Life & Work with Paul Wood of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Wood.

Hi Paul, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Medina Ohio and after college moved to Rochester, NY, Rockport, MA, Old Orchard Beach, ME and finally Biddeford, ME where I renovated my 1865 farmhouse. After 30 years away from home, I discovered that you can go home again so I returned to my beautiful hometown. I bought a storybook house that I had admired as a child. I then became involved with the historical society, a Friends of the Cemetery group, the Historic Preservation Board and finally with the Medina Town Hall and Engine House Museum which is on our public square. After a few years as a docent, the original director turned it over to me and I have been the director for 2 years. I love history and Medina’s history is fascinating. First, the original village was drawn out to mimic a New England village with the town square as its center. The square has always been the hub of the village. Three fires, especially the 1870 fire, which destroyed approximately 66 businesses, was actually what helped make Medina so special. Most of the new buildings were rebuilt in the high Victorian style with a lot of embellishments that make them special. During the 1930’s through the 60’s, much of what made the building special had been marred by signage and remodeling. The Community Design Committee formed, and these volunteers sketched what the buildings could be. Gradually, over 10-15 years, all the storefronts were cleaned and freshened and that brought about a renaissance of the city. People wanted to move here because of our quaint public square. Our population grew tremendously but the hub of the city remains the square.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
For me, the move home was what I needed. I became involved in so many different groups and it led me to the Town Hall & Engine House Museum. Prior to me being here, the former director, Roger Smalley, and Archive Commission spent years gathering documents and memorabilia as well as securing the old Firehouse as the new museum. The wonderful thing about the museum is that it is small, but jam packed with pictures and information which is chronologically organized around the outer walls. Being on the square brings us a lot of visitors. The square is vibrant and there are events year-round. We open for just about every event. The challenge here is to have enough docents to cover all of the hours we are open.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I retired from a job I loved in 2024. I was an independent manufacturer’s representative selling high end fabrics, wallcoverings and furniture to the interior design industry. I traveled New England & New York for 30+ years until I moved to Ohio and then covered western PA, Central and Northern Ohio and Michigan. It was a job I enjoyed and met some of the nicest people who became good friends.

What are your plans for the future?
My future is here in Medina. It is a vibrant city, and I enjoy meeting tourists that come from all over the world. I started a “Where are you from?” sign in book at the museum and we truly get people from all over. In 2025, we had people from Australia, England and Egypt just to name a few.
As for changes in the museum, we are adding information all the time. We realized our time line really stopped at 1975 so we have been working to get pictures and memorabilia from the last 50 years as that is our history as well.

Pricing:

• Museum is free

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MedinaRailroadMuseum/