Drawing of the proposed Detroit-Superior High-Level Bridge, by F.H. Norton. The bridge was designed by Cuyahoga County engineers, Frank R. Lander, Alfred M. Felgate, William A. Stinchcomb, and Albert W. Zesiger., This image is featured in the 100th Anniversary of the Detroit Superior High Level Bridge digital exhibit.
Veterans Memorial Bridge as seen from the lower east-side Flats toward the west. The Center Street swing bridge is visible in the open navigation position in the center of the image., This image is featured in the 100th Anniversary of the Detroit Superior High Level Bridge digital exhibit.
WELCOME (Westsiders and Eastsiders Let's Come Together) members march across the Detroit-Superior Bridge from Ohio City., This image is featured in the 100th Anniversary of the Detroit Superior High Level Bridge digital exhibit.
Letter from Charles Howe to the Hon. Herman Baehr, Mayor of Cleveland, regarding proposals for high-level bridges to replace the Superior Viaduct., This image is featured in the 100th Anniversary of the Detroit Superior High Level Bridge digital exhibit.
Construction of arch spans 6 and 7 of the Detroit-Superior High-Level Bridge looking toward the northeast., This image is featured in the 100th Anniversary of the Detroit Superior High Level Bridge digital 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
Certification that previous hit Anna M. Bailey is constituted a member for life of a female anti-slavery society. With detailed sketch of slave owner, slaves, and woman in armor encircled in rays of light., Featured in the "Cleveland Starts Here" Exhibit
This collectible tin plate, made in 1908, sets William Howard Taft and his running mate, James S. Sherman, amongst Republican Party luminaries, including Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, James Garfield, and Theodore Roosevelt. Taft won the election of 1908 and became our 27th president., Featured in the "Cleveland Starts Here" Exhibit. MUS 2003.0.25
As the canal began to take shape parallel to the Cuyahoga River, many people began to settle in the land beside it. Highlighted in this advertisement, land was sold, purchased, and developed to accommodate the new populations entering the area., Featured in the "Cleveland Starts Here" Exhibit
Clevelander Ada Yerkes wore this bold red dress to a dance in 1892 as a student at Smith College. She may have drawn attention on the dance floor, but she stood out amongst her peers for other reasons. At a time when not many women attended four-year colleges, she graduated from Smith and then completed her Ph.D. in zoology from Columbia University in 1900. Ada published her research in scientific journals, but her major accomplishment was the book she co-authored, The Great Apes, A Study of Anthropoid Life., Made of silk, velvet. Worn in Northampton, Massachusetts by Ada Watterson Yerkes (1873-1963). Gift of Robert H. Clark, 66.149.15. Featured in the "Wow Factor: 150 Years of Bold Clothes" Exhibit.
This silhouette, often called the robe de style, is associated with the designer Jeanne Lanvin, and mimics the wide skirts of the 18th century. Cleveland’s Phyllis Peckham wore French couture, and several of her Lanvin dresses are now in the WRHS collection. Phyllis pursued the latest fashions (thanks to her father’s ownership of the Cleveland Buick Company), but her life’s work became the support of Cleveland’s theater district. She even covered theater news in her radio program, “Eldred Theatre Players.”, Made of silk faille and chiffon, velvet ribbon. Worn in Cleveland, Ohio by Phyllis Peckham (1903-1999). Gift of Miss Phyllis Peckham, 75.124.19. Featured in the "Wow Factor: 150 Years of Bold Clothes" Exhibit.
Helen Bing was in danger of outshining the bride when she wore this dress to her daughter Marian’s wedding in 1929. She could afford designer gowns as the widow of Solomon Bing, former President of the Bing Co., one of Ohio’s largest furniture stores. In the face of losing her husband at a relatively young age, Helen raised three young children and served her community, as the President of the Cleveland Camp Fire Girls, President of the Temple Women’s Association, Vice President of the Cleveland Council of Jewish Women, and as a trustee of the National Conference of Christians and Jews., Made of silk, net, beading, sequins, faux pearls. Worn in Cleveland, Ohio by Helen Einstein Bing (1882-1976). Gift of Mrs. Thomas Cristal, 79.123.4. Featured in the "Wow Factor: 150 Years of Bold Clothes" Exhibit.
Dorothy Horvorka wore this dress for her final solo piano performance with the Cleveland Summer Orchestra in 1959. One might imagine that a classical musician should wear more serious clothing, but Dorothy dressed with color and flair onstage. This dress is made of layers of dusty purple net, but a bright pink lining peeks through, and glows in certain light. She found success as a pianist for decades before devoting herself to musical philanthropy, as a trustee of the Cleveland Orchestra and President of its Women’s Committee, and as President of the Cleveland Music School Settlement., Made of synthetic net. Worn in Cleveland, Ohio by Dorothy Humel Hovorka (1921-2017). Gift of Dorothy Humel Hovorka 81.51.2. Featured in the "Wow Factor: 150 Years of Bold Clothes" Exhibit.
Mary Norton wasn’t shy about dressing in sequins from head to toe. She would have been the center of attention in this dress, glittering in brand new electric lighting. As one of Millionaires’ Row’s prominent residents and the daughter of former Mayor William B. Castle, Mary’s life was filled with parties and family gatherings, both intimate and elaborate. John Hay described her 1876 wedding to David Z. Norton, for which “the whole village came together,” enjoying a wedding reception at the family’s home for hundreds of guests, with dancing, food, and merry-making., Made of silk, sequins. Worn in Cleveland, Ohio by Mary Castle Norton (1854-1928). Gift of Mrs. Fred R. White, Mr. Laurence & Robert Norton, 50.624. Featured in the "Wow Factor: 150 Years of Bold Clothes" Exhibit.
The city’s eyes were on the White family, who made their name through manufacturing, with the White Sewing Machine Co., and later with Rollin White’s co-ownership of the White Motor Corporation. He and his wife Katharine had a taste for adventure and the outdoors. Family photo albums depict her enjoying golfing and sailing, and during the 1930s she and her family cruised around the world on the SS Columbus. Around the time she would have worn this dress, she took her granddaughter, also named Katharine, on a North Cape cruise aboard the SS Kungsholm. Kate would have been 65 that year, and her willingness to shine in this silver dress hadn’t faded., Made of silk lamé. Worn in Cleveland, Ohio by Katharine King White (1872-1949). Gift of Mrs. W. Griffin King, 58.282. Featured in the "Wow Factor: 150 Years of Bold Clothes" Exhibit.
At first glance, this dress is striking for its profusion of sequins, delicately stitched to a layer of lace. Michaeline, or Mike, Maschke had the option of wearing it as you see it here, or with the hood up, which would have given her an added air of drama. Although hooded eveningwear was fashionable during the 1930s and 1940s, not everyone could pull it off., Made of synthetic, sequins. Worn in Cleveland, Ohio by Michaeline Maschke (1918-1998). The Mrs. Maurice Maschke, Jr. Collection, 86.94.14. Featured in the "Wow Factor: 150 Years of Bold Clothes" Exhibit.
This silhouette, with its dramatic bustle, is unlike anything we wear today, but in its time it represented the height of fashion. The Laracy sisters in New York City created it for Sarah Hitchcock, who, as an avid traveler, probably visited their shop on West 36th Street to be fitted. Not only did the Hitchcock family shop abroad, but they explored and experienced; visiting monuments, riding camels, and traversing new landscapes. Both her travels and her fashionable dress illustrate Sarah’s willingness to embrace risk., Made of silk velvet and net, cotton. Worn in Cleveland, Ohio by Sarah Jane Wilcox Hitchcock (1840-1920). Gift of Lawrence Hitchcock, Jr., Mrs. Frederick McConnell, and Mrs. Henry Reynolds Hatch III, 91.52.5. Featured in the "Wow Factor: 150 Years of Bold Clothes" Exhibit.
Detail of a drawing of the east approach from Sta 26+07.75 to Sta 26.3, Feb. 13, 1913. Created by Cuyahoga County engineers., This image is featured in the 100th Anniversary of the Detroit Superior High Level Bridge digital exhibit.
WELCOME (Westsiders and Eastsiders Let's Come Together) members march across the Detroit-Superior Bridge from Ohio City., This image is featured in the 100th Anniversary of the Detroit Superior High Level Bridge digital exhibit.