Beyond The Name

In Roman Park on Ranney Parkway in Westlake, visitors enjoy a playground, concessions and three baseball fields. Originally called Ranney Park, it was renamed in 1998 in honor of the late Alexander R. Roman, former mayor of Westlake.  

Alexander Roman had a long career serving Westlake and Cuyahoga County. He became a member of the Civil Service Commission in 1958, went on to serve as a secretary and chairman, and was elected mayor of Westlake in 1965. He was also a member of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). In July 1980, he resigned from his position as mayor to become a judge of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

The Observer is excited to celebrate the end of the year with a new beginning, as we welcome columnist Elizabeth Heineman. “Beyond the Name” will highlight interesting stories about the people whose contributions to our community have merited the naming of streets, parks, buildings and other landmarks in their honor. Elizabeth discovered an interest in local history through volunteer work at a museum in her home state of Maine. She moved to Westlake in October 2015, then to Bay Village in May 2016.

As a relative newcomer to the Westlake/Bay Village area, I often find something new to learn about it, past and present; about those who live and lived here. Two names in particular are hard to avoid: Cahoon and Clague. For readers who have lived here longer than I, their stories might already be familiar. But for me, getting to know these families has helped me learn more about my new community.

Cahoon Creek courses along Bay Village’s Cahoon Road and through Cahoon Memorial Park, into Lake Erie. Clearly, the Cahoon family has a prominent place in Bay Village history.

Their story begins with the purchase of Township 7, Range 15, on the shore of Lake Erie.