A Long Legacy
The construction of the home began in 1866 on land that was originally granted by President James Madison to Bezaleel Wells and was later part of the development of Canton, Ohio. John Rex Bucher purchased "lot K" in June of 1866 and began construction of his family's home. In 1867 the Bucher family took up residence in the Victorian Gothic style home. The house featured ornate wood trim along the large porch and gamble, double front entrance doors, arbored walkway to the carriage house, tower, and small balcony. Guests within the house today still marvel at the original cherry wood work of the curved archways and grand staircase as well as the pocket doors. The chandeliers of the house are another focal point as many are original. The warm glow of the fire place is framed by the 150 year old etched marble mantel.
The Bucher Family
John Rex Bucher was born August 29, 1827 in Canton, OH, at a residence that once stood on the corner of East Tuscarawas and Cherry St. to Jacob Bucher, an early resident of Canton. John Bucher married Emma Wikidal on September 11, 1856. Their first child, Helen, was born on May 12, 1860. Martin, their only son, arrived on August 30, 1864 and youngest daughter, Clara was born in February of 1866. The Bucher family home was completed in 1867.
At first J.R.Bucher and John Danner were local manufacturers of heating and cooking stoves. Later Mr. Bucher would join with the Joshua Gibbs Plow Company (founded in 1836) to form the Bucher & Gibbs Plow Company in 1864. The most notable product that was made while Bucher was president was the "Gibbs Imperial Plow". The company would be an exhibitor at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago in the agricultural center.
John Bucher would not see the company he built exhibit at one of the most talked about World's Fair however. He passed February 29, 1892 from poor health. Mrs. Bucher remained in the house her husband built well into the 20th century before moving in with relatives near by. Emma Bucher joined her husband on February 11, 1922. She would live to see her once home turn into the Canton Woman's Club.
A Dream Begins
The movement began with the Sorosis club under the leadership of Mrs. Euroia Barrick. Thirteen other clubs and organizations, Ladies Chorus, Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of 1812, Teachers, Flower Mission and Junior Flower Mission, McDowell, Clio,Children's Mission, Reading Circle, College Club, Junior Service and Farm Woman's Club, joined the effort to establish a club with a club house for the women of Canton to meet in as they worked to better the city they lived in. The club would host various fundraisers including legendary fashion shows from the 1950s to the early 1990s, in an effort to preserve what would become the last house of Quality Hill left standing. The membership of the Club has always held a strong sense of civic responsibility from selling War Bonds during World War II, supporting the YWCA, P.A.L, and the Stark County District Library to name a few. In the 1930s and 1940s the Club ran a resale shop on McKinley Ave. Today you will find the members of the Canton Woman's Club are as active as their fore mothers in their community serving on multiple boards, committees and acting as community volunteers and ambassadors. In 2017 the Legacy Walkway was created and dedicated at the Canton Woman's Club in commemoration of all the people who helped make us a Canton, Ohio heirloom.