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- The East Ohio Gas Company Explosion and Fire occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 20, 1944. A tank, constructed at the northern end of East 61st Street in 1942 to store reserves of liquid natural gas for local war industries, began to leak vapor which, when mixed with air, became combustible and exploded. It contained the equivalent to 90 million cubic feet of non-liquified gas and set off the most disastrous fire in Cleveland's history. A second tank exploded about twenty minutes after the first. Homes and businesses in the largely Slovenian-American neighborhood were set ablaze through an area of more than one square mile of Cleveland's east side. The affected area had boundaries of St. Clair Avenue NE, East 55th Street, East 67th Street, and the Memorial Shoreway. A wall of fire engulfed the area, destroying some homes while leaving others untouched. As the gas vaporized, it flowed through gutters and along curbs until it reached catch basins and the underground sewage system, causing streets to explode and manhole covers to blow off. The gas eventually flowed into homes and businesses via the sewage system, causing further explosions, destruction, and injuries. By the following day the fire had largely burned out but the damage was immense, including 79 houses, 2 factories, and 217 cars. The explosion and fire killed 130 people. As a result of the fire and the analysis of its causes, new and safer alternatives to storing natural gas were developed.
- Edwing Arthur Kraft (1883-1962) was the organist of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio (1907-1959) and Director of Music at Lake Erie College (1933-1951). His second wife, Marie Simmelink, was a vocal soloist at the First Baptist Church in Cleveland (1920-1934) and at The Temple (1934-), and head of the Vocal Department of the Cleveland Institute of Music (1949-1963). The collection consists of photographs relating to the family, life, and career of Edwin Kraft, musician and organist of Cleveland, Ohio. Photographs include portraits of Kraft, his wife, Marie Simmelink Kraft, his parents, the interior and choir of Trinity Cathedral, the Kraft home, and group portraits of the Trinity Cathedral Choir.
- Ethel Standiford opened the Standiford Photographic Studio in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1919. Between 1919 and 1936, when the studio closed, she photographed many of Cleveland's elite. She was also elected president of the Cleveland Photographers Association. The collection consists of mounted portraits representing the studio work of Ethel Standiford, a prominent Cleveland, Ohio, photographer of the 1920s-1930s. Portraits of prominent business, political, religious, cultural, and society leaders of Cleveland are included in the collection.
- Garrett A. Morgan (1877-1963) was an entrepreneur and inventor whose inventions included the electric traffic signal and the gas mask. Morgan moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1895 and opened his own sewing machine sales and repair shop in 1907. He received a patent on his gas mask in 1912 and formed the National Safety Device Co. to manufacture and market it. He also established the G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Co., The Cleveland Call and Post, and the Wakeman Country Club for African Americans. The collection consists of individual and group portraits of Garrett A. Morgan, his family, and friends. Also included are views of his residence, and of his inventions, including the gas mask, traffic signal, and a hair treatment system. The collection also includes views relating to the water intake crib disaster in Cleveland, Ohio in 1917.
- The Great Lakes Exposition was held during the summers of 1936 and 1937 on the waterfront of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Among the most popular attractions was the Billy Rose Aquacade, featuring water ballet shows starring Johnny Weismueller and Eleanor Holm. The collection consists of views of the buildings and grounds, shows and exhibits, lighting, and crowds at the Great Lakes Exposition, Cleveland, Ohio, held in 1936-1937. Some of the views are aerial photographs of the area. Included are a Margaret Bourke-White photograph of French casino dancing, and a portrait of Johnny Weismueller with Eleanor Holm and Billy Rose. some of the views were taken by Geoffrey Landesman.
- The Jeptha Home Wade family was a prominent nineteenth and early twentieth century Cleveland, Ohio, family with business interests in the telegraph and railroad industries, mining, manufacturing, and banking. Jeptha Homer Wade spent his early life as an apprentice to a tanner and as a carpenter. He next turned his interest to the emerging telegraph industry. In 1849, he organized the Cleveland and Cincinnati Telegraph Company. In 1857, Wade moved to Cleveland as the Western Union Telegraph Company's first general agent. His business interests were extensive in Cleveland, including the Cleveland Rolling Mill Company and the Citizens Savings and Loan Association. Randall Palmer Wade worked with his father in the telegraph business, moving with him to Cleveland in 1857. His business interests included the Cuyahoga Mining Company; the Citizens Savings and Loan Association; the Cleveland Banking Company; the American Sheet and Boiler Plate Company, and the Chicago and Atchison Bridge Company. Jeptha Homer Wade II also worked in the telegraph industry; he later joined the banking community in Cleveland. He was an active philanthropist, serving as a trustee of the Western Reserve Historical Society, Western Reserve University, Adelbert College, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. He was an incorporator of the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1913, and later established a purchasing fund for the Museum. The collection consists of one carte de visite album, with blue velvet binding, and six folders of loose photographs and plates relating to the Wade family of Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to Wade family members, individuals of the Garretson, Howe, and Stone families are also portrayed, along with friends of the Wade family. Included are two engraving plates of Jeptha Homer Wade Jr.
- The exhibit, "Heritage: Jewish Life in Cleveland, 1839-1978," commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, Ohio, and was mounted at the Western Reserve Historical Society in 1978. It was organized by Judah Rubinstein. The collection consists of mounted exhibit photographs copied from originals held by private individuals, the Western Reserve Historical Society, and other repositories. Many of the photographs are reproduced in the book Merging Traditions: Jewish Life in Cleveland, by Sidney Vincent and Judah Rubinstein.
- Judah Rubinstein was an archivist, historian, author and research associate for the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, and a well-known authority on Cleveland Jewish history. He helped to establish the Cleveland Jewish Archives at the Western Reserve Historical Society in 1976. He provided research for a number of books on Cleveland Jewish history and co-authored the book "Merging traditions: Jewish life in Cleveland." The collection consists of 4000 black and white images presented as prints, slides, contact sheets, and negatives, all relating to Cleveland, Ohio, Jewish history. Of note are businesses, public and religious schools, synagogues, theaters, and communal activities in the 19th and first half of the 20th century, particularly in the Woodland, Glenville, and Kinsman neighborhoods. Images of Jewish holiday and life cycle celebrations are also found here. Also of note are portraits of prominent individuals and families, including Moses Alsbacher, Alfred A. Benesch, Aaron and Moses Halle, Maurice Maschke, David N. Myers, Samuel Rocker, Dr. Marcus Rosenwasser, Sigmund Schlesinger, Rose Pastor Stokes, Simson Thorman, Leo Weidenthal, Leon Wiesenthal, and Martha Wolfenstein. Rabbis and cantors represented in this collection include Gustavos Cohen, Jacob Frommer, Benjamin Gittelsohn, Samuel Goldman, Isadore Kalisch, Arthur J. Lelyveld, David Leby, Abba Hillel Silver, Daniel Jeremy Silver, and Samuel Wohl. While some of the photographs here can also be found in PG. 186, Jewish Heritage Exhibit photographs, and in "Merging traditions : Jewish life in Cleveland" (1978 ed.), the contact sheets and negatives contain many images that are new.
- The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1911 for the advancement of the commercial, industrial, and civic interests of the city of Lakewood, Ohio. Collection consists of minutes, annual reports, financial records, budget reports, membership lists, news releases and other documents of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, and records of the Lakewood Community Center, the Lakewood Merchants Council, the Lakewood Junior Chamber of Commerce, and several neighborhood business associations. The collection consists of mounted and unmounted photographs mainly of various groups in the Lakewood, Ohio area. Included are group photographs of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce board of directors and annual meetings; the Lakewood American Legion mounted unit; Slovak groups, including the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Union; various military groups; blue star mothers; boy and girl scouts; recipients of fire prevention award plaques; theatrical, musical, and school groups; a wedding; an antique car show; Christmas scenes; the Hi Toppers; ice skating parties; a Lakewood group at the White House (including Herbert Hoover); various safety patrol units; and camping on the Rocky River near Mastick Road.
- The Leisy Brewing Company was a Cleveland, Ohio, based brewery which began as Isaac Leisy & Co. in 1873. Once Cleveland's largest independent brewery, it had branch agencies in Ohio, western Pa., and Indiana, and gained a reputation for its Premium Lager and Budweiser beers, before that became a brand name. Production in 1890 was over 90,000 barrels, and rose to 355,000 barrels by 1917. When the company closed in 1959, it was the oldest brewery in Cleveland and one of the longest surviving family-operated breweries in America. The collection consists of individual portraits of Otto Leisy and his family; unidentified individual and group portraits of Leisy Brewing Company staff; Leisy staff party portraits; views of the Leisy family residence; and exterior and interior views of the Leisy plant complex at various stages. The majority of photographs depict various aspects of Leisy advertising and include views of billboards, taxi posters, displays, horse-drawn and motorized delivery vehicles, and the Leisy company mascot. A bound album contains reproductions of product labels and advertising.
- Lethia Cousins Fleming (1876-1963) was a teacher from West Virginia who became a social worker for the Division of Child Welfare, Cuyahoga County, Ohio (1931-1951). She and her husband, Cleveland city councilman Thomas W. Fleming, were active in local civic and charitable organizations. The collection consists of photographs relating to the activities of Lethia Fleming and various African American organizations. Includes a group portrait, including the Flemings, with Josephine Baker in Paris, 1927.
- Marcus Alonzo Hanna (1837-1904) was prominent businessman, Republican political leader, and United States Senator. Born in New Lisbon, Ohio, his family settled in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1852. Hanna transformed his father-in-law's coal and iron company into the M. A. Hanna Company and owned several railroads and electric streetcar lines. Active in Republican politics, Hanna was instrumental in presidential campaigns of William McKinley. The collection consists of one black album containing 17 photographs of Marcus A. Hanna in various groups. Included in several of the photographs is Theodore Roosevelt.