Recreation and Popular Culture

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The "Akron Sound" Museum

Calvin Rydbom and Akron Sound Museum

The "Akron Sound" Museum was established in 2015 to celebrate, commemorate and preserve the contributions and musical history of the Akron, Ohio area. The original mission of the museum was solely focused on the era during the 1970s and 1980s when Akron, and along with Kent, were arguably the punk capital of the Midwest. But over time it has grown to celebrate all of the region's musical heritage while still maintaining and celebrating The "Akron Sound" era as it's primary mission.

Whether the music that came out of Akron and Kent is truly punk, as it's often described, is up to opinion. As Buzz Clic, the lead guitarist of the Rubber City Rebels who also ran the They Crypt that became iconic to the local music scene, said "I don't think any of the bands sounded alike but I think the spirit was the same. We were all just sick of being spoon-fed the music of the day and it appeared that the seat assignments were already taken, so when the "punk, new wave" thing came along, well... there was a wide open door and we all just went through it". So unlike others "sounds" that have risen up in different cities over the years, the label thrown on Akron/Kent at the time had more to do with an attitude than an actual style of music. Those a bit more cynical might even say it was simply marketing, but regardless a vibrant music scene existed.
The Darius Milhaud Society Collection

Sarah Boyle and Kyra Mihalski

Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six (also known as The Group of Six) and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. A modernist composer, his compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality.

The rise of Nazi Germany and invasion of France forced the Milhauds to emigrate to the United States in 1940. Because of his Jewish background, Milhaud could not return to his native country until after the war concluded. He secured a teaching post at Mills College in Oakland, California, where he composed and collaborated with other composers during the war years.

From 1947 to 1971, he taught alternate years at Mills and the Paris Conservatoire, until poor health compelled him to retire. He died in Geneva at the age of 81, and he was buried in the Saint-Pierre Cemetery in Aix-en-Provence.

During his tenure at Mills College, Darius Milhaud became acquainted with one of his students, Katharine Warne. Warne studied composition with Milhaud during her undergraduate career at Mills College and completed compositions, sketches, and homework during her time as a student with him. Upon graduating from Mills College in 1945, Katharine Warne maintained contact with Darius and Madeleine Milhaud (Darius' wife), often attending Milhaud's birthday celebrations at Mills College.

Katharine Warne created the Darius Milhaud Society in 1984, 10 years after Milhaud's death, with the purpose of preserving and promoting his works and legacy. As founder and president of the society, Warne maintained a personal and professional relationship with Madeleine Milhaud, who performed in concerts and provided information about Darius for the society.
The Cain Park Theatre Collection

Sean Dolan

The first municipally-run, outdoor civic theatre in the country, Cain Park was the brainchild of Cleveland Heights Mayor Frank C. Cain and Heights High School drama teacher Dr. Dina Rees "Doc" Evans. Rising from the ashes of the Great Depression, Cain Park was built using finances and labor made possible by New Deal agencies, namely the County Soldiers and Sailors Relief Commission and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). From the beginning, "Doc" Evans' plans for the Park were ambitious, yet she accomplished nearly everything she set her mind on. Throughout the 1940's, Cain Park Theatre staged at least one production for each week of its ten-week seasons. These productions included works by Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Sardou, Pirandello, Gilbert and Sullivan, and countless others. There were dramas, musicals, period pieces, and comedies. No matter the genre, the seats at Cain Park's amphitheater were always full, during both good times and bad. The trials of a country at war and competition from the Golden Age of Hollywood did little to slow down the open-air theatre in the woods between Taylor and Lee roads.

In fact, Cain Park Theatre, led by its co-founder and manager "Doc" Evans, did all it could to keep morale up during World War II. In March of 1942, "Army Red!", an original production written by Cain Park alumnus and serviceman John Price, showed the citizens of Cleveland Heights what it would be like if an actual air raid were to take place in their community. Cain Park Theatre was awarded a Citation of Merit by the Office of Civilian Defense for this effort. Later that same year, in August, a "Victory Sing" was held in which the community gathered at the Park to sing patriotic songs, led by the Cain Park Choral Society and the Cleveland Heights Symphony Orchestra. The following year, the Office of War Information (OWI) contacted "Doc" Evans about staging an "Industrial Show", a pageant to celebrate the contributions of Americans on the home front working in manufacturing plants to support the war effort. A "grand spectacle" titled "Flight For Freedom" was planned, in cooperation with the Jack & Heintz Co. of Cleveland, but it never came to fruition, mainly due to the U.S. Government's decision to eliminate the OWI.

Some of the ways that Cain Park Theatre helped Americans get through World War II were more subtle, such as the Sunday Evening Community Hours that featured a guest speaker each week who would give a talk on topical issues and, often, moral and philosophical concerns of the day. However, perhaps the most telling page of the story of Cain Park's contribution to the war effort is one found towards the end of a theater program from the week of July 23, 1944. It lists the names of over eighty young men and women, all of whom had either played on the stage or worked behind it, who were currently serving overseas. Underneath it was an "In Memoriam" dedicated to three young men who would not be returning home.

Some very big names graced the stage of Cain Park's amphitheater during its "Halcyon Years". Among them were local news legends (Dorothy Fuldheim), nationally recognized actors (Hal Holbrook), and internationally famous muses to Nobel-winning Italian playwrights (Marta Abba). Numerous theater directors, set designers, choreographers, and actors came from far and wide to take part in summer productions staged at Cain Park Theatre, making it an important and influential destination within the "Little Theatre" movement.

Despite all this success, Cain Park never strayed from its roots as a municipally-owned venue operating with Mayor Cain's goal of providing dramatic entertainment for the community at an affordable price. It is safe to say that not only did Cain Park fulfill this mission, it also achieved "Doc" Evans' vision of becoming not just a theatre, but a school of the theatre, where those with acting talent and ambition could find an outlet. In return for this gift, the many alumni of Cain Park over the years gratefully served not just their community, but their country as well.
The CSU Theatre History Collection

Holly Miller

Student theatrical productions at Cleveland State University have been a continuous part of student life on campus from before 1923 when the Cleveland Young Men's Christian Association education program first started offering college level courses at The Cleveland YMCA School of Technology and Fenn College, CSU's predecessor school. During the 1930’s Fenn’s student drama organization was variously called The Players of Fenn College and simply The Players, before becoming commonly known as The Fenn Players.

Early stage productions were produced in the auditorium of either the Central YMCA or the "Medical Building". Later Fenn productions were staged in Fenn Tower’s Panel Hall and Stilwell Hall auditorium. The person most responsible for developing The Fenn Players was Professor George Srail of the Speech Department. Between 1946-1965, Srail directed many of the productions as well as writing a number of original scripts for The Players. Srail was also chiefly responsible for establishing at Fenn the Kappa Zeta chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theater Honorary Society.

In 1965 Fenn College was taken over by the State of Ohio and became The Cleveland State University, The Fenn Players became the CSU Players, and Joseph Garry was hired and took over direction of student drama productions. Under Garry there was a major production by the CSU Players each quarter that ran for at least two weekends. From 1965-1969 CSU Players' productions continued to be staged in Fenn Tower's Panel Hall or Stilwell Hall auditorium.

On November 21, 1969 the Theater Department open it's presentation of The Connection by Jack Gelber, and directed by Garry, at its new Factory Theatre in the Theater Arts Building, a converted former warehouse. The production also marked the discontinuation of the name CSU Players. In November 1970 Garry directed a production of Aristophanes' The Birds, which debut of the CSU Dance Company. In March the production was invited to perform at the College Theater Festival at George Washington University Centre.

The production of Jose Rivera's Marisol, directed By Holly Holsinger, opened in the Allen Theatre Complex's Second Stage on February 23, 2012. It was the Department's first production in its new home in the Middough Building in Cleveland's Playhouse Square where a $30 million reconfiguration offers CSU students three state-of-the art performance venues in the nation's largest theatre district west of Broadway in New York City.
Karamu House and Theatre

Natalie Jemiola-Wilson and Lynn M. Duchez Bycko

Karamu Theatre, listed as the "oldest black theater company in America" by the African American Registry, began in 1917 with a series of plays with interracial casts, which were produced by Russell and Rowena Jelliffe in the Neighborhood Association settlement they founded two years earlier on East 38th Street in Cleveland, Ohio.

The name Karamu, Swahili for "a place of joyful meeting," was applied to a new theater constructed in 1927 and became the name for the entire settlement in 1941. When a fire destroyed the original complex in 1939, it was rebuilt a decade later at East 89th and Quincy, where it remains as a vibrant part of the community.

This is a collection of Karamu House photographs from the Cleveland Press Collection and others, showcasing the settlement's activities, including the theatrical productions, as well as a collection of WPA art produced at Karamu and collected by Russell and Rowena Jelliffe.
The Maple Sugar Industry in Northeast Ohio

Carolyn L. Hufford and Jonathan Herr

Native Americans and then early settlers tapped sugar maple trees for the sap that was then boiled down to a sweet syrup consistency. About forty gallons of sap are required to produce one gallon of maple syrup. The harvest season for maple sap is in late winter/early spring when the "sap is running." Sap is collected until the buds on the tree begin to swell.

In northeast Ohio, the first Maple Festival was officially held in Chardon in 1926. In 1931, the City of Burton erected the "first municipal maple house in the country." The proclaimed "Log Cabin Sugar Camp" was located in Burton Park.

Local promoters saw the opportunity to create an event that would attract people longing to get out of the house after a long winter indoors. The idea was to serve a breakfast feast of pancakes, sausage and maple syrup to crowds of people.

About the Collection:

This collection of photographs was largely taken from the Cleveland Press "Maple Sirup" aka "Syrup" file. The Cleveland Press collection of photographs was donated to the Cleveland State University in 1984, after the Cleveland Press stopped production. The pictures represented here date from the 1920’s through the 1970’s, showing various aspects of maple sugaring production from throughout northeast Ohio, notably Burton, Chardon, and Geauga County.
The Viktor Schreckengost Collection

Viktor Schreckengost, the "American DaVinci" was a Cleveland artist, teacher and industrial designer who reshaped the field of American design and influenced generations of students. Mr. Schreckengost combined artistic and functional brilliance in his designs for product ranging widely from pedal cars, printing presses, and kitchen appliances to furniture, dinnerware, and toys. He also created hundreds of watercolors, sculptures, and decorative ceramics including the iconic "Jazz Bowl."

Mr. Schreckengost founded the first industrial design program in the nation at the Cleveland Institute of Art. For more than 70 years, he instructed nearly 1,000 students, who have produced billions of dollars of successful products for American industry.

His honors include a Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects. At age 100, he received the National Medal of the Arts from President George W. Bush during a White House ceremony. Viktor Schreckengost passed away in 2008 at age 101.

The Schreckengost Collection, dating back to the 1920s, includes job folders with correspondence, sketches, blueprints, and contracts with other prominent firms in the Cleveland area who participated in a particular job. Companies and organizations with which Viktor was associated during his career are included in the archives. The collection is housed in Special Collections at the Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University. See the Schreckengost Collection Finding Aid or read the brochure.
Cleveland Breweries Remembered

Matt Gambrill

This web exhibit showcases images of buildings, people and brands documenting the history of the Cleveland brewing industry through the 19th and 20th centuries. Images from this exhibit can be found in the Cleveland Press Collection located in the Special Collections located in the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University.

Fermented grains have been a staple of humanity since it was first documented in Sumerian civilization and have followed civilized culture wherever it roams. Some have even speculated that human cultures shifted from hunter-gatherers to agriculture to have enough grains available for fermentation. It is important to recognize the roles fermented grains have played throughout the millennia for human cultures and the diversity found in beer producing regions around the globe.

The story of Cleveland breweries is as old as the city itself. Small brewery operations followed settlers to the area and established themselves near the Cuyahoga River. Before refrigeration, a period of local taverns flourished, where beer was produced locally and drank locally, creating a diverse entrepreneurial marketplace for immigrants arriving to the area from Ireland, Germany, Czechoslovakia and other beer producing regions of Europe. Competition was fierce and thirsts were mighty in Cleveland.

By 1910, there were 26 breweries operating in Cleveland competing for market share. Competition drove breweries towards consolidation and the pursuit of larger and larger markets, most notably the Cleveland & Sandusky Brewing Company. This all came to an end with the passage of the Volstead Act in 1919. Prohibition forced breweries out of operation or into production of near beer and soft drinks.

After the Temperance movement ended in 1933, several Cleveland area breweries started producing beer including the Standard Brewing Company, Pilsener Brewing Company, Leisy Brewing Company, and the Brewing Corporation of America later renamed the Carling Brewing Company. Brands like Black Label and Red Cap, Erin Brew, Black Forest, Leisy’s and P.O.C. were standards at picnics and ballgames in Cleveland for decades.

Over time though, it is sad to say that all the original Cleveland breweries slowly buckled under the pressure from national competition through the 1960s and 70s, with the last of the breweries ending operations in 1984 at the old Carling plant.

…but the story didn’t end there. In 1988, the Conway brothers launched the Great Lakes Brewing Company located in the old Market Tavern near the West Side Market in Ohio City. So after a long wait, quality local beer has finally returned to the City of Cleveland.

Drink responsibly!
The Glory Days of the Cleveland Browns

Matthew B. Long

Over 200 photos from 1946-64, when the Cleveland Browns were one of the best teams in football. These are the years of Paul Brown, Otto Graham, and Jim Brown, when the Browns won eight league championships. Coach Paul Brown completely revolutionized the game of football. Otto Graham brought the Browns to ten straight championship games. And Jim Brown is considered by many to be the greatest football players to ever play the game.
Playhouse Square

Calvin Rydbom

Playhouse Square came into being after World War I when local real estate developer Joseph Laronge, who had already opened the Stillman Theater on East 12th Street, formed a partnership to build a row of theaters on Euclid Avenue between East 14th and East 17th Streets, thus creating the largest performing arts center in the United States outside of New York City.

Five theaters opened between February 1921 and November 1922 along Euclid Avenue between East 14th and East 17th Streets. Four of the theaters – the Allen, Ohio, State and Palace – were on the north side of Euclid, with the Hanna across the street in the Hanna Building.

The theaters originally offered silent movies, legitimate theater and vaudeville. Later, during the Great Depression, movies became the main form of entertainment. While there were several factors to the theaters’ demise, chief among them was the post World War II change in the way people spent their entertainment dollars, with many people spending their leisure time in newly developed suburbs. Television was also a factor. While the Allen, Ohio, State and Palace theaters had opened in a 19-month span, it took just 14 months (from May 1968 to July 1969) for all four to close. The Hanna struggled to stay open for almost two more decades.

In 1972, civic leaders stopped the planned destruction of the Ohio and State theaters. The purchase and eventual reopening of the Allen Theatre in October of 1998 meant that for the first time in over 30 years, all four marquees on Euclid Avenue burned at night. Shortly after that opening the Playhouse Square Foundation purchased the Hanna Building and the Hanna Theatre. Once again Cleveland could lay claim to the largest performing arts center in the United States outside of New York City. In a newspaper poll, civic leaders hailed “the saving of Playhouse Square” as the leading triumph on a list of the top 10 successes in Cleveland history.

This Web site, a collaborative effort between The Playhouse Square Foundation and the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University, contains images of prominent figures and events from the history of Playhouse Square, as well as images of the theaters over time. This site also documents some of the productions that comprise the history of Playhouse Square from its inception to the present time.
The Cleveland Metroparks

Sarah Inglish

Also known as the Emerald Necklace ... the Cleveland Metroparks is one of city’s highlights. Conceived by engineer William Stinchcomb back in 1917, this system of sixteen reservations encircles the city of Cleveland to create a 21,000 acre park district, the oldest in Ohio.

Residents of the Cleveland area go to the Metroparks to enjoy the many activities available including hiking, swimming, golfing, boating, horseback riding and sledding, as well as to delight in some of the most beautiful scenic views in Greater Cleveland.

Nature centers, trails and educational programs offer visitors unique opportunities to learn about the area's wildlife.

The photographs are from the Cleveland Press Collection and represent 9 of the 16 reservations in the Cleveland Metroparks system.
The Early History of The Cleveland Play House (1915-1984)

Thomas Kubat

The Cleveland Play House was first conceived in 1915 at the home of Charles and Minerva Brooks. The first productions were performed at the Ammon house on the estate of Francis Drury and, for a brief period, in a barn behind the house. In 1917 The Play House found a new home in an old Lutheran Church at E. 73rd and Cedar Avenue. This would remain their home for 10 years until they finally relocated to their present location at Euclid and E. 86th Street.

From its modest beginnings on the estate of Francis Drury The Cleveland Play House has grown to become one of the largest regional theaters in the United States. It is the “nation’s oldest continuously running resident theater company” (Oldenburg, 1985).

The Cleveland Play House, though, is more than just the sum of its buildings. In particular, it is the vision of its founders, managers and artistic directors, and the legacy of those who treaded the boards, some of whom went on to national fame, that best define The Play House and will follow the company no matter the venue.

This Web site, a collaborative effort between The Cleveland Play House and the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University, contains images of the theatres, prominent figures and future luminaries of the stage as well as the productions that comprise the history of The Cleveland Play House from its inception in 1915 to 1983-84, when the new complex was unveiled.
Euclid Beach Park & the Humphrey Glass Negative Collection

Kieth Peppers

A Cleveland icon for more than 70 years, Euclid Beach Park can trace its origins to the golden age of amusement parks. Multitudes of similar venues appeared near the nation’s cities and along rail lines around the turn of the twentieth century. Seeking to relieve the expanding middle-class of their newly-gained free time and disposable incomes, the Humphrey Family began operating the park in 1901 with great success.

The family, headed by brothers Dudley, Harlow, and David, took over ownership of Euclid Beach Park in what is now North Collinwood, Ohio. Euclid Beach Park would continue to operate until its demise in 1969. Offering free entry, a safe atmosphere, and a morally safe haven, Euclid Beach thrived throughout the first half of the twentieth century while many others collapsed under the financial strains brought on by the Great Depression and white flight. Much of this continued success can be attributed to the aforementioned reasons as well as to convenient transportation to and from the park, to its scenic shores, and to keeping an eye on the competition.

That is not to say that Euclid Beach was without its problems; accidents occurred and a race riot unfolded during the 1946 season. In spite of their continued success, Euclid Beach would eventually lose its appeal to larger, more grandiose parks such as Cedar Point and Kennywood. After five years of financial losses, the amusement park, once the destination for all seeking an escape, surrendered to the changing times and closed its gates permanently on September 28, 1969.

Time would soon erase the remnants of Euclid Beach from its location along the lakeshore. Many of the smaller rides and fixtures were sold off and moved elsewhere; much of what remained fell victim to vandals, fire, and the ravages of the weather. Today, apartments and trailers stand in the place of rollercoasters and popcorn stands. Only the entry arch stands as a reminder of what once was Euclid Beach Amusement Park.
Tony Mastroianni Review Collection

Douglas Mastroianni

Read a collection of 20 years' worth of local reviews of theater, film, and music, as well as interviews with celebrities passing through Cleveland.

Cleveland native Tony Mastroianni wrote about the theater, movies, television and art during his 32 years with the Cleveland Press. Mastroianni won three Newspaper Guild awards for critical writing and three Press Club awards. The Cleveland Performer, a monthly publication for theater people, voted him the most knowledgeable and readable of all local critics. In 1984, he was given the William F. McDermott award of the Cleveland Critics Circle for contributions to the local theater. He was the paper's entertainment editor when it closed in 1982.
The Dobama Collection

Carolyn Solis

The Dobama Theatre was founded by idealistic theater students, Don and Marilyn Bianchi, Barry Silverman and Mark Silverberg as their way of presenting free quality theater for the people of Cleveland. Dobama started as a very small production company that managed to present its first production during the week of May 17, 1960. Barry and Mark left Dobama shortly afterwards, while the Bianchis remained to nurture the theatre on Don’s often proclaimed foundation of Love and Respect, and to develop it into an acclaimed, innovative, and award-winning (if not entirely free) theater. Read more...

The Dobama Collection is a collaborative digital project between The Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Public Library. Forty three Dobama playbills lent to us for digitization by the Cleveland Public Library Literature Department, publicity stills from the Cleveland Press Collection, as well as a chronological listing of Dobama productions through July 2007 compiled by Laura R. Dempsey were all cataloged and indexed in Cleveland Memory to provide this montage of the Dobama's contributions to Cleveland's vibrant theatrical scene.
The Cuyahoga County Fair Collection

Donna Stewart and Vern Morrison

Held each summer at the County Fairgrounds in Berea, the Cuyahoga County Fair has been a source of excitement and fun for Greater Clevelanders since 1893. Each year thousands of families come to the fair; some to enjoy the carnival rides and food, some to enter their livestock and produce in the competitions in hopes of winning a prize.

The Cuyahoga County Fair Collection consists of 120 photographs from the Cleveland Press Collection, taken from the 1920s to the 1980s. The photos depict fair activities and fairgoers of all kinds, from prize-winning cattle to children competing in races.

Another part of the Fair Collection is a 28-minute 1970 documentary titled County Fair, U.S.A., which provides a nostalgic look back at the Fair as it was a generation ago.

Also included are photos and audio interviews taken at the Memories of Cleveland Exhibit at the 2006 Cuyahoga County Fair, which was hosted by the Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University. The exhibit featured many memorable photographs from the library's special collections of people, places, and events from Cleveland's past.
Messing About in Boats: The Amazing Adventure of Robert Manry

Cecilia Hartman

On June 1, 1965 Robert Manry, a copy editor for the Plain Dealer and a Willowick, Ohio resident, left Falmouth, Massachusetts aboard his 13.5-foot sailboat, Tinkerbelle, to begin his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. He arrived in Falmouth, England seventy-eight days later on August 17, 1965. At the time of the crossing Tinkerbelle was the smallest boat to have ever crossed the Atlantic.

This website is a compilation of materials related to the events that led up to that journey, the trip itself and the events following. It includes an e-book version of Manry's book Tinkerbelle, approximately 150 photographs from the Cleveland Press and William Ashbolt collections, as well as editorial cartoons, excerpts from his log book, magazine articles and footage related to the journey.
Hanna Theater Curtain

Lesley Jorbin

Founded in 1921, the Hanna Theater, in Cleveland, Ohio "served as the mecca of legitimate theater in Cleveland for over 60 years, providing Clevelanders with a source of quality theatrical entertainment rivaling Broadway" (Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, 1987).

The Hanna Theater Curtain is a unique part of Cleveland's theater history. It was common practice for traveling companies to leave their mark backstage on theater curtains; it might be a shirt or poster stitched to the lining; an original drawing by the scene designer; signatures of the cast; anything which proclaimed "we were here!" Over the years, the Hanna Theater Curtain accumulated hundreds of such posters, T-shirts, colorful, whimsical drawings, signatures of legendary names in the theater, and miscellaneous objects such as dolls and balloons. In time, the Hanna Curtain itself became a legend within the performing arts community of Northeast Ohio--a unique, unsurpassed collage of theater memorabilia.

Today, all that remains of the elegant Hanna Theater Curtain is the canvas liner. By 2002, badly worn and in need of substantial restoration, the curtain liner was rescued from destruction by faculty members in the Dramatic Arts Department of Cleveland State University. It is now housed in the Special Collections Department of the University Library, awaiting restoration efforts. A unique treasure of Cleveland's theatrical past, the Hanna Theater Curtain has inestimable educational value for today's theater arts students, and for the broader performing arts community.
League Park: Cleveland's Original Ballpark

Donna Stewart

League Park, Cleveland's original ballpark was located at E. 66th and Lexington Ave. in Cleveland (see Google map). Cy Young pitched the first game there on May 1, 1891 for the National League Cleveland Spiders. Other famous players who appeared at League Park include Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Sachel Paige, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio.

Built in the late 1800s, the ballpark was the site of numerous historic sports moments, including:
- the 1920 World Series
- the first grand slam in World Series history (1920 series)
- first unassisted triple play in baseball history (1920 series)
- Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller's first game (1936)
The park, now a playground, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cleveland's Golden Age of Downtown Shopping

Revisit a cherished Cleveland tradition: a trip downtown during the golden age of department stores. Browse through Cleveland Press images capturing the elegance of Higbee's, Halle's, May Company, and Sterling Lindner-Davis. Remember the excitement of lunch at the Silver Grille or a visit to Mr. Jingeling? The awe of standing in front of a 60-foot Sterling Lindner-Davis Christmas tree? Relive the magic at Cleveland Memory!
Postcards of Cleveland

Jonetha K. Jackson, Mumtaz Mesania, Maribel Reyes, and Walter C. Leedy JR

Walter Leedy began his comprehensive collection of Cleveland postcards, now numbering nearly 8,000 in earnest in 1989. The earliest of Leedy's postcards date from 1898, before many people traveled widely, had telephones, or saw movies or newsreels, and before newspapers ran many illustrations.

Buying a picture postcard was an affordable treat common to all social classes, and collecting postcards often became a hobby. Even Queen Victoria was an avid collector... Read more about this collection.

This Web site includes digital representations of over half of the postcards in Dr. Leedy's collection.
Top 100 Cleveland Indians Roster

Vern Morrison

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland Indians in 2001, the Cleveland Indians organization released a roster of the top 100 greatest Indians as selected by a panel of veteran baseball writers, historians and executives.

Of the more than 1,500 men who played for the Indians throughout their history, these players are notable for their presence, ability, achievements, and popularity. To further commemorate these players, Cleveland Memory has complemented the roster with photos of the players, where available.