Gustavus Center Historical District

Josiah Pelton of Connecticut arrived at Gustavus Center in 1800 after purchasing 6,605 acres from Lemuel Storrs. In 1802, Pelton's son Jesse and his fiancée Ruhamah DeWolfe accepted the offer of 100 acres to the first woman to settle in Gustavus. Gustavus steadily grew into a self-sufficient farming community. With the construction of paved roads and the introduction of the automobile, residents could travel and go farther to shop and sell their goods. In the twentieth century, farming remained at the center of Gustavus' economic life. While nearly all the businesses in the center have disalleared, the homes and institutions remain. These structures are representative of a rural nineteenth century Western Reserve township.