About this collection
Pages
- John Holly founded the Future Outlook League in Cleveland in 1935 to help obtain jobs for black residents. The League was ahead of its time in using picket lines and economic boycotts to secure its objectives. This 1952 mural commemorates the League's struggle for equality. Gesturing with his left hand, forefinger raised to a group of African American travelers group to the left. With the left hand he points towards a group of buildings representing downtown Cleveland. An arch bridge and river occupy the middle ground. The male figure stands on a carved stone on which are the words "Militancy, Courage"and partially "Equal Economic Opportunity". Two African American figures in the lower right are depicted carving the stone. Across the top is a title ribbon "The Future Outlook League." The painting is on a thin panel mounted to a second panel and is cased in a plexiglas and wood display case., Featured in the "Cleveland Starts Here" Exhibit
- Framed oil painting of Hamilton Utley, his wife, and two of their thirteen children, Horatio and Ellen. The portrait is primitive, as the limbs look unnatural, the eyes are too large and staring, and the family seems to be crowded together in too small a space. Colonel Utley painted his parents, sister and brother when he was twenty-four years of age. Hamilton Utley was a pioneer of the Western Reserve, making his home in Newbury, Geauga County, in 1817. This painting was originally thought to be Merrill Squires and Family. The group portrait has a dark background and one child holds a cat. Leon Hodges was the grandson of Lavinia Merrick Utley, oldest child of Hamilton and Polly (Squires) Utley. She was born in Monson, Massachusetts in 1812 and died in Newbury in 1877. She married Erastus Hodges in Newbury on April 23, 1830. Lavinia was a child of five years at the time her mother, Polly with a baby only a few months old and another child of four years, William Laurence, emigrated from Massachusetts to the Western Reserve in 1817. The father, Hamilton, had stayed over at Alexander, New York that winter to teach school before he joined them in the Spring of 1818 in Newbury Township. Above information is from a genealogy, "Ancestors of Colonel William Laurence Utley, Son of Hamilton and Polly (Squires) Utley., MUS 848. Featured in the "Cleveland Starts Here" Exhibit
- Picture of an Indian whose name, Joc-o-sot, means "The Walking Bear." Picture is 17-1/2" by 11" with white mat and 1" wide black frame. Framed measurement-25" by 18-1/2". Joc-o-sot was a Sauk Chief and came to Cleveland from the Lake Superior region with Dr. H. A. Ackley. He was contacted by Dan Marble, an actor and theatrical manager who engaged him to appear in native costume and to perform Indian dances and songs. He was a great success and became a sensation in England where he presented his program before Queen Victoria. He returned to Cleveland, ill. Reached Cleveland early in 1844 and was befriended by John B. Stockly and Dr. H.A. Ackley. Died and buried in Erie St. Cemetery. Further informational in files and scrapbook, Vol. 2 Pages 20 & 28; Vol. 3, page 103.
- The Superior was the second steam-powered vessel to operate on the Great Lakes. It was built with the engine of the first steam vessel, Walk-in-the-Water, which sank in 1821. Like her predecessor she combined steam-powered sidewheels and sails. On May 28, 1822, the Cleveland Herald reported, "the new steamship Superior arrived here on May 23 from Black Rock (near Buffalo) on its first trip to Detroit...headwinds may cause some delay so that she may no leave Buffalo on her next trip quite as soon as advertised." Cleveland became a way port for sidewheel steamers running between Buffalo and Detroit. The painting is executed in the British-American tradition of ship portraiture and is both detailed and realistic. Note the passengers at the stern holding parasols and seated on Windsor chairs and the crew members in the rigging., MUS 83.54.1. Featured in the "Cleveland Starts Here" Exhibit
- Plaid is created by weaving different colored yarns to form stripes intersecting at right angles. When the horizontal and vertical groupings are identical, the plaid is considered a tartan. The origins of Scottish tartans were seeded centuries ago, but theirs is a history steeped in fantasy. Scotland’s “traditional” highland dress and the association of tartans with clans were actually fabricated by the English during the early 19th century. The assignment was, in fact, given randomly by weavers in preparation for George IV’s visit to Edinburgh in 1822 and held fast. Thereafter popularized as a fashion trend by Queen Victoria, plaid has the ability to transform style from classic, to preppy, hip, and even subversive. It can be serious and subdued, or bright and festive: it’s a chameleon. Since plaid’s entry into the fashion world, Ohio’s men, women, and children have worn the fabric as a way to showcase their identities. Today, plaid celebrates the season, shows school pride, embraces heritage, and expresses a particular brand of rugged American style.
- In 1821 she married Benjamin Rouse; they lived in Boston and New York before moving to Cleveland in 1830. As a member of the Ladies Tract Society, Rouse made personal visits to every home in the village. She was an original member of the First Baptist Society. In 1842, she founded and became president of the Martha Washington & Dorcas Society, one of the first benevolent organizations in the city, from which originated the Protestant Orphan Asylum, which she served for many years as director. Dedicated to reforming the baneful effects of alcohol, she helped organize the Cleveland Ladies Temperance Union in June 1850., MUS 1206. Featured in the "Cleveland Starts Here" Exhibit
- Sebring, Ohio native Viktor Schreckengost has been called the American DaVinci. He was a painter, sculptor, ceramicist, and designer of everything from dinnerware to lawnmowers. Some of his most endearing designs were for children's toys, including this pedal car resembling a WWII fighter aircraft., Featured in the "Cleveland Starts Here" Exhibit
- Explore the life of one of Cleveland’s most impactful community builders, Rev. Emmitt Theophilus Caviness. His move from Texas to Cleveland in 1961 brought him to the Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church in Cleveland’s Glenville Community where he continues to marry social activism and spirituality today. His friendship with Martin Luther King and his own beliefs in the power of nonviolent protest propelled Rev. Caviness to the forefront of activism in 1960s Cleveland. He is an agent of change for Cleveland, playing an instrumental role in the election of African American politicians, including Carl Stokes as the first black mayor of a major U.S. city. Discover his role in the Civil Rights Movement and learn about his dedication to family and community engagement.