Cleveland inventions – dry-cell batteries, latex paint, space technology – helped fuel the growth of the United States. This week Cleveland History Days is launching 11 days of tours, hikes and programs spotlighting the city’s ingenuity and grit.
The 75+ events planned by the nonprofit Canalways touch on, among other topics, business, the arts, civil rights and that great big lake out there. Many of the events are free. While some involve walking, others require only listening (often in an air conditioned space like the main library downtown.) Events run from Thursday, June 18, through Sunday, June 28. Explore the full schedule here.
Hike or just listen
Interested in neighborhoods? Take a guided tour of Edgewater, AsiaTown, Old Brooklyn or Little Italy.
Interested in sports? Visit historic League Park and learn about Negro League baseball players who sought opportunities in Mexico. Then there’s “The Cleveland Curse,” a presentation that will explore why “the Browns and fans have suffered such pain.”
Celebrating Juneteenth? Consider Friday’s “Network to Freedom Walking Tour” discussing hidden heroes of the Underground Railroad, or visit the Cozad-Bates House in University Circle.
Interested in grand spaces? Tour Playhouse Square, Severance Music Center or Shiloh Baptist Church.
You can also visit cemeteries, gardens and, of course, the streetcar level of the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
‘Connecting people to place’
This is the ninth annual History Days. Canalway’s director of communications, Meghan Tinker Paynter, said the group’s mission is to “connect people to place.”
“One of the best ways to make people feel connected to where they live is to help them understand the history of the place, and Cleveland History Days presents many different ways to explore and connect to their city,” she said, adding that this year’s events highlight contributions Clevelanders have made to America as the nation celebrates its 250th birthday.
A session this Sunday, June 21, at the Brownhoist Building on St. Clair Avenue looks at scientific innovations on the North Coast. The American Chemical Society’s National Historic Chemical Landmarks program recognizes eight “seminal” discoveries made in Greater Cleveland, and a local speaker will explain them.
The legacy of TRW
And then there’s Artemis. Some of Artemis’ roots can be traced back to TRW, the one-time industrial giant rooted in Cleveland. A presentation on Sunday will explore how TRW “shaped Cleveland into a powerhouse of aerospace innovation – and how that legacy still fuels the region today.”
Other business-oriented events include tours of the city’s historic bank lobbies, some architecturally significant hotels and the B&O Roundhouse adjacent to Clark Yard on West 3rd Street. And then there is “Forged in Steel: Where Polish Cleveland Worked.”
Canalway, which focuses on programs and projects within the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, expects 8,000 to 10,000 people to participate in Cleveland History Days this year.
