center will be opened to the public in 2004.
Thanks to the passage of the levy in November of 1999,
perhaps soon, everyone will be able to walk Gallant
Farm Preserve, and discover treasures with every step.
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