“WHAT THE COLONEL LEFT BEHIND”
This is the title of a news article dated September 1, 1991, that ran in the Akron Beacon Journal.
Colonel Long’s will contained the entail that his 300-plus acre farm was to be given over to the City of Macedonia for recreational purposes, and the City was to accept administrative duties for the property.
The land was situated east of Shepard Rd to the Twinsburg border and spread across both sides of East Aurora Rd (State Route 82).
So, in terms of 2023, what is there now?
Well, the Macedonia Rec Center for one, and, of course the vehicle parking area surrounding.
Also Longwood Park, the ball diamonds, the lake, and surrounding lands and trails.
The barns became one of the homes of the Macedonia Service Dept.
The land on the north side of SR-82 has the Windmill golf course.
And on the northeast corner of Shepard and SR-82 is the Longwood branch of the YMCA. Ten acres of land was gifted to them.
A parcel of land was given to his housekeeper, Dorothy Tedrick, and her husband, Lewis. The Colonel also built a house for them. The Manor furniture and other contents of the house went to the Tedricks.
But the most unusual gift was to St. Timothy’s church on the southeast corner of Shepard and SR-82. The story goes that the Colonel left the deed to twenty acres of land in the collection box at the church.
The Colonel had one son, William Frew Long, Jr. who was living in Florida. There were no grandchildren. The only item specified to go to William Jr was the Colonel’s car.
Information for this article was taken from This Place Matters: A Biography of Colonel William Frew Long and the Story of Longwood Manor, written by John Cassmer.
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