Active Projects

Emily Traphagen Preserve
Current: A restroom is under construction and should be open to the public this winter.

Gallant Farm Preserve
Current: The farmhouse – the initial building in our new 1930's - 40's historic farm site -- is nearing completion and will be outfitted over the winter with furnishings and accessories from the time period. Six acres of fields also have been plowed in readiness for spring planting.

Do you remember gallon-jug butter churns, Victrolas, canning jars with zinc lids, and clothing made from printed feed sacks? Do you OWN these and other items from the 1930's and 40's? If so, your treasures from bygone days can become part of Preservation Parks' newest venture – Gallant Historic Farm.

The farmstead will consist of a house in the appropriate style of the time, a variety of buildings which would have been utilized by the farmer during that time period, various gardens and orchards, as well as demonstration crop fields.

Preservation Parks is gathering authentic furniture, tools, toys, equipment and accessories – everything a 1930's-40's family would use to outfit a farmstead. Your donation could become part of history, and will be much appreciated! Call 740-524-8600, ext. 1 for more information.

Gallant Farm Preserve was purchased in 2003. Funds for the purchase and the construction of an entrance drive were obtained through a grant from the CleanOhio Fund.

How YOU can help

• Click here for a complete list of items needed.
• Click here for information on how to donate.
• Click here for the column about the Farmstead which ran in the Council Communicator.


Gallant Woods Preserve
Current: An interpretive structure, with displays to explain Preservation Parks' wetland restoration projects, is under construction (re-using the roof from the former Nature Discovery Center), and will be completed in 2012.

Park Improvement Projects

Upcoming Projects

Big Run Pre­serve
Upcom­ing: This new 183-acre park in the Preser­va­tion Parks sys­tem is slated to open late in 2012. Trails, an entrance and a park­ing area are in the design stage, and ren­o­va­tions are planned to an exist­ing struc­ture so it may be used as an inter­pre­tive cen­ter and meet­ing space.
Click here for more information.

Deer Haven Pre­serve
Upcom­ing: A ravine cross­ing will be added to con­nect the Tree Swal­low Trail and the Bent Tree Ridge Trail, in the south­east cor­ner of the park. The con­nec­tion is slated to open in spring, 2012.

Gal­lant Farm Pre­serve
Upcom­ing: A gra­nary and other out­build­ings will be con­structed over the win­ter. The His­toric Farm is slated to open in spring, 2012.

Hog­back Ridge Pre­serve
Upcom­ing: Three newly acquired acres are being pre­pared for wood­land restoration.

Recently Completed

Emily Trapha­gen Pre­serve
Recently Com­pleted: The dri­ve­way has been widened and paved and the park­ing lot has been expanded.

Blues Creek Pre­serve
Recently Com­pleted: A new 1.2-acre youth fish­ing pond was cre­ated, along with the adjoin­ing fish­ing pier. The dirt removed for the pond was used to cre­ate a sled­ding hill, which also serves as an obser­va­tion point for over­look­ing the park. The south­ern sec­tion of the Shag­bark Loop Trail was rerouted to bring park vis­i­tors closer to a wetland.

Char-Mar Ridge Pre­serve
Recently Com­pleted: An ele­vated wildlife blind was con­structed along the trail in the south­east side of the park, over­look­ing the pond.

Gal­lant Woods Pre­serve
Recently Com­pleted: A wet­land over­look has been installed, using the deck from the for­mer Nature Dis­cov­ery Center.

Hog­back Ridge Pre­serve
Recently Com­pleted: The park­ing lot was redesigned and enlarged, and steps were added to a steep slope along the trail.