Captain Samuel Brady (1756-1795 or so)

In July, my thoughts turn to Sam Brady.

There used to be a café in Kent, Ohio - Brady's Café - just across the street from the Kent State campus. I always loved the blend of smells: smoke, coffee, patchouli and breakfast food. For several years, I had been perpetuating the rumor that this establishment had been a restaurant since 1910 - I know I heard that somewhere, but shortly before it closed in 2002 I discovered that I may have originated as well as perpetuated that rumor.

The café was named after Captain Samuel Brady because of his local adventures. Born and raised in Pennsylvania and Ohio, in the days when Pennsylvania and Ohio were the frontier, Indiana was the wild west, and California was uncharted territory. By the late 1770's, Brady had served under George Washington in the Revolutionary Army and had been decorated for valor. After being stationed at Fort McIntosh, he earned a reputation among both the Indians and the settlers as a particularly fierce Indian fighter, his tenacity probably fueled by losing his mother and grandmother in an Indian raid.

The story goes that he was on his way from Fort McIntosh in southern Ohio heading north and then east to Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania. He was chased by a band of Indians to Kent, where he came to the Cuyahoga River. There were crossing points at Standing Rock, and further south, but where Brady came to the river, there was a ledge on his side, and a lower ledge on the other side.

There's a plaque there commemorating Brady's Leap, even though it now looks impossible. In the 1830's the railroad cut the channel significantly wider, but by all contemporary accounts the river was 22 feet across. Brady made the leap, and upon landing was shot in the thigh with an arrow. In my retelling, Brady gritted his teeth and broke the arrowhead off in his leg, and continued on.

As if that wasn't enough showing off for one day, Brady continued his run toward Fort Pitt, heading east past the river. About 3 miles east of the river he came to a small lake where he submerged himself, breathing through a reed underwater till his pursuers lost his trail and gave up pursuit. (Some stories say he stayed in the water, under the ice, through the winter, but that sounds a bit far-fetched, even for a legend-in-his-own-time.) The town that grew up around Brady Lake remains the setting for other myths & legends about the Spiritualist camp, the dance hall, the mob, and even UFO sightings in the 70's.

When it was safe, he made his way back to Pennsylvania where he was hailed as a hero. Sort of makes "Survivor" or "Road Rules" look like child's play.

Thus, for a man whose story is more likely fabrication than reality, I hardly think anyone should object to me saying the café was a restaurant since 1910.

*At the very least, legends and tall tales are loosely based on some real event. In the interest of equal time for historical inaccuracies, the following should be noted: the general consensus is that Brady was born in 1756. Beyond that... Brady was likely born either in Shippensburg, PA, or Cumberland County; Brady may have lost his father, brother, mother, or grandmother in Indian raids - pick two; Brady may have hidden underwater in the Chartier River, near what is now Pittburgh, PA, rather than in Brady Lake. He may also have simply hidden under a fallen chestnut tree, on which his pursuers stopped to rest. That he remained underwater through the winter is a flat out, bald-faced lie that I made up. Sam Brady may have died while serving at Fort Pitt in 1795; he may have died and been buried in West Liberty, WV in 1800.

These facts, for our purposes, are immaterial.

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