Note: The legend of this treasure was first printed in the April 3, 1875 edition newspaper, The Minerva Commercial, Minerva, Ohio. (Historians differ on the exact time period. Some researchers suggest 1755, others suggest 1758. Down through the years the legend has grown, and new stories and theories have evolved. Some say it was an impending attack by Indians that triggered the burying of the gold, others say it was an impending attack by British soldiers. Historians have noted an advancing British army under General Braddock in 1755, as well as another advancing army under General Forbes in 1758.)

The story seems to begin at the French occupied Fort Duquesne, at present day Pittsburgh. Because of impending attack, the decision was made to move the French gold to safety. Some stories maintain that the safety point was Fort Detroit, other stories maintain the gold was to be taken back to France. Orders were given that ten men would accompany sixteen pack-horses carrying the load, and if trouble should arise the men were ordered to bury the treasure and mark the spot. The Tuscarora Trail, or Great Trail was the route chosen, as it was the famous thoroughfare used by the Indians and a few daring white men following a westward course in the pre-Revolutionary period.

A few days into the journey, the detail of Frenchmen sensed an attack was coming. As legend has it, they buried the gold and silver treasure at a point near the present junction of Columbiana, Stark, and Carroll County (Ohio)lines. The spot was unique in that there was a natural occurrence of three springs together in one vicinty. The men added other subtle markers at the spot such as placing a rock in the fork of a tree, and placing the shovel(s) under neath some logs. The men scattered, some accounts say 8 of them were subsequently killed. Two of the men from the detail were reportedly able to make it back to Fort Duquesne on foot after three days travel. Because it was a 3 day march, the area where the gold was buried was presumed to be in the vicinity of present day East Rochester and Minerva Ohio. Residents of the area have located the clues on the Robbins Farm, but despite generations of searching, the treasure has never been found. The the legend lives on. Ronald Maxgard, in his book The Sandy And Beaver Canal c. 1952 mentioned that a Spanish gold coin of the period covered by the treasure was found in the craw of a chicken. Of course this started the gold rush anew. Treasure hunters with modern coin finders have scoured the area in teams. There were also reports of the use of large earth moving equipment that literally changed the face of the landscape while trying to uncover the treasure.

I've been fortunate in haing been able to list some parcels of vacant land near East Rochester, Ohio. Just the thought of it being near the Great Trail brings a sense of awe and wonderment about exactly where the legendary treasure may be.

I would imagine there are many legends and stories of lost treasures and silver mines associated with every state. I would enjoy hearing about the legends in your area.

Thanks! - Jim Dvorovy

At any one time, there are a few condominium units available in one of the most sought after areas, the Meyers Lake Village in Canton, Ohio.

The local MLS on Saturday, April 19th shows seven active listings for condominiums for sale. Prices range from a very affordable low of $92,500 through a high of $439,000. There is literally a condo for every budget and taste.

I have taken a few more pictures of various condos and their respective associations and will be posting them to my original Meyers Lake Village slide show.

You can view the slide show by clicking on the link:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/469284/Meyers-Lake-Village-Stark

I am always looking for nice people to work with! If you are thinking of either buying or selling a condominium at Meyers Lake Village, why not give me a call?

Thanks,

Best regards,

Jim

Cell 330-685-4615

Meyers Lake! What does living on or near the water at Meyers Lake feel like? One often heard comment is: "...living here at the lake is just like being on vacation year around!"

Thousands of local residents share that same feeling while living in Meyers Lake Village as well as the general area of Meyers Lake in Canton, Ohio.

Meyers Lake Village / Meyers Lake Preserve - A privately owned lake with a unique blend of condominiums. There are as many as eight condominium associations on or near the lake waterfront. Not all are represented with pictures in the slide show, an effort will be made to include the missing associations in the near future.

For more information about Meyers Lake Preserve, visit their official website at:

http://meyerslakepreserve.org/index.htm

For more information about available units, please give me a call!

Thanks,

Jim

Stark County, Ohio: Buyer's Market? or Seller's Market?

When looking at statistics for the last two quarters of 2007, average sales price decreased from the 3rd quarter to the 4th quarter. That is not too surprising, as that is what we are seeing as being true in many parts of our nation.

At the present ratio of houses on the market verses the number of houses sold during the last quarter, there is a six month supply of houses.

Since many factors are continuing to remain relatively stable, the local market here in Stark County would be categorized as being just off center in favor of buyers, enough so that it can be labeled a Buyer's Market.

Don't forget, all markets are local. Never hesitate to ask for more information if you are considering buying or selling in Stark County, Ohio. I would be more than glad to get together with you and take an in depth look at the market statistics for your neighborhood.

Thanks, and best regards.

I heard it on the radio, so it must be true, right? The National Association Of Realtors (NAR) is running a series of radio ads in order to increase the public's perception and awareness of how and why buyers and sellers benefit by using a member of the National Association Of Realtors. In and of itself, that is a noble cause, Lord knows we sure could use some help.

In order to bolster the idea that real estate is in fact one of the best investments we could make as a way to build wealth, one of the statements the NAR is making: "On average, the price of a home doubles every ten years." Another: "Over the past 30 years, home values has risen more than 6% annually".

I am sure the keepers of the data can probably support those statements with sales price data collected and presented as fact. For the nation as a whole those figures are probably accurate.

However, if you live in Ohio, and especially Stark County, please, PLEASE don't believe that statistic applies to our area. Data collected by the Ohio Association of Realtors (OAR) shows that the increase in Ohio for property value (average sales price) has only risen about 3% per year since 1998, or roughly half the rate that NAR has been citing. Officials at OAR are asking NAR to change the language in the radio ads so as not to mislead the general public in Ohio. Should they hear these misleading ads and believe those statistics apply to our own area, of course they would be misinformed. OAR in fact points out that there has actually been a decline in the average sales price for single family residences of 2.4% for the year 2007.

In actuality, average sale prices for Stark County are even lower than the 3% average for the State. I haven't tracked the data for the years 1998 and 1999, but for the period 2000 through 2007, only two of our 21 areas that make up Stark County have had an average annual price increase of greater than 3%. Those areas being Lake/Hartville/Uniontown and Tuslaw. Several or our areas are at a paltry 1% and even lower.

The real message is that real estate statistics are local in nature. Be sure to ask your Realtor about your particular neighborhood.

For those desiring a report on their area, please email me and I would be more than happy to provide the general trend for your area.

Yearly average sales prices for single family residences have remained very flat for Stark County, Ohio from the year 2000 to date. We haven't experienced rapid growth nor large decline. Of course local REALTORS belonging to the CRIS/MLS board have access to very specific Statistical Market Reports, but the information contained in those reports are Copyrighted MLS Compilations, and can only be used in specific ways.

On page 6 of the February 2008, Volume 8, Number 2 issue of Ohio Realtor is a chart of Ohio Home Prices that shows a slow and steady rise from 2000 thru 2005. Years 2006 and 2007 show slight decreases, which of course ties in with decline in selling prices we are seeing in the nation as a whole. The looming question is will 2008 continue the downward pressure or will there be a rebound?

Speaking strictly from an overall trend, Stark County as a whole has not matched the slow steady gains experienced by the state of Ohio, when charts of Yearly Average Sale Prices for the periods 2000 thru 2007 are compared. Of course the market is a very local thing, and some areas of Stark County have in fact experienced steady growth and easily match or beat the overall statistics for the state of Ohio.

One of the major reasons why Stark County, Ohio is continually among the most affordable places to live in the United States is that traditionally it has been an area of slow and steady economic growth. That fact has helped isolate the region from the boom-and-bust cycles prevalent in some other parts of the country.

We just haven't had the peaks of the rest of the country, and therefore we haven't had the valleys either. Ours is not a resort type area that has attracted a lot of real estate speculation that drives prices sky high. Not having glitzy casinos or coastal properties means Stark County has more subtle pleasures.