Letter to the Editor

The Richfield Historical Society would like to clear up a point for members of our community. There is a current contest going on until November 30 to name the “Upper” and “Lower” lakes at Richfield Heritage Preserve. The problem is that both lakes already have Historic names of great significance.

The upper lake is called Lake Linnea. It was named for Linnea Friede who was the council president of the Cleveland Girl Scouts when they acquired the Kirby estate in 1937. 

The lower lake has  an even more historic and personal name. Lake Jinelle was named by James Kirby himself. The name is a combination of his name (Jim)  and his wife’s name (Nellie) Ji-Nelle. Lake Jinelle may be the only patented lake in the world and James Kirby is the patent holder. There should be no question as to whether the name should be kept!

The current names honor the Kirby family and the Girl Scouts. They are historically significant and should not be changed. The Richfield Historical Society’s mission is to protect and preserve the history of Richfield. We implore the commnity to support our mission and ask that Lake Jinelle and Lake Linnea retain their current names. 

Board of Richfield Historical Society
Paul Swan, president 
Mark Mitchell, vice president
Karen Smik
Reggie Taussig
Linda Fleming
Michal Swan
Scott Luther
Dwayne Genter
Kitty Butler