Paddock River Preserve is situated on 194 acres of land that were once part of the Aurora Country Club. The Preserve is named for Harold “Pappy” Paddock, Sr., who was a prominent figure in the history of the property as an early owner of the club and a well-known golf course architect. His stewardship helped ensure that the acreage remained undivided from the early 1940s until 2012 when the City of Aurora was able to buy the land.

The property falls within the Chagrin River Watershed and contains the Aurora Branch of the Chagrin River. It is close to other protected areas and parklands and was recognized as vital to the survival and enrichment of our local environment. The Ohio EPA helped fund the purchase and worked with cooperating agencies including the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District to preserve the land and restore the Aurora Branch and its headwater tributaries through the Water Resources Restoration Sponsor Program. As a result of these efforts, the Preserve has been carefully restored to a more natural state.