In 1956, Miss Clara Belle Ritchie willed her historic family home and a portion of the original land to the Western Reserve Historical Society to be used as a public museum of 19th century Western Reserve history. The Connecticut Western Reserve refers to the Northeast Ohio land strip that was part of Connecticut's original land grant, extending from Sandusky to Youngstown to the Pennsylvanian border. The area is roughly 3.3 million acres, with Hale Farm & Village being 90 of them. Since its founding in 1867, the Western Reserve Historical Society has owned and preserved several historic sites in the region. The west side features original structures built by the Hales, including the historic Hale farmhouse Old Brick, and the east side features 19th century structures of the Western Reserve that were relocated there for preservation.