Local History

In anticipation of our upcoming fashion show being held this month, we at the Bay Village Historical Society would like to share some pictures of interesting women’s fashions from the 1860s-1920s, that we have found in our collections.

You may see quite a few fashionable dresses and accessories any Sunday at the Rose Hill Museum from 2:00-4:30 p.m., especially with our current exhibition, "Beadwork: The Beauty of Small Things."

The pictures accompanying this article are not always on display and many are tucked away in our library and archives. More photos can be found on our Glimpse of the Past page at www.bayhistorical.com. Enjoy!

Rose Hill Museum has a number of amazing costumes on display as part of this year’s special exhibition, "Beadwork: The Beauty of Small Things."

Undoubtedly, the embellishment of late 19th century clothing with jet beads or crystals was inspired by the replacement of candles with gas lighting which would pick up the glint of the beads. The use of jet beads resurged in the 1880s.

Near the first-floor staircase, the museum has a beautiful gown, the sapphire blue bodice of which is embellished with black jet beading. Natural jet, derived from fossilized wood, is lighter in weight and shines rather than sparkles. These beads would be a harder type than Irish jet which is fossilized peat, vulcanite, a vulcanized rubber, or dark glass imitating jet.

The 15th in a series of articles to be published as a walking tour of Lake Road by the Bay Village Historical Society in 2025.

Henry Spencer bought a 41.5-acre parcel in this location in 1869 or earlier. The tax records are missing for 1870 and 1871 and by 1872 the value of the property more than doubled indicating that the existing Victorian Italianate style house was constructed c. 1872.

W.H. Lawrence purchased the property and house after 1892, probably as a summer home for one of his seven daughters. Lawrence developed the Dover Bay Country Club east of Clague Road in 1890 and built the mansion now known as Cashelmara in 1899.

The Clague House Museum will be open for tours in the evening on Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 7-9 p.m. The museum is located at 1371 Clague Road in Westlake and admission is free of charge.

During the tour you will have the opportunity to learn about some of this area's pioneer families, how they lived, and how the Clague gift to our community is still being enjoyed today.

The following article was written by Bay Village Historical Society members Jim and Barbara Comienski. Barbara is a museum docent and collections volunteer. Jim is a retired planetarium director and astronomy and geology teacher for Lakewood City Schools. He is a 48-year member of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association, the Cleveland Regional Association of Planetariums and the Cleveland Astronomical Society, upon whose board he currently serves. Jim is also active in the Bay Village Kiwanis Club.

Much of the Cleveland area is in preparation for the total eclipse of the sun next year on April 8, 2024.

The last one in our area that extensive – a full eclipse – was on June 16, 1806, predating settlers but seen by Native populations as was an annular eclipse on April 3, 1791.

Summer is here and many vacationers have plans to travel by car sometime during the season. Many will be using a GPS guided map to navigate to their destinations. Smartphone apps will tell them where and when to turn at every step of the way.

In the past, their road trip would have been a little more challenging. About 20 years ago, they may have used a print-out of MapQuest’s list of directions. Before the internet, they could consult a printed map and figure out on their own how to get from Point A to Point B. Before there were even numbered routes, in the early days of automobile travel, a road guide might be the best way to navigate an unfamiliar area.

In the Bay Village Historical Society archives, we have acquired a copy of one of these road guides, printed in 1921. It is the "Official Automobile Blue Book, Volume Four," which covers Ohio and the states surrounding it. The book is one of the yearly editions that was published between 1901 and 1929, sponsored by The American Automobile Association, beginning in 1906. It was the “Standard Road Guide of America,” and in 1921 it covered the entire United States and Southern Canada in 12 volumes.

Apparently, someone was VERY upset with Walter E. Bidlingmyer of 444 Bradley Road, Bay Village, back in 1923.

We know because someone bombed his house, twice, within three days.

As part of the Bay Village Historical Society, I was doing some research for a century-home plaque for the home, so I contacted the Cuyahoga County archives for clarification on when, exactly, the home was built. What they found out was surprising.

Sure, having been built in 1920, the home qualifies for a plaque, but what was more surprising was the included two newspaper clippings from the Plain Dealer, dated May 25, 1923. It turns out someone really did not like the owner at the time, Walter E. and Isabelle Bidlingmyer (although I don’t think Isabelle had anything to do with it.)

The Bay Village Volunteer Militia was a short-lived but quite impressive group of Revolutionary War re-enactors who were active from about 1968-1973. The Bay Village Historical Society recently spoke with five former members about their experiences with the organization.

“We want to bring a little meaning back to the Fourth of July,” founder Daniel Warnke said in a July 3, 1969, interview with The Plain Dealer. The article goes on to say that Warnke and others were concerned about young people who said they did not see any connection between fireworks and the meaning of the Fourth of July. "We want to remind people that these are the weapons that were used to build and defend our country by the men we honor on the Fourth of July.”

The Bay Village Historical Society celebrates the 130th year of the Fuller House on Sunday, July 9, with a talk by developer Robert Corna.

Corna purchased the Bay Village home in 1981 to make way for the Cashelmara development and donated it to Baycrafters, now BAYarts. The 120-ton house was sailed 2.5 miles on Lake Erie to its new home in the Metroparks Huntington Reservation, making front-page headlines around the world. Corna will talk about the history of the house and its famous Lake Erie voyage.

The free porch talk begins at 2:15 p.m. Guests are asked to bring their own lawn chairs. Visit www.bayhistorical.com for additional information.

Congratulations to the recent Bay Village graduates of 2023!

In the Bay Village Historical Society archives, we have a small collection of photographs (mainly from the 1940s and earlier) of past Bay Village public school buildings, students and faculty. We also house a collection of objects, diplomas, programs, publications and other papers relating to Bay Village Schools up until the present day.

The following photos are a sampling of this collection. Please visit the Bay Village Historical Society’s website to see many more school photos and learn about some of Bay’s earliest high school students on our Glimpse of the Past page at www.bayhistorical.com.

The following article was part of a presentation given in 2014 by Bay Village Historical Society President, Catherine Burke Flament, during the 100th anniversary of Bay Village City Hall.

Bay Village was carved from the Northwest Territory and then the Western Reserve which was divided into five-square-mile townships. By 1806 Nehemiah Hubbard and Joshua Stow, members of the Connecticut Land Company, would purchase Township #7, Range 15 on Lake Erie for $26,087 and named it Dover (currently Bay Village, Westlake and the northern section of North Olmsted).

In 1901 not everyone was happy with how the government was being run in Dover; those in the northern section decided they were not being represented adequately and since they were paying the majority of the taxes the decision was made to separate. After separation was proposed a lawsuit ensued over who would have the railroad and the northern residents won the Ohio Supreme Court case. So, the Hamlet of Bay was formed in 1901 and trustees were elected.

The picturesque Clague family home is the setting for the annual Antique, Vintage & Craft Show!

The grounds of the Clague House Museum will be the place to be on Sunday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., as the Westlake Historical Society welcomes visitors to the 51st annual Antique, Vintage and Craft Show.

This yearly event is put on by the members and friends of the Westlake Historical Society and is their major fundraiser for the year. Funding from the show helps to support many of the society's activities, events and youth programs as well as museum utility costs.

Rose Hill Museum is excited to be premiering our special exhibition for the year on ornamental beadwork in costumes and accessories, "Beadwork: The Beauty of Small Things." Every room features an aspect of beadwork, in addition to the museum’s permanent displays.

Beads have been in existence between 70,000-100,000 years. Originally beads were fashioned totally of natural materials such as bone, shell, or wood. Metal and glass beads followed. Often these beads were strung as jewelry and were a visible sign of prosperity. For centuries few people could afford to embellish clothing with beadwork. One needed the wealth to buy beads and then to have the workforce to apply these to clothing and accessories.

Embellishment followed trends with beads losing popularity, then resurging. Lush fabrics and pearl and gemstone jewelry were popular in the 1700s, but simpler styles in the early 1800s resulted in less use of beadwork.

Long before current times many of the native Americans built birch bark canoes; some carried missionaries such as French explorer Jean Nicolet.

The Walk-in-the-Water was the first American-built steamer on the Great Lakes that was launched near Buffalo, New York, in 1818.She was 135 feet long with a 32-foot beam, she had a 30-foot smokestack between the two masts which had canvas to speed her along when the wind was favorable. Her 15-foot paddle wheels could carry passengers from Buffalo to Detroit in a day and a half.

During World War II there were about 21 shipyards in various ports on the Great Lakes that had over 100 ships being built for the war effort.

Is your home more than 100 years old? If so, honor it's longevity and persistence with a century-home plaque from the Bay Village Historical Society. These beautiful black and gold plaques help commemorate Bay Village homes who have stood the test of time.

Cost is $125, which includes a one-year membership in the Bay Village Historical Society. For more information email info@bayhistorical.com or call 216-319-4634.

Hobbies are where unique aspects of a person’s character manifest themselves. Hobbies are pleasant escapes from the tensions of the work-a-day world and offer miniature worlds that absorb a person’s full attention. They often are a counterpoint to stresses of career and domestic issues.

Henry Wischmeyer’s hobby was designing small boats. The Osborn Center of the Bay Village Historical Society houses boat plans Henry drew before his death in 1959. These are not the quick sketches of a waterfront artist but rather drawings of small sailboats and rowing craft drafted the way a professional naval architect would draw up plans. Who was this man, why did he draw these boats and how did he learn the art of designing boats?

October 1948 marked the opening of the new Bay View Osteopathic General Hospital in the old estate of Washington Herbert Lawrence on Lake Road in Bay Village. It was a dream home of this early investor in the new field of electricity and president of The National Carbon Company, which manufactured, among many products, the first “D” cell battery.

Lawrence died in 1900, before the mansion was fully completed to house his seven daughters and their families.

In 1948, funds to buy the old mansion and turn it into a hospital were advanced by the Sheppard family, including new Bay View Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Richard A. Sheppard and his two sons Dr. Richard N. Sheppard (senior surgeon and obstetrician) and Dr. Stephen A. Sheppard (director of hospital practices and urologist). A third son, Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard, who was a specialist in neuro-traumatic surgery, joined the staff later in 1951.

"There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle" – Robert Alden

Placing a burning candle in one's window is a common tradition that dates back to colonial times. Candle light often evokes the warmth of home and family. The fireplace was the center of family life in days gone by, and thus the candle was generally lit from that fire.

The candle was often placed in the window when a member of the family was away. The lit candle was also placed in the window as a sign of good news or as a beacon to weary travelers. Candles also represented friendship and were seen as a sign of welcome to others.

Some of the first immigrants to the Great Lakes were Irish men who came without families. They built railroads and canals, and they sent for their families once they earned enough money. Scandinavians came with families to settle and purchase land. Others came to work the copper mines and for lumber companies.

Immigrants entering the Great Lakes via Canada landed at Quebec or Montreal. Many immigrants came by canal boats. The American route through New York City and the Erie canal would take them to Oswego, Rochester or Buffalo where they would book passage on a ship west.

By the 1840s settlement was along the shores of the Great Lakes except for Lake Superior where west of the Sault they still had primarily trading posts. After copper and iron ore were discovered, more immigrants from Europe moved to Canada and America in droves, as political upheaval or crop failures occurred throughout Europe.

Pet photos with "Santa Paws" return to the Clague House Museum on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 1-5 p.m. Reservations are requested; please call 216-848-0680 to make your appointment. A monetary donation of $10 is suggested. Donations benefit our Outreach programs.The museum is located at 1371 Clague Road.

For more than a decade our "Santa Paws" has been visiting all the adorable pets in Westlake and surrounding communities.

Please mark Sunday, Nov. 13, from 2-4 p.m. on your calendar. The Westlake Historical Society is pleased to have Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough as our guest tour guide at the Clague House Museum. He will be leading tours of the 146-year-old home originally built and owned by the Clague family!

In addition, we plan to have several Dover and Westlake High School yearbooks and senior class photos on display. Our year books date from the 1920s through 1977.

There is no charge to attend this event. The Clague House Museum is located at 1371 Clague Road in Westlake. All are welcome and refreshments will be served as we celebrate the fall season.

On the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Westlake Historical Society will again meet at the gravesite of Christina Ryook in Evergreen Cemetery. Members of our society have met there annually since 2004.

Lysa Stanton, Westlake Historical Society president, first became aware of Ms. Ryook’s grave while walking her dog at Evergreen Cemetery. Christina was in the World Trade Center when it was attacked.

Because Christina’s family sometimes travels to New York for commemorative observances, we always makes sure there is a local service on Sept. 11. When the Ryook family is in town, they and the Westlake Historical Society hold a joint service.

What does Dr. George Lathrop have to do with the upcoming yard sale put on by The Westlake Historical Society?

Dr. George Lathrop was born in 1866 and passed away in 1929. Dr. Lathrop served the local residents of Dover as a physician for many years, and lived and worked from his home and office located just east of Dover Center and Center Ridge roads. Although the doctor has been gone for many years, his photo lives on!

The society is charged with preserving and sharing Westlake's rich history. This includes the acquisition of new artifacts, as well as the upkeep of existing precious items.

For about 10 years Bob Howe, owner of the Bay Barber Shop in the Bay Square Shopping Center, has been purchasing two high school yearbooks per year: one for his shop, the second as a donation to the Bay Village Historical Society. Howe, right, is shown with society treasurer Eric Eakin, who accepted the donation on behalf of the society.

“We cannot thank Bob enough for thinking of us, each year, every year,” Eakin said. “He helps the society do what it does best: preserve local history for future generations.”

The Westlake Historical Society will host our 50th annual Antique, Vintage & Craft Show on Sunday, June 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This show originally started in the early 1970s, and has grown into one of the largest shows on Cleveland's west side.

The show is our major fundraiser of the year, and helps to cover the Clague House Museum expenses like utilities and insurance.

The Clague House Museum is located at 1371 Clague Road in Westlake. The outdoor event will include a variety of antique, vintage and craft vendors, a great food truck, and free guided tours of the historic Clague House Museum. Although we hope it is not needed, the rain date for the event is June 12.

This is the third in a series of articles on the history of the library in Bay Village, in celebration of the new Bay Village Branch Library that opened on April 30.

By the late 1970s, Bay Village had outgrown the library building at the corner of Dover Center Road and Wolf Road. A decision was made to construct a larger, more modern building.

A $1.2 million bond issue was approved by the voters of Bay Village on Nov. 7, 1978, for the design and construction of a new library. The Bay Village branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at 502 Cahoon Road opened on April 5, 1981. The new building had 15,735 square feet of space and housed 70,000 volumes. The design received an award from the American Institute of Architects/Architects Society of Ohio in the fall of that year.

“The building was built in 1981 and renovated in 1997,” Bay Village Branch Manager Jessica Breslin noted. “At that time, the circulation department, entryways, computer and teen areas were modified significantly. There was a stage in the meeting room, which was removed during the renovation. The children’s play area was expanded and comfortable seating was added around 2012.”

This is the second in a series of articles on the history of the library in Bay Village, in celebration of the opening of the new Bay Village Branch Library on April 30.

After World War II, Bay Village developed so rapidly that municipal, religious, educational, shopping and residential facilities became inadequate and a period of rapid construction began.

In addition to homes, churches and schools, a new Colonial-style shopping center, a professional building and a post office were built. The village government had many added duties, including increased police and fire protection, the building of new roads and the improving of water and sewage systems.

Since there were so many responsibilities to be met, the village adopted the charter form of government. In 1950, the Village of Bay became the City of Bay Village, the legal name required by Ohio law after a village has attained a population of 5,000 or more.

This is the first in a series of articles on the history of the library in Bay Village, in celebration of the opening of the new Bay Village Branch Library on April 30.

The first settler in Bay Village was Joseph Cahoon, whose youngest granddaughter, Ida Maria Cahoon, left the family estate to the city for a library.

The Cahoon family settled along the Indian trail, now Lake Road, in 1810. In 1818, their permanent home, called Rose Hill, was built where it now stands. The third son of Joseph Cahoon married Margaret Van Allen, and their 11 children were all successful, prominent citizens.

Three of their daughters – Lydia, Laura and Margaret – were teachers in the Cleveland school system, and a fourth daughter, Ida, was a writer of prominence in the field of poetry. So, it was natural for a family interested in education to foster learning by establishing a library.

You know it is Spring when Mr. Bunny returns to the Clague House Museum for pet photos.

Did you know that the Clague family were pet owners? Old pictures and family stories tell us they owned both dogs and cats, while living on the farm. Sophronia Clague was especially taken by both cats and dogs.

Many years ago, it was common to have pets working on family farms here in Dover, now Westlake. Although most of our beloved pets are not working on farms these days, they are still a big part of our families.

The Martha Devotion Huntington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, based here in Bay Village, was organized on Oct. 5, 1940. It was named to honor Martha Devotion, oldest daughter of Rev. Ebenezer Devotion and Martha Lathrop.

Martha Devotion was married, in 1761, to Samuel Huntington of Connecticut, who became a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Governor of Connecticut, and, in 1779, President of the 6th Continental Congress.

No children were born to Martha Huntington and her husband but they adopted two children of his brother, Rev. Joseph Huntington, who were carefully reared and educated. One of these children, Samuel Huntington, became Governor of Ohio, in 1810 and 1811. Martha Huntington died in 1794, in her 56th year and her distinguished husband, two years later, aged 65. Their remains rest side by side in the old burying ground in Norwich, Connecticut.

It is once again time to announce the winners of the Cutest Pets in Westlake for 2022!

Our impartial panel of judges reviewed quite a few entries to choose from, but after much deliberating, have made their choices.

The winners are: "Oliver" in the Feline Division, and "Maggie" in the Canine Division.

Oliver

Oliver, aka “Ollie,” got his name because his mom believes he looks like an Oliver. He’s an orange tabby domestic short hair with the possible heritage of a Maine Coon cat since he weighs 23 pounds, is tall, long bodied with long legs and a big head. He is a lover, not a fighter, and fancies himself a lap cat; sturdy build and all.

For over 10 years, members of the Westlake Historical Society have remembered some of our city's historic families by placing holiday wreathes on their graves.

We believe placing a wreath on a grave is not only a symbol of remembrance, it is a sign of respect for that person, who they were and the contributions they made to our city. We would like to extend the opportunity for you, your family, organization or business to place a holiday wreath this year in memory of your loved ones or one of our pioneer families.

Volunteers from the Westlake Historical Society will be placing wreaths on graves in both Evergreen Cemetery and Maple Ridge Cemetery until Dec. 10 for those individuals, families or businesses who would like to sponsor a wreath. You or your organization can sponsor a wreath from the historical society for a donation of $25 per wreath, then we will place it at the grave site.

The Westlake Historical Society’s rubber duck race, silent auction, and old-fashioned pie contest will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Westlake Recreation Center. Rubber ducks can still be adopted on our website, www.westlakeohiohistory.org, or by calling 216-848-0680.

The winner of the rubber duck race will be awarded cash and merchandise prizes. The event promises to be a lot of fun and begins on Oct. 2 at noon.

The silent auction features over 30 themed baskets and items from different donors including theater tickets, movie night packages, event passes, adult beverages, and many other fantastic items. Donations for the silent auction are still welcome. Call Lysa at 216-848-0680 for information.

On the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Westlake Historical Society will again meet at the gravesite of Christina Ryook in Evergreen Cemetery. Members of our society have met there annually since 2006.

Lysa Stanton, Westlake Historical Society president, first became aware of Ms. Ryook’s grave while walking her dog at Evergreen Cemetery. Christina was in the World Trade Center when it was attacked.

Because Christina’s family sometimes travels to New York for commemorative observances, Lysa always makes sure there is a local service on Sept. 11. When the Ryook family is in town, they and the Westlake Historical Society hold a joint service.

Over 120 visitors converged on Rose Hill Museum on Sunday, July 25. All were impressed on the improvements that have been made over the last several years. Nearly $1,500 was raised for further improvements to the facility.

Apologies to the little lady whose wedding dress was on display. In the last issue of the Observer she was identified incorrectly. Her correct name is Lugene (Luigina) Vicchio. She was born in Santa Sophia, Italy, in 1891 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1911.

Lugene married Frank Vicchio at St. Anthony's Church in Cleveland on April 14, 1912. They raised their eight children in Cleveland before moving to Bay Village in their later years. The dress was donated to the Bay Village Historical Society by Sophie Vicchio in 2006. It continues to be on display in the Victorian Parlor at Rose Hill Museum.

Jim Sears, a member of the Bay Village Service Department, was awarded an Excellence in Historic Preservation Award on July 8 by our local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

In 2018, the Bay Village Historical Society sponsored Jim’s attendance at a workshop on Gravestone Restoration and Preservation. He put the knowledge he gained at the seminar to work in our small, historic Lakeside Cemetery. He carefully researched the scope of renovation needed for the entire cemetery, and for specific headstones and monuments. 

Jim has restored dozens of stones. Some stones needed raising, straightening and precision cleaning, to make them legible again. At times, heavy equipment was needed. The stones that Jim restored are straighter, brighter and most importantly, legible.

Anyone who has spent any time in Westlake has most likely enjoyed good times at Clague Park at the corner of Hilliard and Clague. The park is officially named “Clague Memorial Park” and was generously donated to Westlake (Dover Village at the time) on Oct. 26, 1926, by Walter and Sophronia Clague, the last remaining survivors of the nine children of Robert and Margaret Clague.

Neither Walter nor his sister, Sophronia, ever married and were the last of the family to reside on the 78-acre farm. Walter had planned for 40 years prior to his death to donate the land to the Village of Dover for the explicit use as a park for the residents of this beautiful area. As the inscription on the large granite monument located in the park across from the Clague family home, now known as the Clague House Museum, reads:

"40 years ago, Walter Clague desired to donate his property for a park, when the opportune time came. This desire was realized on Sat. Oct. 26, 1926, when Dover Village accepted the 78 acres on Clague Rd. for park purposes, which park to be called the Clague Memorial Park, both name and park, for all time."

Clague Park then officially became the first public park in Westlake.

This month, I would like to tell you about the Civil Defense All Purpose Survival Crackers in the Clague House Museum collection.

When the threat of nuclear war in the USA was very possible in the late 1940s to 1960s, it was determined that if anything should happen, people needed some food to sustain them. The decision was to make crackers with bulgur wheat and some other basic ingredients, because this type of wheat is inexpensive, has excellent longevity, and has been used for about 4,000 years.

Many baking companies were contracted by the federal government to make the crackers, including the Cincinnati-based Kroger Company.

Joan Hozza Query, an author and illustrator, recently released a book from Bay Village, inspired by Bay Village and for Bay Village.

“Bay Village from A to Z” is an illustrated alphabet book that she created around 1940, when she was 12 years old. The drawings and the verses in the book reflect the spirit of the era and capture the charm of Bay Village, both past and present.

Hey kids (of all ages), I would like to reintroduce myself. My name is "Dover" the wandering Historical Bear from the Westlake Historical Society. You may remember me from my reporting during Westlake's bicentennial year in 2011. I'm back and ready to share more Westlake history. Throughout the year, I will travel to a different location in Westlake and report back to you on what I find!

This month, while I was hanging out in the parlor of the Clague House Museum, I found the new Cat’s Meow replica of Dover Elementary School.

Although I am sad that the school that started in 1949 had to be demolished recently, I am honored to share the same name!