Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) is Cleveland and Northeast Ohio’s premier storyteller of our region’s past, with six sites located in four counties. Founded in 1867 as the trusted steward of Northeast Ohio history, WRHS is one of the largest and most diversified historical societies in the United States.
We prioritize people, place and purpose.
WRHS strives for a culture of excellence, diversity, access and inclusion for all people and the communities we serve. We apply best practices on the stewardship of our properties, collections and digital resources. We strive to empower the entrepreneurial spirit to create, promote and sustain a relevant, experience driven organization. We approach our work through an equity lens to ensure collections, experiences, volunteers, interns and WRHS Team members reflect the rich diversity of Northeast Ohio.
Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) celebrates the women who shaped the past and make history every day and each year, the nation celebrates Women’s History Month in March as a time for study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. Today, as the U.S. continues its long and complicated struggle for equality, we celebrate women’s contributions, past and present, with curated content designed to be an informative aspirational message for everyone.
As we reflect and celebrate Women in History during Women’s History Month (March) and throughout the year, please refer to the following resources developed by our WRHS Team.
Thank you!
Archives & Collections
- Women’s History | Archival and Printed resources
- Digital Cleveland Starts Here® | Search and browse all WRHS digital content including images, text, and video.
- Womens History Reading Recommendations
Exhibitions
- Dressed for the Job: Clevelanders in Uniform at the Cleveland History Center
- Cleveland Starts Here®, sponsored by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation | at the Cleveland History Center
- Women and Politics | Empowered to Vote, Empowered to Lead, presented by PNC at the Cleveland History Center
- Si Jolie! French Fashion in Cleveland – Virtual Exhibit
Education
- Youth Entrepreneurship Education | Created in partnership with Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) with leadership funding from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, the program inspires the entrepreneurial spirit in our youth using historical examples of African American innovators and entrepreneurs.
- Speaking of Cleveland – WRHS Speakers Bureau | Online or in-person programs available for booking including:
- Battle for the Ballot: Cleveland’s Suffragist Movement, presenter Dr. Mary Manning, PK-12 Education Youth Entrepreneurship Education (YEE) Project Director
- Wow Factor: 150 Years of Collecting Bold Clothes, presenter Patricia Edmonson, MA | Museum Advisory Council Curator of Costumes & Textiles
- Recommended Reading
- Italian Women in Northeast Ohio | Virtual Resource
Downloads
In 1912, Cornelia Cassidy Davis (1870-1920) was awarded the prize for the best suffrage poster by the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association.
“Failure is Impossible” is a film about the history of women’s suffrage, a Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) and TELOS production.
“Failure is Impossible” accompanies the virtual exhibit, Women and Politics | Empowered to Vote, Empowered to Lead, sponsored by PNC. The film profiles past and present heroes of Women’s Rights and is designed to be an informative aspirational message to the next generation of Women’s Rights warriors.
Everyone will remember Miss Barbara and her Magic Mirror!
Cleveland Institute of Art graduates are paving the way for female automotive designers.
The 12-hour, 60-mile road trip that set the world in motion.
“If a woman has use for a car, she buys one and learns to drive it. I bought an airplane and learned to fly it, because I had use for it.”
A look into the family that operated Euclid Beach Park.
In a time when too much education was viewed as a danger for women, Adella Prentiss Hughes pushed forward.
Original organizer of the Ladies’ Aid Society, which was later renamed the Soldiers’ Aid Society and was a precursor to the American Red Cross.
