Worden's Ledges Rock Carvings

Noble Stuart was the son of Charles Stuart and Sadie Bayes. He spent the early years of his life in Michigan. In 1900, at the age of 18, Noble moved to Quebec, Canada, where he met his first wife, Rose Thomas. They lived in Canada until 1905, and then moved to Detroit, where Noble took a job as a bricklayer. Noble and Rose had three children, George, Selma, and Daisy. In 1918, Noble and his son George moved to Cleveland, where he joined the Bricklayers Union Local 5. In 1919, Noble met a wealthy widow named Sarah Flickinger, and moved into her apartment on Euclid Avenue. In 1929, he married Sarah, and lived with her in the apartment until she died in 1942. After Sarah s death, Noble bought land and built a home at 745 Ledge Road in Hinckley, Ohio, just down the road from Nettie Worden. He married Nettie on January 19, 1944 and moved into they Worden homestead. Noble began carving the sandstone ledges in 1944. He carved things that were of personal interest to him, such as the famous baseball player, Ty Cobb and a schooner. The carvings were completed in 1948. Noble continued to live at the homestead until his death on September 24, 1976, at the age of 94. Noble left the homestead to his son George, who lived there until his death on April 2, 1984. The estate was then auctioned off. It was bought by the Cleveland Metroparks on November 15, 1984 to add to the 2,275 acres of the Hinckley Reservation. The operation of the homestead was finally turned over to the Hinckley Historical Society in 1988.