Recent Stories
Shaker Town Center
The history of commercial activity at the intersection of Chagrin Boulevard and Lee Road goes back more than 150 years to when the area was still part of Warrensville Township. In or about 1866, at the northeast corner of the intersection--where…
The Shaker Heights Service Center
As you drive east on Kinsman Road today through Cleveland's Mount Pleasant neighborhood and approach East 154th Street, you come upon and notice it--almost before you notice anything else. You see it before you see that Kinsman Road has now become…
Masjid Bilal
A brick building stands askew from the right-angled corner of Euclid Avenue and East 75th Street. This building is the Cleveland mosque Masjid Bilal, which was built to face Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Masjid Bilal takes its name from the Arabic word for…
Dr. Spock's Last Babies
Benjamin McClane Spock (1903-1998) was born to an upper-class Connecticut family. He attended private schools and Ivy League colleges, along the way capturing a gold medal in rowing for his Yale team in the 1924 Olympics. He graduated first in his…
Hessler Road and Hessler Court
Visitors to University Circle are often struck by the area’s grandeur. Magnificent museums. Huge hospital systems. A sprawling college campus interspersed with innovative new structures, iconic old buildings and well-preserved mansions.
Yet…
The Max Ellis House
Derrell Max Ellis (later known simply as Max Ellis) was born on March 10, 1914, in Wellington, Kansas. The youngest of four children, Max grew up in Iowa and studied theater at the University of Iowa, performing in plays in the 1930s written by…
Featured Stories
John W. Heisman
On October 3, 1869, one of football's most iconic figures was born in Ohio City. Today he is best known as the namesake of the most prestigious award in college football, the Heisman Memorial Trophy.…
Solar Interpretation Center
In 1976, the Cleveland Home and Flower Exposition drew a record crowd of nearly 100,000 persons during its opening weekend. The annual convention displayed the latest in landscaping techniques,…
"Black Jack" McGinty
He wasn't called "Black Jack" when, in 1912, he married Helen Mulgrew from West 67th Street and the two newly weds moved into a house at 1377 West 69th Street. In 1912, he was Tommy McGinty, and he…
Featured Tours
Cultural Gardens
26 Locations ~ Curated by CSU Center for Public History + Digital HumanitiesIn Search of the Underground Railroad
6 Locations ~ Curated by CSU Center for Public History + Digital HumanitiesCleveland Metroparks 100th Anniversary
19 Locations ~ Curated by Cleveland MetroparksRaymond L. Pianka Memorial Walk
15 Locations ~ Curated by The Cleveland Historical TeamCleveland Historical
A project by Center for Public History + Digital HumanitiesCleveland Historical is a free mobile app that puts Cleveland history at your fingertips. Developed by the Center for Public History + Digital Humanities at Cleveland State University, Cleveland Historical lets you explore the people, places, and moments that have shaped the city’s history. Learn about the region through layered, map-based, multimedia presentations, use social media to share your stories, and experience curated historical tours of Northeast Ohio. Read more About Us