DEBUT | Paul Landis, The Final Witness

Come and experience this momentous event at The Cleveland History Center and hear the firsthand account of Paul Landis, former Secret Service Agent, and Author of The Final Witness, as he recalls his eyewitness experience from the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. His new book reveals previously unknown details that disrupt the 60 year old narrative.

“Dallas, Texas. November 22, 1963. Shots ring out at Dealey Plaza. The president is struck in the head by a rifle bullet. Confusion reigns.

Special Agent Paul Landis is in the follow-up car directly behind JFK’s and is at the president’s limo as soon as it stops at Parkland Memorial Hospital. He is inside Trauma Room #1, where the president is pronounced dead. He is on Air Force One with the president’s casket on the flight back to Washington, DC, an eyewitness to Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office. What he saw is indelibly imprinted upon his psyche. He writes and files his report. And yet, Agent Landis is never called to testify to the Warren Commission. The one person who could have supplied key answers is never asked questions. By mid-1964, the nightmares from Dallas remain, and he resigns. It isn’t until the fiftieth anniversary that he begins to talk about it and reads his first books on the assassination.

Landis learns about the raging conspiracy theories—and realizes where they all go wrong.”

VIP PACKAGE $75

Includes admission for intimate wine reception with the author 6:00pm to 7:00pm and preferred seating for the Author Event.

VIP Guests also receive a signed book and free parking and early museum admission. The author will be present and VIP guests will be provided an opportunity to tour the museum galleries between reception and the Author Event.

GENERAL ADMISSION PACKAGE $45

Includes admission to the event and a signed book.

Doors Open 7:00pm

Author Event and Discussion 7:30pm

*Additional copies of the publication will be available the evening of the event in the Cleveland History Center Museum Store.

Virtual Italian Language Classes – Fall 2023

First day of class: October 28th, 2023

Last day of class: December 16th, 2023

Class duration: 1.5 hours for 8 weeks

Cost: WRHS Member Registration: $120, General Registration $140

*This class will be canceled if less than 10 students register.

This 8-week virtual course, taught by Ivana Di Siena, is perfect for both absolute beginners and those with some basic Italian knowledge. This course is great for anyone who is starting from scratch or looking to build on some basic existing skills.

What to Expect:

Develop essential reading, listening, and speaking skills.

Dive into Italian grammar, phonetics, and syntax.

Engage in real-life situational learning.

Explore Italian culture through readings and conversations.

Questions? cmoody@wrhs.org

Dream Town – Laura Meckler

Can a group of well-intentioned people fulfill the promise of racial integration in America?

In this searing and intimate examination of the ideals and realities of racial integration, award-winning Washington Post journalist Laura Meckler tells the story of a decades-long pursuit in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and uncovers the roadblocks that have threatened progress time and again―in housing, in education, and in the promise of shared community.

In the late 1950s, Shaker Heights began groundbreaking work that would make it a national model for housing integration. And beginning in the seventies, it was known as a crown jewel in the national move to racially integrate schools. The school district built a reputation for academic excellence and diversity, serving as a model for how white and Black Americans can thrive together. Meckler―herself a product of Shaker Heights―takes a deeper look into the place that shaped her, investigating its complicated history and its ongoing challenges in order to untangle myth from truth. She confronts an enduring, and troubling, question―if Shaker Heights has worked so hard at racial equity, why does a racial academic achievement gap persist?

In telling the stories of the Shakerites who have built and lived in this community, Meckler asks: What will it take to fulfill the promise of racial integration in America? What compromises are people of all races willing to make? What does success look like, and has Shaker achieved it? The result is a complex and masterfully reported portrait of a place that, while never perfect, has achieved more than most and a road map for communities that seek to do the same.

Includes black-and-white images.

*Part of the 2023-2024 By the Book series.

Pricing Details:

Non-Member-

Purchase the book from us and get half price of 1 admission to this event and access to the virtual book presentation via code provided at checkout.

Member-

Purchase the book at 10% off from our gift shop, and get free admission to this event and virtual access to the book presentation free.

Members save 10% on all museum store purchases!

Interested in becoming a member?

9.28.23 William Krejci Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland

10.5.23 Carlo Wolff Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Soul Scene

1.18.24 Laura Meckler DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity

2.22.24 Stay tuned for details!

3.23.24 Family Friendly Finale – Stay tuned for details!

*Event prices and times may vary, check specific event page for more information.

Invisible Soul – Carlo Wolff

Join author Carlo Wolff in discussing Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Soul Scene with us at the Cleveland History Center on Thursday, October 5th!

In a neighborhood of clubs, theaters and dives, Black club owners, entertainers and audiences found security and joy in the throb of some of America’s most authentic music. The scene was sweaty, smoky, and sexy. From dusk to dawn, across three decades, the streets swayed to the sound of soul. And then it was gone. Invisible Soul tells stories of a boisterous, ballsy, bawdy time when entertainers and audiences brought heart and soul to this corner of the city.

*Part of the 2023-2024 By the Book series.

Pricing Details:

Non-Member-

Purchase the book from us and get half price of 1 admission to this event and access to the virtual book presentation via code provided at checkout.

Member-

Purchase the book at 10% off from our gift shop, and get free admission to this event and virtual access to the book presentation free.

Members save 10% on all museum store purchases!

Interested in becoming a member?

9.28.23 William Krejci Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland

10.5.23 Carlo Wolff Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Soul Scene

1.18.24 Laura Meckler DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity

2.22.24 Stay tuned for details!

3.23.24 Family Friendly Finale – Stay tuned for details!

*Event prices and times may vary, check specific event page for more information.

Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland – Bill Krejci

Rediscover Cleveland’s Forgotten Hauntings!

Hiding in obscure corners and in plain sight, chilling tales from Cleveland’s paranormal past await reawakening. A tale from 1840 places the city’s first haunted house on the windswept commons south of town. Hanged murderers were said to roam the corridors of the Old County Jail, and the 1885 disinterment of the old Cleveland Medical College graveyard led to reports of nocturnal phantoms throughout the excavation. With the construction of Bulkley Boulevard in 1912, many West Side homes were demolished. Also destroyed was the entrance to what neighbors menacingly called The Cave of Apparitions.

Take a step back in time with author and investigative historian William G. Krejci on this journey through Cleveland’s long lost ghostly past.

*Part of the 2023-2024 By the Book series.

Pricing Details:

Non-Member-

Purchase the book from us and get half price of 1 admission to this event and access to the virtual book presentation via code provided at checkout.

Member-

Purchase the book at 10% off from our gift shop, and get free admission to this event and virtual access to the book presentation free.

Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland – Order here

Members save 10% on all museum store purchases!

Interested in becoming a member?

Experience the Art of Storytelling at Cleveland History Center! Join us for our Author Series for diverse narratives delving into vibrant tales of the past. — By the Book Series at the Cleveland History Center!

9.28.23 William Krejci Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland

10.5.23 Carlo Wolff Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Soul Scene

1.18.24 Laura Meckler DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity

2.22.24 Stay tuned for details!

3.23.24 Family Friendly Finale – Stay tuned for details!

*Event prices and times may vary, check specific event page for more information.

Fashion After Dark Exhibit Opening

Join us for the opening ceremony of our newest exhibit, Fashion After Dark. Enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and live music with special remarks from Patty Edmonson, Museum Advisory Council Curator of Costume & Textiles.

Event Highlights:

Hors d’oeuvres
Open Bar
Tour of the exhibit
Access to museum galleries
Special playing of music box

About the Exhibition:

Fashion After Dark explores the relationship between fashion and artificial light, beginning with the introduction of gas in Cleveland during the 1840s. This exhibition simulates the atmosphere of an evening on Euclid Avenue through fashion, interiors, lighting, and sound.

Imagine a visual feast of shimmering silks, dazzling sequins, and sparkling gemstones. In the 19th century, gaslight brought eveningwear to life in an otherworldly way. Daylight stood in such stark contrast that some shops even offered specially-lit rooms for choosing silks, and style writers recommended the best colors and fabrics for gaslight in particular. Below stairs, working people kept homes with new lighting technologies running. Each room presents a time period and a theme in order to bring the story of fashion and lighting to life.

By the Book Author Series | Fashioning Black Womanhood: How African Americans Influenced the Fashion Industry and Fought for Equality Copy

By the Book Author Series | Fashioning Black Womanhood: How African Americans Influenced the Fashion Industry and Fought for Equality

Date: Thurs., Oct. 7, 2021

Time: 6:00pm

Program Description

From slavery to the present day, fashion has served an important means for Black women to express their identities and to fight for racial equality. This coming panel, concurrent with the exhibition Amanda Wicker: Black Fashion Design in Cleveland, will discuss how Black women carved themselves a space as fashion experts and influencers and how the industry became an avenue to claim freedoms in Cleveland and beyond.

Speakers include Patricia Edmonson, Museum Advisory Council Curator of Costume and Textiles at WRHS, Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, a fashion historian who will discuss her new book Dressed for Freedom: The Fashionable Politics of American Feminism, and fashion designer and entrepreneur/owner of Dru Christine Fabrics & Design, Dru Thompson.

About the Presenters

Einav Rabinovitch-Fox

Dr. Einav Rabinovitch-Fox teaches American and Women’s and Gender History at Case Western Reserve University. She examines the connections between fashion, politics, and modernity, and her writing appeared both in scholarly journals and books as well as venues such as The Washington Post, PBS, and The Conversation. Her book, Dressed for Freedom: The Fashionable Politics of American Feminism explores how women used fashion to challenge race and gender identities and to promote feminist agendas in the late 20th century.

Patty Edmonson

As the Museum Advisory Council Curator of Costume & Textiles, Patty Edmonson curates a collection of over 40,000 objects that tell the stories of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. She received an MA from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture and has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Her fashion exhibitions in the Chisholm Halle Costume Wing include Political Fashion Statements (2016), Wow Factor: 150 Years of Collecting Bold Clothes (2017), Mad for Plaid (2018), Si Jolie! French Fashion in Cleveland (2019), and Amanda Wicker: Black Fashion Design in Cleveland (2021). In addition, she curated the exhibit E. Theophilus Caviness: Church Community, Cleveland, and is actively working to create a more diverse textile collection that represents all walks of life in Cleveland.

Dru Thompson

“Dru” Thompson began sewing at the age of 13. Being inspired by the likes of Byron Lars, Thierry Mugler, and Gianni Versace, she went on to pursue and obtain a degree in fashion merchandising at the University of Akron. Soon after, Dru moved to Los Angeles, serving as a stylist and costume designer. She returned to Cleveland in 2001, and after taking on various roles at major fashion retailers, she decided to forge her own path and start a fashion business, now known as Dru Christine Fabrics & Design.

Having resided in some of Cleveland’s most historical and renowned communities, Dru has developed a diverse clientele across the growing city. She also shares her expertise by hosting fashion, style, and sewing workshops in her store, teaching fashion classes at the Cleveland School of Arts, and serving as the Arts and Fashion Writer for Cool Cleveland.

Dru Thompson has established herself as a well-recognized leader in the region’s fashion industry, public speaker, educator, mentor, and a model for small business success. Dru’s passion lies in offering designs for the bold and eclectic; preserving a studio that fosters creativity, ingenuity, and inspiration; and sharing her experiences with aspiring fashion designers and entrepreneurs.

To stay updated with Dru Thompson:

Official Website: www.druchristine.com
Facebook: Dru Christine Fabrics & Design
Instagram:@druchristine
LinkedIn: Dru Thompson
Twitter: @druchristine
Wordpress: “Hustle & Sew” www.druchristine.wordpress.com

By the Book Author Series

This event is presented as part of the Cleveland History Center’s By the Book Author Series. For more information about the series, including a full list of topics, please click here.

Virtual Italian Language Lessons Begin – Winter 2021/22

Please note: this series will be held online. For more information about the virtual platform, see below.

Italian Language Classes are back at the Cleveland History Center! This virtual series of basic Italian Language Classes will be taught by Serena Scaiola, a native speaker of Italian with many years of teaching experience at all levels in several local universities.

Beginner/Intermediate Italian: This 8-week, Saturday morning course is designed for individuals with no previous knowledge of Italian, or for those who were exposed to the Italian spoken language but need to refresh. It is intended to give basic skills in reading, listening and speaking, with a focus on developing comprehension and communication skills. The fundamental elements of grammar, phonetics, and syntax will be introduced by using a functional situation approach. A part of each lesson will be dedicated to real situation exercises, grammar drills and consolidation of the material, deepening of concepts through cultural readings, conversations, role games, listening, and reading exercises. No matter what the motivation is – personal interest, upcoming travels or researching your genealogy – learning Italian will make any experience much more fun and engaging!

Advanced Italian: This 8-week, Saturday afternoon course is designed for individuals who have already taken Beginner Italian, or have a very basic knowledge of Italian language. These classes will build on the concepts taught in the Beginner level and will utilize many of the same learning tools and strategies.

Schedule:

Beginner/Intermediate: Saturdays, Feb. 12 – April 19, 2022 | 10:00-11:30am
- No class on Sat., Feb. 19
Advanced: Saturdays, Feb. 12 – April 19, 2022 | 12:00-1:30pm
- No class on Sat., Feb. 19

Location: This course is online only and will be delivered via Skype. After you register, your instructor will send instructions on how to join the class virtually.

Pricing:

General Registration: $140
WRHS Member Registration: $120

SUGGESTED MATERIALS: Italian Grammar (Quickstudy: Academic) by Inc. BarCharts; Italian Verb Conjugation Card (Foreign Language Verb Conjugation Cards) by Marcel Danesi. Both available on Amazon.

Registration for this course is now open! Please see below to register.

By the Book Author Series | Fashioning Black Womanhood: How African Americans Influenced the Fashion Industry and Fought for Equality

By the Book Author Series | Fashioning Black Womanhood: How African Americans Influenced the Fashion Industry and Fought for Equality

Date: Thurs., Oct. 7, 2021

Time: 6:00pm

Program Description

About the Presenters

Einav Rabinovitch-Fox

Patty Edmonson

Dru Thompson

To stay updated with Dru Thompson:

By the Book Author Series

This event is presented as part of the Cleveland History Center’s By the Book Author Series. For more information about the series, including a full list of topics, please click here.

By the Book Author Series | Virtual Book Discussion: A Choice of Weapons

By the Book Author Series | Virtual Book Discussion: A Choice of Weapons

Date: Thurs., Nov. 18, 2021

Time: 6:00pm

Program Description

This virtual discussion will focus on several of the major themes that Gordon Parks explored in his 1966 memoir, A Choice of Weapons. Among other things, the discussion group will consider Parks’ Kansas roots, his challenging young adult years, his early work as a pianist, his foray into professional sports, his family life, and his discovery of professional photography – the weapon that would transform his life forever.

For more information on books by and about Gordon Parks, please click HERE.

Please note that this is a virtual discussion. Participants will receive access information upon registration.

About the Presenter

Dr. Regennia N. Williams

Dr. Regennia N. Williams is the Distinguished Scholar of African American History and Culture at the Western Reserve Historical Society and President of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Fulbright Association. An award-winning historian, she is also the founder, president, and director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Spirituality in the History of Africa and the Diaspora (The RASHAD Center, Inc.). This nonprofit corporation creates, supports, and promotes arts and humanities programs in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area and in the state of Ohio through performances of Black sacred music, producing popular and scholarly publications, and conducting research for the Praying Grounds Oral History Project. Williams has also conducted oral history research in Newport News, Virginia; Washington, DC; Ile-Ife Nigeria; Macau, China; and Free State, South Africa. Her published works include books, book chapters, and articles in scholarly journals, newspapers, and magazines, and she is the founder and editor of The Journal of Traditions & Beliefs and the Traditions & Beliefs newsletter. Her chapter on “Race, Religion, and Reconciliation: Academic Initiatives, Leadership Development, and Social Change” was published in Leadership for Change: Developing Transformational Student Leaders through Global Learning Spaces (2021).

For more information on Dr. Williams’ publications and oral history research, please click HERE.

By the Book Author Series

This event is presented as part of the Cleveland History Center’s By the Book Author Series. For more information about the series, including a full list of topics, please click here.

By the Book Author Series | Black Politics and Black Power in Ohio, 1837-1860

By the Book Author Series | Black Politics and Black Power in Ohio, 1837-1860

Date: Thurs., Nov. 11, 2021

Time: 6:00pm

Program Description

In the 1840s and 50s, a remarkable cadre of Black leaders built electoral and political influence within Ohio’s rapidly shifting partisan terrain. Taking advantage of state Supreme Court decisions recognizing as “Caucasian” any man claiming he was “preponderantly white,” thousands of African American men voted throughout the state by the 1850s. A fiercely contested 1856 congressional race between Lewis Campbell and Clement Vallandigham was one of many instances where Black voters were seen as crucial, and the Republican Salmon P. Chase was repeatedly derided as a “Negro Governor” whose election depended on their support. Finally, on Election Day 1860, the New York Herald, the country’s leading newspaper, proclaimed that Congress should invalidate Lincoln’s election because of Ohio’s “fourteen thousand negro voters.” Learn more about the power of the Black vote in Ohio in a panel discussion, led by Dr. Van Gosse, Professor of History at Franklin & Marshall College; Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Distinguished Scholar of African American History & Culture at WRHS; & Dr. John Grabowski, Krieger Mueller Chief Historian at WRHS.

Note: A 30-minute Q&A session will follow the presentation.

About the Presenters

Van Gosse

Van Gosse (he/him) is a Professor of History at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous articles and books on post-1945 politics and social movements, including Where the Boys Are: Cuba, Cold War America, and the Making of a New Left. More recently, he has written on African American politics in the antebellum era, including his 2021 book, The First Reconstruction: Black Politics in America, From the Revolution to the Civil War. He is also co-chair of Historians for Peace and Democracy (www.historiansforpeace.org).

Dr. Regennia N. Williams

For more information on Dr. Williams’ publications and oral history research, please click HERE.

Dr. John J. Grabowski

Dr. John J. Grabowski holds a joint position with the Historical Society and Case Western Reserve University and serves as the editor of the online edition of the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. His areas of expertise include local, national, and global migration and immigration, sports history, Cleveland history, the development of museums and archives, and the study of historical memory and its role in shaping an understanding of the past.

By the Book Author Series

This event is presented as part of the Cleveland History Center’s By the Book Author Series. For more information about the series, including a full list of topics, please click here.

By the Book Author Series | Chief Thunderwater: An Unexpected Indian in Unexpected Places

By the Book Author Series | Chief Thunderwater: An Unexpected Indian in Unexpected Places

Date: Thurs., Nov. 4, 2021

Time: 6:00pm

Program Description

In his presentation, Dr. Gerald Reid will focus on his recently published book, Chief Thunderwater: An Unexpected Indian in Unexpected Places, which tells the story of Chief Thunderwater (Oghema Niagara), a Cleveland-based Indigenous activist who played a vital role in the political revitalization of Hodinöhsö:ni´(Haudenosaunee/Iroquois/Six Nations) communities in Canada in the early twentieth century. He will discuss the development of his interest in Thunderwater’s story, present a synopsis of Thunderwater’s life, and offer a consideration of his political influence and legacy. Reid will highlight the importance of the CHC/WRHS collections for understanding and telling the Thunderwater story.

About the Presenter

Gerald Reid is Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. His scholarly interest focuses on cultural and political development and revitalization among the Hodinöhsö:ni´ (Haudenosaunee/Iroquois/Six Nations) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His published work includes Chief Thunderwater: An Unexpected Indian in Unexpected Places (University of Oklahoma Press, 2021), “’To Renew Our Fire’: Political Activism, Nationalism, and Identity in Three Rotinonhsionni Communities” (in Tribal Worlds: Critical Studies in American Indian Nation Building, State University of New York Press, 2013), and “Illegal Alien? The Immigration Case of Mohawk Ironworker Paul K. Diabo” (American Philosophical Society Proceedings, Volume 151, No. 1, 2007).

By the Book Author Series

This event is presented as part of the Cleveland History Center’s By the Book Author Series. For more information about the series, including a full list of topics, please click here.

Lunchtime Book Talk | The Art & Science of Genealogical Research

Lunchtime Book Talk | The Art & Science of Genealogical Research

Date: Monday, October 18, 2021

Time: 12:00pm

Join WRHS and the Cleveland Public Library for this lively discussion of the book There Is Something About Edgefield: Shining a Light on the Black Community Through History, Genealogy & Genetic DNA by Edna Bush and Natonne Elaine Kemp.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch Manager and former college English instructor, Dr. Tonya Briggs, will lead the book talk for 15 minutes. Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Distinguished Scholar of African American History and Culture at the Cleveland History Center of the Western Reserve Historical Society and author of Black America: Cleveland, Ohio, will speak about her family history and genealogy research experience for 15 minutes. The last 15 minutes of the book talk will be spent answering participants’ questions.

This event is brought to you by the Cleveland Public Library and the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Register Here

Virtual Italian Language Lessons Begin – Fall 2021

Please note: this series will be held online. For more information about the virtual platform, see below.

Schedule:

Beginner/Intermediate: Saturdays, Sept. 18 – Nov. 6, 2021 | 10:00-11:30am
Advanced: Saturdays, Sept. 18 – Nov. 6, 2021 | 12:00-1:30pm

Location: This course is online only and will be delivered via Skype. After you register, your instructor will send instructions on how to join the class virtually.

Pricing:

General Registration: $140
WRHS Member Registration: $120

SUGGESTED MATERIALS: Italian Grammar (Quickstudy: Academic) by Inc. BarCharts; Italian Verb Conjugation Card (Foreign Language Verb Conjugation Cards) by Marcel Danesi. Both available on Amazon.

Registration for this course is now open! Please see below to register.

Speaking of Cleveland Talk & Tour | The Apollo Program

Speaking of Cleveland Talk & Tour | The Apollo Program

Between 1969 and 1972, twenty-one American astronauts left Earth’s orbit and voyaged to the moon as part of NASA’s Apollo Program. Twelve of those men walked on the lunar surface. Join Chief Curator Eric Rivet to discover the triumphs and tragedies of the Apollo Program and learn about the men and machines that made it possible for us to leave Earth. Then, take a tour of the Cleveland History Center’s core exhibit, Cleveland Starts Here, to see the artifacts that inspired this program.

This tour is available virtually through Zoom AND in-person at the Cleveland History Center.

Registration

Price: This tour is included with the cost of museum admission. (General Admission: $12 / WRHS Members: Free)

In-Person Tour: To purchase your tickets for the in-person tour, click here. You will be redirected to our ticketing website, where you may purchase admission for the day of the tour.

Virtual Tour: To register for the virtual version of the tour, use the options below. The virtual program will be held through the Zoom platform. When you register, you will be sent a confirmation containing your purchase receipt and all necessary login information.

Virtual Italian Language Lessons Begin – Spring 2021

The Cleveland History Center is taking its Italian Language Class series online! This series of basic Italian Language Classes will be taught by Serena Scaiola, a native speaker of Italian with many years of teaching experience at all levels in several local universities.

SCHEDULE:

Beginner/Intermediate: Saturdays, April 24 – June 12, 2021 | 10:00-11:30am

Advanced: Saturdays, April 24 – June 12, 2021 | 12:00-1:30pm

LOCATION: This course is online only and will be delivered via Skype. After you register, your instructor will send instructions on how to join the class virtually.

PRICING:

General Registration: $140

WRHS Member Registration: $120

SUGGESTED MATERIALS: Italian Grammar (Quickstudy: Academic) by Inc. BarCharts; Italian Verb Conjugation Card (Foreign Language Verb Conjugation Cards) by Marcel Danesi. Both available on Amazon.

Registration for this course is now open! Please see below to register.

Cleveland Civics History Series | What Happened to the Whittlesey? And Other Tales of Northern Ohio Precontact Archaeology

Lecturer: Brian G. Redmond, Curator and John Otis Hower Chair of Archaeology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Date: April 22, 2021

Time: 7:00pm

About the Event: One of the most interesting problems for those who study the archaeology of northern Ohio has to do with the apparent out-migration of Native American societies after A.D. 1650. Known to archaeologists as the “Whittlesey” and “Sandusky” traditions, these late precontact groups thrived along the rivers and lakeshore of northern Ohio then apparently left the area virtually unoccupied for almost a century. Who were these people? Where did they go? Why did they leave? Who did they become at the dawn of written history? This presentation will discuss the archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence bearing on these questions and offer some hypotheses as to the ultimate fate of the last indigenous people of northern Ohio.

RSVP Here: https://cwru.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kxd-gk9ESzmp2qj2dwlOuw

The Cleveland Civics History Series is sponsored by the Cleveland History Center, Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at Case Western Reserve University, and the League of Women Voters – Greater Cleveland.

Online Course Begins | Whose History Gets Saved?

WRHS Online Course | Whose History Gets Saved?

Course Description:

Our knowledge of the past, of history, depends on a number of things, including the historians, authors, filmmakers, and museum staff who create a narrative about a person, a time, a place, or an event. But ultimately those narratives rest on the evidence available to them – among them, documents, objects, oral histories, and increasingly digitized data. This three-week online class will focus on those sources and raise a number of questions as to how they survive and come to be used.

It is not a simple story, but one resting on the ability to create a source, the serendipity of its survival, the biases and viewpoints that lead to its preservation, and the manner in which individuals choose to interpret it. This is not a simple story, but one that raises many questions: questions about authority, intent, capacity, politics, funding, and changing viewpoints about the past. This course will be both lecture and discussion – indeed, discussion will be critical to debating and understanding how we come to know history.

Note: Readings for this course are suggested but not required. This course will not involve any written assignments.

Schedule: Wednesdays, March 31; April 7 and 14

Time: 12:00-1:30pm (a brief break will be included)

Instructor: John Grabowski, PhD, Krieger Mueller Chief Historian

Pricing:

Course Registration | $60

WRHS Member Registration | $50

How to Register:

To register, please see below. This course will be held through the Zoom platform. When you register, your confirmation will include a link that will allow you to join the course, as well as all necessary login information and instructions.

Online Course Begins | Black Agency and Black Activism: Cleveland, Ohio, c. 1820-2020

WRHS Online Course | Black Agency and Black Activism: Cleveland, Ohio, c. 1820-2020

Course Description:

In recent decades, educators, journalists, authors, and elected officials have frequently joined others in struggling to understand citizens’ growing activism and public protests against police violence, inadequate health care, political disfranchisement, and violations of the economic and civil rights of Black citizens. Many of these same individuals have also enjoyed some measure of success in helping to address these concerns. While the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag and related Twitter feeds are relatively new, in Cleveland, Ohio the aforementioned struggles have a long and carefully documented history. This online course will provide participants with opportunities to consider the long view of Black Agency and Black Activism, from the Antebellum Era to the 21st Century (c. 1820 – 2020). Course activities will focus on the work of John Malvin, Charles W. Chesnutt, Mary Brown Martin, L. Pearl Mitchell, Carl Stokes, Sarah J. Harper, Black Lives Matter (Cleveland), leaders of area churches, and other groups and individuals.

This four-session course is designed to coincide with the 50th anniversary celebration of the African American Archives Auxiliary (“Quad A”) of the Western Reserve Historical Society. Master teachers and Quad A members Beverly Lloyd and Margaret Peacock have agreed to give brief presentations on Kwanzaa during the session focusing on Black Cultural Nationalism in the 1960s and 1970s. The list of suggested readings will include works by Samuel W. Black, Regennia N. Williams, Marvin A. McMickle, Todd Michney, A. Grace Lee Mims, Leonard Moore, Nishani Frazier, and other scholars and artists whose published works are based in part on materials in the African American Archives.

Note: Readings for this course are suggested but not required. This course will not involve any written assignments.

Schedule: Thursdays, April 29; May 6, 13, and 20

Time: 6:00-7:30pm (a brief break will be included)

Instructor: Regennia N. Williams, PhD, WRHS Distinguished Scholar of African American History and Culture; and other guest presenters.

Pricing:

Course Registration | $60

WRHS Member Registration | $50

How to Register:

Registration will close at 12:00pm on Thurs., April 29. If you need to sign up after registration closes, please email Whitney Stalnaker, Public Programs Manager, at wstalnaker@wrhs.org.

Speaking of Cleveland Talk & Tour | Euclid Beach Park

Speaking of Cleveland Talk & Tour | Euclid Beach Park

Euclid Beach Park holds special memories for Clevelanders of all ages. Just what makes this park so very memorable? Join John Frato, Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel Training & Volunteer Coordinator, for this month’s Speaking of Cleveland Talk & Tour to find out!

First, learn about the story of Euclid Beach Park as we present our lecture, The Story of Euclid Beach Park. This presentation will cover the park’s history, from its beginnings in 1895 through its heyday and into its final days in 1969. Then, explore the iconic Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel like never before in a behind-the-scenes tour of the carousel at the Cleveland History Center. Get up-close with the colorful, hand-carved wooden horses and hand-painted scenes on the carousel’s exterior and take a peek into its inner workings while learning the story of its restoration.

This tour is available virtually through Zoom AND in-person at the Cleveland History Center. Spaces for the in-person event are limited, so reserve your spot today!

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / WRHS members FREE

You may register using the options below. This event will be held through the Zoom platform and live at the Cleveland History Center. When you register, you will be sent a confirmation containing your purchase receipt and all necessary login information.

Sales for in-person tickets will end at 12:30pm on the day of the event; tickets for the virtual experience will be available until the start of the event (6:00pm).