If you know of any buildings, homes – barns – sheds – or any other structures in the Devine, Biry, or Black Creek areas that were built before 1890, they could be part of a very special project in Medina County this year! The structure does not have to be in great shape, and can even be just ruins or rubble, as long as it was there before 1890.
This project is called the Medina County Pioneer Homes Documentation Initiative and students from Notre Dame University will be in our county this summer to conduct research on these homes and structures, and to document their history with accurate information and photographs, which will be published in a book. This project is sponsored by the Medina County Historical Commission.
Even though Devine was not founded until 1881, there were a number of families already settled in this area, as shown in the censuses from 1850 through 1880. Some homes and buildings from those homesteads may still be in existence today! So, your help is needed to find them!!
*Please contact MCHC member Nancy Ehlinger Saathoff at 210-289-6205, or gnsaathoff@aol.com, as soon as possible, if you know of any structure that might fit project, or if you have any questions. (Texts are welcome too.) Nancy is responsible for helping with the Devine-Biry-Black Creek areas. Other members of the MCHC are in charge of other areas of Medina County.