In 1867, the Western Reserve Historical Society was founded to preserve and present the history of all of the people of northeast
Ohio . Today, it is the largest privately supported regional historical society in the nation. The reason we're called the Western Reserve Historical Society instead of the Cleveland or Northeast Ohio Historical Society has to do with how the area was settled. When the original colonies of the United States were formed, most of the western borders were left blank, since the settlers didn't know how far west the land went. If you look at the map to your right, you'll notice that northern Ohio is exactly west of Connecticut, so we were originally part of the state of
Connecticut . In 1786, the State of Connecticut gave up its claims to Western lands of the United States, except for a portion of northeastern
Ohio known as the Connecticut Western Reserve. Later, the land was sold to the Connecticut Land Company, which surveyed and settled the region, but the name Connecticut Western Reserve - or just Western Reserve - continued to be used to describe the northeastern section of
Ohio .
The Western Reserve Historical Society is a not-for-profit educational institution that preserves and uses its collections, historic sites, and museums to inspire people to explore the history and culture of Northeastern Ohio and place that regional experience within the larger context of state, national, and global history.
Collections and exhibitions focus on the
Western Reserve . Both permanent, and especially changing, exhibitions place the region in its larger historical context. The
Crawford
Auto-Aviation
Museum collections illustrate the history of the automotive industry in the
Western Reserve as well as nationally and internationally.
The Society's collections and exhibits serve as a major educational resource for library and museum users, including school children, the general public, and scholars. In order to communicate effectively with these audiences, exhibits, whenever appropriate, employ modern interactive technologies and techniques. The Society seeks to make its research materials, exhibits, and programs accessible to a diverse and inclusive audience, including the handicapped.
