Daughmer Savannah

While doing some research on Lynn Lepley and Richard Lepley, I stumbled onto the Daughmer Prairie Savannah State Nature Preserve. It appears that when Richard died, a very special piece of land went up for auction.  Richard lived on his mother's family's farmland his entire life.  This land was near or even adjoined to this Daughmer Family Land.  When his maternal Aunt Hazel died, he inherited the land.  Bill Fisher stated to the Mansfield News-Journal, "He [Richard Lepley] allowed us to use the property as part of our program and was very intent on preserving it."  Although in the traditional sense it's not 'Lepley' Land, I still find this story worth sharing.  

The land is beautiful.  I have heard about the farmland which Lynn and Richard lived on from multiple Lepley family members who visited as a child.  The land was quite memorable children's minds apparently, and indeed, it seems to be the primary location from where all the scattered Lepley's from this branch returned.  

Due to copyright, I can't place direct photos of the preserve here in this post; I hope to get some time away from the kids to take my own and will share in a future post.  In the meantime, let me direct you to a couple of links with history and photos. 

• The preserve is currently managed by the Crawford Park District - Daughmer Prairie Savannah
• The land was purchased after Richard's death by Daughtmer Prairie by Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
• Birds of the Savannah - Jim McCormac Photography.  
  

Richard's parents were Lynn and Helen Lepley.  Helen's maiden name was White.  When Helen married Lynn Lepley, they were married on the White Family Farm and lived there permanently.  Lynn farmed and they raised their children.  The land came to be known among the Lepley family members as Lynn's Farm, but originally it belonged to the White Family.

Richard White Lepley

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Lynn Lepley, Helen White Lepley

Helen's sister Hazel White married Frank Daughmer.  Helen and Hazel’s paternal ancestors are the original owners of this portion of the Savannah now preserved by the ODNR.  When Hazel died in 1995, both her husband Frank as well as her only sibling had already passed, and she had no children. The ODNR states that five generations of family have cared for the land.  Richard inherited Hazel's portion of the White land in 1995.  I believe the Hazel White Daughmer land and the Helen White Lepley land may have touched in some places, but, have not been able to get proper plot map in front of me to see if this is accurate.  Even if the properties didn't touch, I'm pretty confident that they were within a short drive of each other.  

This imbedded linked Video is published by the Daughmer Preserve 

According to Lepley family memory, the land was visited by local conservation or botanists groups over the years before Richard's death in 2010.  I have come across a few sources which back up this family claim.  [update - In one of the Daughmer History Videos the Park service published, Bill Fisher said conservation discussions went back many years to Richard's Aunt Hazel ]

• At the Tip of the Prairie Peninsula: Flora and Natural History of Prairie Remnants in the Sandusky Plains of Crawford, Marion and Wyandot Counties, Ohio - by John J Mack - published in Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.  This abstract summary of one such study discusses the threatened fauna found in the Daughmer Savannah.
• Mansfield New-Journal Article Historic Land On Auction Block Tonight - The Martha Ballreich mentioned in the article is the sister of Richard.  Lynn and Helen had only two children, Richard and Martha.  Martha married Owen Ballreich (of Ballreich's potato chips) and lived in Tiffin, Ohio. 

I am looking forward to making a trip up there, as soon as the Corona Virus stops putting a crimp in my lifestyle!  Here's a nice article by Bob Downing of the Akron Beacon Journal highlighting the dedication of the Prairie in Jun of 2013  Bur oak trees, prairie grasses dominate Daughmer Prairie Savannah in Ohio’s Crawford County