Ohlemacher Curve is named for the Ohlemacher family, who formerly lived in the house located on the curved portion of Cleveland Road West. Rollie Ohlemacher and his wife opened their home and barns to tourists. Dr. Dave Dreffer and Dr. James Kilbury formed a partnership and purchased the Ohlemacher farm in1981. The acreage included land spanning east to Village Green, west to Orangewood, and south to Route 2. (Video: clip from the documentary The Little Theater, produced by 2-time academy award winner Robin Lehman, 1980)
Guests spent the night in the Ohlemacher's main house, on the screened front porch, above the current unattached garage, and even in the former chicken coop. They dined together in the main house dining room. Outside tourist season, the Ohlemachers gave refuge to travelers who were caught in snow storms or had accidents on the poorly banked curve.The Ohlemacher home was upgraded by adding a great room before the property was purchased by current residents Dick and Donna Preston in 1987.Ora and Laura Sellers built their house east of the Ohlemacher's in 1930. In front of the house close to Cleveland Road was Seller's Restaurant and Service Station. The house was inherited from Mrs. Seller by her brother, William Murdock. Her nephew, Bill Murdock and his partner, Frank Peshka, who lived in NYC, spent their summers in Huron and used the former service station/pancake house as the rehearsal space for their adult/classical puppet company, the Little Theater. They returned to NYC every year for the puppet theater's season. The enterprise began as a hobby in 1952, but eventually became a full-time business.(See video)After farming the Ohlemacher property for several years, Dr. Dreffer established Westport Development to create the Wexford neighborhood. In 1996 Westport Development purchased much of the property south of Mapleview and Poplar Roads owned by Merritt Wilgrube. Pictured is William Kaman driving his horse and wagon on the streets of Wexford as houses were being constructed.Seller's service station was later converted into a pancake house. Loren Leidhieser, son of Huron physician Dr. L.D. Leidhieser owned the business from 1962 to 1965 and then sold it to Marie and Rolland Uther from Milan. The Pancake House was a popular stop for residents on weekend mornings.
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