Cleveland Vintage Blog — History

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...

It's the joke everyone likes to make about Cleveland.  "Hey, remember when the river caught on fire?" To which you can respond, "You'll have to be more specific, because it happened a whole bunch of times."  In the 1960s, the Cuyahoga River actually caught fire more than a dozen times, as it had long been a dumping ground for sewage and industrial waste from the city's manufacturing companies. And while river fires weren't all that newsworthy to Clevelanders by the end of the decade, the blaze on June 22, 1969 (capping off a tumultuous decade that only led to a new one...