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.

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.

Virtual Presentation | Who Names the Neighborhood? A Question of Identity

Presenter: John Grabowski, PhD, WRHS Senior Vice President, Research & Publications; Krieger Mueller Historian

About This Program

Cleveland’s neighborhoods have, and have had, an intriguing series of names – from Kamm’s Corners to Dutch Hill and Little Italy and now to Hingetown. Some names have been around for over a century, others are new. Neighborhood identity is something many take for granted, yet the story of names and name changes for areas within the city opens a deeper story. Who, for instance, gets to choose the name – the people who live in the area, or city officialdom? Why, when and how have the identities of neighborhoods been altered simply the ascription of a new name? When did the original “organic” borders of neighborhoods become straight lines on a map? This session will explore the history of Cleveland’s neighborhoods by looking at the broader story of their identities over time and the manner in which name changes have been influenced both by shifting demography, politicians, developers, and urban planners.

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

You may register using the options below. This event 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.

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).

Virtual Panel Discussion | Slovenian Neighborhoods of Cleveland

Cleveland is home to the largest settlement of Slovenians outside of Europe. Slovenian-Americans took advantage of the resources the city made available to them to build families and institutions and develop a lively cultural scene. Each of the city’s Slovenian neighborhoods was anchored by an imposing cultural Hall or majestic church (or both), surrounded by tidy homes and thriving businesses. Many high-profile Clevelanders emerged from those neighborhoods to leave their mark on the city. Joe Valencic talks about these remarkable individuals, as well as why Slovenians chose Cleveland and what set each neighborhood apart. Dr. John Grabowski reviews the impact immigration had on the growth of the city and what this particular nationality contributed to the city.

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland Tour | Hay-McKinney Mansion

Speaking of Cleveland Tour | Hay-McKinney Mansion

The Cleveland History Center’s signature lecture series, Speaking of Cleveland, invites participants to take a front-row seat as our experts share significant stories that capture the Cleveland spirit. Each month, join our staff as we explore the intriguing, curious, and oft-forgotten tales from Cleveland’s past. Pulled directly from the nationally recognized collections of the Western Reserve Historical Society, these stories showcase the innovation, the grit and the pride that characterize Cleveland’s past, present and future.

This Month’s Program

The Hay-McKinney Mansion is 20,000 square foot, Italian Renaissance Revival home, located in the fashionable Wade Allotment. Only briefly inhabited, this living museum tells the stories of Mrs. Clara Hay, the McKinney family, and prominent Clevelanders who built a city through savvy entrepreneurship and generous philanthropy. The home is now furnished with period artifacts from the WRHS collections, each room laid out as it might have been in the late 18th and early 19th century. The mansion is a picture of a city’s rise and the men and women who shaped it.

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

Don’t miss our corresponding virtual lecture, Stories from Millionaires’ Row, on April 21! Register for both events below and save on your admission!

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland Combo Ticket (includes tour and lecture): $25 general admission / $15 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland | Stories from Millionaires’ Row

Speaking of Cleveland | Stories from Millionaires’ Row

This Month’s Program

Declared “the most beautiful street in America,” Euclid Avenue was once home to powerful families who not only shaped Cleveland, but national politics and industry, as well. Hear their stories as you take a walk down Euclid Avenue in the 19th Century and learn about the beautiful art and architecture of their homes.

Don’t miss our corresponding virtual tour of the Hay-McKinney Mansion on April 15! Register for both events below and save on your admission!

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland Combo Ticket (includes tour and lecture): $25 general admission / $15 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland | Battle for the Ballot: Cleveland’s Suffragist Movement

Speaking of Cleveland | Battle for the Ballot: Cleveland’s Suffragist Movement

This Month’s Program

There is no complete record of the brave, often unnamed women who fought for their right to vote and finally triumphed in 1920. Learn about a band of women who dedicated themselves to the public interest and grew into an organization that won the respect and confidence of the nation. This program will tell the story behind the Cleveland women who advocated for suffrage and went on to help establish the League of Women Voters.

Don’t miss our corresponding virtual tour of our newest exhibit, Women & Politics, on March 10! Register for both events below and save on your admission!

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland Combo Ticket (includes tour and lecture): $25 general admission / $15 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland Virtual Tour | Women & Politics

Speaking of Cleveland Virtual Tour | Women & Politics

This Month’s Tour

Presented by PNC and WRHS in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, Women and Politics is a virtual exhibit that traces the story of women’s empowerment, explores the early days of the suffragist movement, examines the successful fight for the 19th Amendment, and celebrates the birth and growth of the League of Women Voters as a force for clean government and the election of northern Ohio women to positions of power.

Don’t miss our corresponding virtual lecture, Battle for the Ballot: Cleveland’s Suffragist Movement, on March 17! Register for both events below and save on your admission!

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland Combo Ticket (includes tour and lecture): $25 general admission / $15 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland | The History of Hough Bakery

Speaking of Cleveland | The History of Hough Bakery

This Month’s Program

This program traces the history of Hough Bakery, a beloved local business, from its founding in 1903 to its momentous closure in 1992. With photographs and materials from the Hough Bakery archives held by WRHS, explore the growth and expansion of the company in the mid-twentieth century, and remember the magnificent products the bakery produced that live on today in the treasured memories of Clevelanders.

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland | Praying Grounds: African American Faith Communities

Speaking of Cleveland | Praying Grounds: African American Faith Communities

This Month’s Program

African American faith communities have long served as influential centers of social and religious activities. In this presentation, historian and author Regennia N. Williams will discuss the evolving role of religion in Black America, based on her ongoing research for the Praying Grounds Oral History Project and her books and other publications, including Cleveland, Ohio and “Race, Religion, and Reconciliation: Academic Initiatives, Leadership Development, and Social Change.”

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland | Italian American Life in Cleveland

Speaking of Cleveland | Italian American Life in Cleveland

This Month’s Program

Today, Cleveland is home to a vibrant Italian American community that has grown over decades of immigration. Explore Italian immigration to the city from the late 19th Century through the present day, with a focus on life in the Italian neighborhoods.

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

You may register using the options below. This event will be held through the Zoom platform. When you register, we will email you a link that will allow you to join the course, as well as all necessary login information and instructions.

Speaking of Cleveland | Ghosts of Christmas Past

Speaking of Cleveland | Ghosts of Christmas Past

This Month’s Program

Enjoy a true Victorian holiday season and explore the ghosts and folklore that shaped 19th Century holidays in Cleveland. Whether you view them as creepy superstitions or tales with hidden wisdom, these stories are made to entertain and will leave you looking at holiday traditions in a whole new way.

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland | Ohio’s Presidential Past

Speaking of Cleveland | Ohio’s Presidential Past

This Month’s Program

Ohio is sometimes called the Mother of Presidents, and it is claimed that the state has produced more U.S. presidents than any other state. Join Chief Curator Eric Rivet to learn about the truth behind this claim and to hear stories about the men from Ohio that have held the nation’s highest elected office.

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Speaking of Cleveland | Eliot Ness & the Torso Murders

Speaking of Cleveland | Eliot Ness & the Torso Murders

This Month’s Program

While acting as Cleveland’s Safety Director, Eliot Ness made great improvements in our infrastructure that created a lasting legacy for the city. However, in these same years, Ness would come head-to-head with a series of heinous crimes – the Torso Murders. Explore the famous case that is still considered unsolved to this day, and learn about the Cleveland of Eliot Ness.

Registration

Price: $15 general admission / $10 WRHS member admission

Cleveland Civics History Series | The City on the Hill: Tom L. Johnson and the Mayors Influenced by Henry George

The City on the Hill: Tom L. Johnson and the Mayors Influenced by Henry George

Presenter: Dr. Alexandra W. Lough, author of The Last Tax: Henry George and the Social Politics of Land Reform in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

Date: Thursday, November 19

Time: 7:00 pm

About the Event:Cleveland during the period of Mayor Tom L. Johnson (1901-1909) was considered by many to be one of the best governed cities in the nation. But Johnson was just one of several mayors who were followers of the 19th century political economist and social reformer Henry George. Dr. Alexandra Lough will explain how the teachings of Henry George influenced Tom L. Johnson’s mayoralty in Cleveland.

RSVP here: https://cwru.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VoURYKsXTRqjC57O2H1Tig

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.

Cleveland Civics History Series | The Mike White Years by the Journalists Who Covered Him

The Mike White Years by the Journalists Who Covered Him

Panel: Brent Larkin, Cleveland Plain Dealer; Tom Beres, WKYC-TV (retired); Leon Bibb, WKYC-TV, WEWS-TV (retired); moderated by Mark Naymik, WKYC Channel 3 – Cleveland

Date: Wednesday, October 21

Time: 7:00 pm

About the Event:The 1990s in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio were molded by 3-term Mayor Michael R. White (1990-2002). Changes to the Cleveland Public Schools, Gateway stadium (and stadiums in general), the Browns, the airport, and many other decisions were made that are impacting the region to this day. Hear from the journalists who covered Mayor White as they look back 20 years later.

RSVP here: https://cwru.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VoURYKsXTRqjC57O2H1Tig

Cleveland Civics History Series | Deconstructing the Rockefeller Myth: A Cleveland Perspective

Deconstructing the Rockefeller Myth: A Cleveland Perspective

Presenter: Dr. John J. Grabowski, Senior Vice President of Research & Publications, Western Reserve Historical Society, and Krieger Mueller Associate Professor of Applied History, Case Western Reserve University

Date: Wednesday, October 7

Time: 7:00 pm

About the Event: John D. Rockefeller. Did he forget Cleveland? Dr. Grabowski will talk about the various long held beliefs held by many Clevelanders about John D. Rockefeller and whether they are based in truth.

RSVP here: https://cwru.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VoURYKsXTRqjC57O2H1Tig

Cleveland Civics History Series | The Long Arc of Justice and the Beloved Community

The Long Arc of Justice and the Beloved Community: Courage and Resilience in Black Women’s Struggle for Universal Voting Rights and Political Power

Presenter: Joy Bostic, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies and Founding Director for the African and African American Studies Program, Case Western Reserve University

Date: Wednesday, September 23

Time: 7:00 pm

About the Event: This talk will delve into the core values and organizing strategies Black women use locally and nationally in the struggle for inclusive voting rights in the United States.

RSVP here: https://cwru.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VoURYKsXTRqjC57O2H1Tig