{Ohio} Palmyra, Where Clark Gable Lived
In 1917, Clark’s father Bill Gable packed up his family and moved from the little town of Hopedale north 50 miles to the rural outskirts of Ravenna, Palmyrna Township.
The area is still very rural and quaint, with houses far apart and cows and horses visible from every yard.
Here is Alliance Rd, where the Gables moved to:
And here is the house, modernized and added on to, but still standing!
Clark was not happy in Palmyra and missed all his friends from Hopedale. He attended Edinburgh High School, which has since burned down, but a new school was built in its place:
In 1920, Clark traveled back to Palmyra Township when he received news that his beloved stepmother was ill. She died in her room at the farm on January 11 and was buried just up the street in Palmyra Cemetery.
It took us a little while to find her. The cemetery is not extremely large but is packed with graves dating back to the Civil War!
It was a cloudy, dreary, bittingly cold morning when we visited. And me without my coat! The cemetery is well kept and is still the town cemetery, as there were recent plots and room for many more on the far corners. Despite the weather, we wandered for a while gazing at the headstones, many a hundred years old or more.
Jennie is sadly all by herself. Although there is a space for him here with Jennie, Bill Gable was cremated and is interred alone in Hollywood Forever Cemetery in California.
14 Comments
Rachael
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
Mary Lou Futej Fields
Thsnk you so much for sharing! I am such a fan of Clark Gable! A “Gone with the Wind” Fanatic!! What they call. “Windy”! Love! ❤❤❤❤
Gloria
Thank you for sharing a little of the life of one of my favorite actors!! Who could ever live up to his portrayal in Gone With the Wind. He was so handsome and manly!!!
David
The school you have pictured is in Palmyra Township. It is not on the same sight where the Edinburgh School was located.
Daniel
The Edinburg school was right behind my house, the bricks are still around
Linda
My aunt Bonnie remembers seeing his school records from Edinburg!
Dan Almashy
Pretty good job you did on this. My wife is from Palmyra and she has a lot of family in that cemetery. She knows the house on Alliance toad as well. Her parents live halfway between that cemetery and the Southeast schools. her aunt used to work their as an aid and did a lot of work in the offices. She tells us the story of how she ran across Clarks school records at the school. And tells us about a girl that Clark was sweet on as most high school boys would have a girlfriend..lol Thank you !!
Jon
The photos are all wonderful! Thanks for sharing them! As a local, I can add some additional information I hope you’ll find useful!
The area where Clark lived is a small crossroads called Yale, where the townships of Palmyra, Edinburg, Atwater, and Deerfield all meet. Ravenna is the nearest town of any size, but is a good 10-15 miles to the northwest. Alliance Road forms the border between Edinburg and Palmyra townships, with Edinburg on the west and Palmyra on the east.
As for Edinburg High School, the current Southeast High School pictured was built in 1954 (major additions and renovations in the mid 2000s) and the old Edinburg High School (built in 1915) wasn’t torn down until the early 1980s after serving as an elementary school up until the early 1970s. Southeast was created in 1950 by consolidating five rural districts in Portage County, including Edinburg. Edinburg High School was located near the southwest corner of State Route 14 and Tallmadge Road (the center of Edinburg), about 3 miles west of the current Southeast High School site.
Here’s a photo of Edinburg High School: http://www.oldohioschools.com/portage_county_files/portage%20edinburg%20township%20school%20OLD%20in%201927.jpg
Mike wells
That’s where my great grandparents are and my uncles and aunts and my grandparents , friends and others I have known probly where I’ll be also.
Charles Reber
Fantastic story, I really enjoyed reading this, however, I believe Clarke Gable lived in Palmyra. Palmyra had it’s own school that still stands today, and is an apartment building, I believe Clarke would have attended there. Now Edinburg school did not burn down, it was torn down. And the new school Southeast High School is actually in Palmyra Township, and is not on the grounds where Edinburg school was, it is actually located between both Palmyra and Edinburg High Schools. Although this was a fantastic article.
Nicole
Great photos! However, I was told my whole life that Clark Gable grew up in the first house on the corner of Alliance and Yale. Looks like a small plantation house with four columns in the front spanning two stories. The house has been vacant for many years, and it is difficult to see the house from the road through the overgrowth.
The Edinburg school (what’s left of the foundation) is actually located on the parcel right next to the farm.
Mary Lou Fields
I love this story! I am such a big fan of “Gone with the Wind” I am what you would call a “Windy”. I just love Clark Gable and Vivian Lee!
This story is really very cool to me because my daughter and her family live in Diamond, Ohio. They live right down the road from the cemetery and my granddaughter goes to Southeast High!
The house he lived in on Alliance Road is also right around the corner from daughter.
Someone I do believe is occupying the home now.
What ashame however his stepmom is buried alone. I thought for sure both the Gable boys would be with her.
Thank you for sharing this story. Keep them coming if you can.
The Akron Goodyear Plant is not too far from where I work and live.
Thanks again
Mary Lou Futej Fields
Janet Young
Clark worked on our farm on Rt 18, baled hay.
Larry Hanover
Thank you for this outstanding article. I once passed by this place when I was passing by.