Worden’s Ledges: A Gallery in Nature

07 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment

by Michelle Epps in Adventures, Nature Hikes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Worden’s Ledges, located in the Hinckley Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks, is definitely a sight to behold. Tucked away behind a secure curtain of trees and tall grass you will find a landscape that looks as if it were a page torn out of a fairytale. As you traverse through the trails behind the Hinckley Historical Society’s Worden Heritage Homestead sculptures magically appear out of the rock ledges to greet you.  According to the Art Inventories Catalog of the Smithsonian American Art Museum the sculptures were created by Noble Stuart, the son-in law of  Hiram Worden the owner of the homestead. Stuart started carving into the rock in 1944 and in 1946 he and his wife, Nettie Worden, inherited the property. It was initially believed that the creator of the sculptures was Hiram’s son Frank who was a stone sculptor and monument maker by trade; a logical assumption.By 1984 the  Cleveland Metroparks had purchased the Worden Homestead and Worden Ledges. The Hinkley Historical Society has been occupying the Worden Heritage Homestead since 1988. Call for tours and research at 330.278.3159.

Photograph by Katie Epps

Part of the fun in visiting Worden’s Ledges is trying to see how many sculptures you can find. According to a 1979 inventory report conducted by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office there is purportedly11 sculptures; which are listed here: The Crucifixion, an Erie Indian, and Romulus and Remus suckled by the Wolf of Rome, a sphinx with an inviting grin, George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette, Ty Cobb, H. M. Worden, a schooner, a cross and an open Bible. Arguably these are not the best sculptures ever to be etched into stone, but the pure mystical ambiance of this natural gallery make the trek through the muddy trails worth the experience.

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