The Neal Family
Amity House at Richfield Heritage Preserve
It's this house that commands attention and evokes dreams of a time long past.
It was built during the Great Depression as a wedding present for the Neal's first-born son and his bride.
The parents, Clara and Clarence Neal, had first bought the land in 1918. They were Clevelanders looking to spend more time out in the country with their two young sons, Herbert and William. They started a small, part time farm which soon turned into a full time orchard. Clarence, also known as "CJ" developed a passion for raising apple trees. Clara in turn planted a forest of pines across the valley to resemble the great Black Forest in Germany. After the valley became a lake, the Neals built a beautiful English Tudor cottage overlooking the water.
When Herbert grew up and married Helen, CJ and Clara built them a house of their own on just around the bend. The newlyweds lived happily ever after in their house for only one year. Then the day before their first child was born, CJ died under one of his beloved apple trees. The responsibility for the Neal's business, farm, and family fell suddenly onto Herbert's shoulders.
It was built during the Great Depression as a wedding present for the Neal's first-born son and his bride.
The parents, Clara and Clarence Neal, had first bought the land in 1918. They were Clevelanders looking to spend more time out in the country with their two young sons, Herbert and William. They started a small, part time farm which soon turned into a full time orchard. Clarence, also known as "CJ" developed a passion for raising apple trees. Clara in turn planted a forest of pines across the valley to resemble the great Black Forest in Germany. After the valley became a lake, the Neals built a beautiful English Tudor cottage overlooking the water.
When Herbert grew up and married Helen, CJ and Clara built them a house of their own on just around the bend. The newlyweds lived happily ever after in their house for only one year. Then the day before their first child was born, CJ died under one of his beloved apple trees. The responsibility for the Neal's business, farm, and family fell suddenly onto Herbert's shoulders.
Herbert, Helen, and newborn Barbara Neal in Amity living room November 1936
The Neals first arrived in Richfield in 1918, looking for a way to bond as a family. CJ had been caught up in business, politics and golf. Clara began to feel like a golf widow, raising two little boys on her own.
One day, CJ decided to put aside his golf clubs and find a place in the country where the boys could help learn about farming. He and Clara bought a parcel of the old Oviatt Freeman farm on Broadview Road.
The Neals in their backyard on Broadview Road circa 1919. Bill and Herbert standing in the cart behind "Regret" the pony. CJ riding the horse, "Indian".
The Neals not only grew apples, they processed them into apple cider and apple juice at processing plant behind their roadside showroom. They promoted their product through extensive marketing
