Business, Industry, and Labor
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The Western Reserve Historical Society Research Library has one of the largest regional archives that document the history of manufacturing, business, and industry in the United States. Combined with approximately 200 collections that document the history of organized labor, the library has an extensive archive that illustrates the economic development, decline, and rebirth of Cleveland and northeast Ohio.
The steel, garment, banking, and automotive industries are documented extensively, as well as the history of smaller, entrepreneurial operations and neighborhood businesses. The collections include the personal papers of small business owners, industrial leaders, individual workers, and labor leaders. Labor unions that represented the interests of steel workers, meat cutters, musicians, barbers, communications workers, and laborers are just a few of the trades represented.
The story of Cleveland’s Rust Belt economy and the economies that made up its many distinct neighborhoods is only a part of what makes these collections valuable to researchers. The collections also provide insight into social interaction and societal change, the role of women and minorities in the workplace, management and marketing practices, as well as architecture and engineering design and innovations.
Some of the companies represented in the collection:
| Acme-Cleveland American Greetings Ameritrust Corporation Austin Company Centerior Energy Dalton Company Leisey Brewing Company L.N. Gross Company LTV Steel |
Peerless Motor Car Company Pickands, Mather & Company Republic Steel Society Corporation Tiffin Manufacturing Towmotor Corporation TRW, Inc. White Motor Company Work Wear Corp. |
Some of the labor unions and related material in the collection:
| Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union Communications Workers of America Graphic Arts International Union International Association of Machinists International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen, and Helpers of America International Typographical Union |
International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, Soft Drink and Distillery Workers Lithographers and Photoengravers International Union National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees Textile Workers Union of America United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America United Food and Commercial Workers International Union United Steelworkers of America |
Browse some of the materials in the collection:
Corporations and companies
Labor
Entrepreneurs
Business, labor, and industry collections are part of the WRHS Heritage Management| Corporate and Philanthropic Archives Program.
