Cleveland Vintage Blog — History

A little while back we wrote a post on all of Cleveland’s connections to the Titanic sinking, but we came across a little bit more about one Mary Davison Godwin from Bedford and we felt compelled to share. Mary Davison Godwin was born in England, but her family settled in Bedford, Ohio, where she met a Mister Thomas Henry (who went by Harry to most that knew him) Davison. In 1902, the couple married and stayed in the Bedford area to be near her family. However, work became difficult to find for Harry and the two headed off to England...

Squire's Castle - which may or may not be as haunted as Franklin Castle - provides one of the most unique hiking experiences in Northeast Ohio. Built in the 1890s by Feargus B. Squire of the Standard Oil Co., the building standing today was meant as a gatehouse and caretaker's quarters and was modeled after German and English baronial castles (the main house was never actually built). The area, now part of the North Chagrin Reservation after being sold in 1922 to a private land developer, is a popular spot not just for people curious about this unique building, but...

We've all heard of the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," but the more we look into interesting bits of Cleveland history to share, we find that it seems there could easily be a new game called “The Six Degrees of Cleveland” as well.   Who would have thought that soldier, hunter, and Wild West showman Buffalo Bill Cody would have had a connection of any kind to Cleveland? But he absolutely did through his grandfather Philip Cody, a native of Massachusetts who ended up spending much of his life in Toronto before, at the age of 60, deciding to pack up...

You might already know that Cleveland is the birthplace of Superman, conceived by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1933. Since then, Superman has become one of the most beloved and recognizable characters in the world, a beacon of inspiration and hope for many, and, of course, a generator of billions of dollars of revenue. Superman is supposed to represent the best qualities we aspire to as people, and he was created right here in Cleveland, Ohio.  So why isn't there a truly permanent statue for Superman downtown? Sure, there's a little Superman exhibit at the airport near the baggage claim....

After winning the 1860 presidential election, Abraham Lincoln made a barnstorming trip through the United States as he made his way to Washington, D.C.  This included a stay in Cleveland, Ohio from February 15-16, 1861, the only time he visited the city in life, as his coffin did travel through the city again following his assassination. As you can see in the speech below, the uneasy political climate and boiling tensions between the North and South already weighed heavily on Lincoln's thoughts - by this time, six states (Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas) had seceded from the Union. It was obvious...