Visit Cloverdale Putnam Ohio and the surrounding area to see the top sights. Cloverdale, Ohio: Discover the natural paradises of the "Little Miami Scenic Trail" and the "John Bryan State Park". Rest guaranteed!
In the heart of Cloverdale, a silent kaleidoscope of Cloverdale sights is revealed, which makes me a little nostalgic every time I cross the old railway bridge over the Little Auglaize River. The city was founded in 1850 as a small hub for the agricultural region, and although history here is rather a silent murmur than a loud trumpet shock, one can feel the echo of the pioneers who built the country of Perry Township. I don’t understand the whole hype about “historical cities”, but the well-preserved half-timbered houses on Main Street Corner have a certain charm for me, which is rarely found in the glistening metropolises.
A short trip with the bus of Lima (line 12 travels twice a day) takes you to the village where you immediately get the feeling that the time here is slower – not a miracle, considering that the number of inhabitants has been fluctuating hardly over 300 since the 1900s. The local pub I lovingly call “Old Mill Pub” serves the best homemade apple beer, and the waitress’s smile is almost obligatory if you are looking for a long day in the field for a cool swallow.
If you ask yourself what else you can do, just look at the fields that extend to the horizon – a picture that you don't find in any guide, but that I personally consider as the true heart of Cloverdale. And yes, the Cloverdale sights are not only the buildings, but also the people who live here who meet you with a dry joke and an honest “welcome” while you drive through the quiet country roads.
This guide invites you to stroll with me through the inconspicuous but self-willing heart of Cloverdale – yes, just the small village you can hardly find on the map because it lies between corn fields and an endless series of silos.
I have to admit right at the beginning that my favorite place here Cloverdale Community Park is. A bit of lawn, an old baseball moon and a playground that has more rust than color – but that's what makes the charm. Last summer, I had a picnic with my neighbor, and while we were fighting over the “exquisite” selection of barbecue sausages, a tractor came by, hupte and almost let us forget that we were in a park and not in a field. Parking is usually easy, except on Saturday night, there will be a real problem because the annual “Cloverdale BBQ Festival” will turn the few pitches into a battlefield.
If you are looking for a place that gives you the feeling of standing in a time capsule, then go to Cloverdale United Methodist Church. The building from the 1880s has more crunching wooden benches than seats, and the organ sounds as if it were going to flames every moment – a real earworm for lovers of church music that does not come from Spotify. I visited a Sunday service concert there once; the church sang so loud that I thought the village would trigger an earthquake alarm.
A short walk further Old Cloverdale Schoolhouse, which today serves as a mini museum. The walls are covered with class photos from the 1920s, and I almost fell in love with the old chalkboard that still carries the words “Mathe is important”. I don't understand the hype about historical school buildings, but here you feel like playing in a movie of “Little House on the Prairie” – only without the sweet children and with more dust.
A bit further, almost on the edge of the village, this is Perry Township Hall. This is not exactly a tourist magnet, but if you happen to catch a municipal council meeting, you will get an insight into the local policy that usually revolves around the question of whether the new tractor exhaust regulations affect the harvest. I once met a passionate debater who claimed that the “Korn-Konsum-Komitee” was the true backbone of the community – a real substance for the evening in the diner.
And then there is Cloverdale Cemeterya cemetery that tells more stories than any museum. I found the tombstones of my great-grandparents dating in 1903 and 1911, and had to grumble because the inscriptions are still written in perfect blockwriting-German. A friend of mine meant that this was the most romantic “Grusel Kabinett” of the state – I just swept him and told him that the peace here is almost sacred.
Of course you can Cloverdale Diner do not forget, which since the 1950s offers the same red vinyl chairs and the same “homemade apple cake specialty”. I drank a milkshake there, which was so sweet that I almost thought I was back in my childhood – only that the staff here looks a bit more murky than the waiters in the big chains.
If you ask yourself what else you can do in this area, then take a look at the local Silos along the old railway line. They are not just art installations, but at sunset they cast long shadows that seem almost poetic. I took a photo that now hangs in my living room – proof that even the most common can have a little magic.
Finally, I would like to mention that the Cloverdale Attractions are not in a guide catalog because they are too small to earn it. Rather, they live in the conversations that one leads with the locals, and in the small moments when one realizes that the true adventure is to appreciate the ordinary – and to do this with an eye-catcher.
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