Our Story
100 Years of Mapleside
A Story of Land, Family, and Legacy
1927 — 2027
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A Story of Land, Family, and Legacy
Where the story truly begins
The story of Mapleside begins long before the first apple tree was planted. In 1815, just months after Brunswick Township was founded, a Revolutionary War veteran named Samuel Tillotson purchased this land from the State of Connecticut. He had served as a private under Captain Ezra Whittlesey in 1777 and Captain John Collar in 1779, fighting for the independence that would allow him to build a new life on the frontier.
Samuel Tillotson, Revolutionary War Veteran
Samuel and his family
Samuel, his wife Sarah, and their ten children departed Lee, Massachusetts in late August 1815 with two covered wagons, two yoke of oxen, a span of horses, and a cow tied behind. The six-week journey took them through Cleveland—then just 12 houses—before arriving at the land that would become Mapleside Farms.
When they arrived, Samuel and his sons cut the first tree and built the first structure in Brunswick Township—a log cabin in the wilderness. Sarah, just 16 when she married Samuel, became the township's only physician for two years, traveling on horseback to neighboring towns with herbs and remedies.
For four generations, the Tillotsons worked this land. The 60-mile views you see today? Samuel Tillotson saw them in 1815.
The first structure in Brunswick Township
Three generations of farming and family
Elmer and Clara Eyssen
In the mid-1920s, Elmer and Clara Eyssen were living in Cleveland with their newborn son, Bill. The infant was sickly, and their family doctor offered a prescription that would change everything: fresh air, open land, and country living.
When Grant Eugene Tillotson—Samuel's great-grandson—had no children to inherit the farm his family had worked for over a century, Elmer and Clara saw an opportunity. In 1927, they purchased the property from the Tillotsons and moved their young family to Brunswick.
The property was covered with maple trees. The Eyssens tapped them each spring, producing maple syrup and giving the farm its name: Mapleside.
They started with animals and a humble roadside market. Bill Eyssen grew stronger in the country air—and grew up on the farm that would become his life's work.
Bill Eyssen attended Ohio State University and developed a passion for apples. He became part of the team at the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station in Wooster that developed the Melrose apple—a cross between the Jonathan and Red Delicious that would become Ohio's official state fruit.
Bill married Jane Hoag, and together they raised six children on the farm: Bill Jr., Dave, Tim, Jon, Janelle, and Linda. Bill planted thousands of apple trees across the property. He opened a farm market, then a bakery, then a restaurant. In 1973, he launched the Johnny Appleseed Festival—now one of the longest-running festivals in the country, celebrating over 50 years of tradition.
For 83 years and three generations, the Eyssen family built Mapleside into one of the most beloved destinations in Northeast Ohio. Bill Eyssen—known to generations of visitors as "Apple Bill"—became the heart and soul of the farm.
People love Mapleside. We wanted to preserve it and make it a year-round destination.
A New Beginning
By the late 2000s, Mapleside faced an uncertain future. Times had changed. People weren't shopping at farm markets year-round anymore—they were coming to the farm for experiences and memories. The economics of running a 100+-acre farm had become increasingly difficult, as they have for family farms across America.
The property was slated to be developed into a residential subdivision with over 200 homes. The 4,000 apple trees, the 60-mile views, the landscape virtually unchanged for 200 years—all of it hung in the balance.
Greg, Kelly, and their three sons
Then came Greg and Kelly Clement.
Both Brunswick natives, Greg and Kelly had been coming to Mapleside since they were kids. Greg still remembers Apple Bill Eyssen bending down to hand him an apple when he was five or six years old.
When they learned the farm might disappear, they began talking to the Eyssen family. In late 2010, they agreed to purchase the property. The farm reopened in June 2011. Today, Greg and Kelly work the farm each season alongside their three sons: Manny, Jonah, and Elijah.
Just months after reopening, Mapleside received the recognition that captured what everyone already knew: America's Most Beautiful Farm. The award cited the 60-mile panoramic views over the Northeast Ohio countryside.
America's Most Beautiful Farm
The Clements saw Mapleside's future in experiences—the kind of moments families remember forever. They kept the authenticity of the farm while reimagining what it could become.
In 2011, they launched Concerts Over the Valley, bringing live music against the sunset to summer Friday nights. They created Breakfast with Santa and Breakfast with the Easter Bunny—experiences that now sell out every year. They transformed September and October into Pumpkin Village, one of the finest fall family experiences in the country, with seven unique themed festivals each season.
The farm now features:
They built The Barn in 2015 and The Waterfall in 2021. Plans are underway to double the orchard to 6,000 trees and add a vineyard.
The best part of life is experiencing the world with people you love.
Some things don't change: the 60-mile views, the taste of a fresh-picked apple, the feeling of standing on land that families have loved for generations. Two extraordinary projects are in development to celebrate the 100th anniversary over the next 12 months.