North Union Shakers: The Valley of God's Pleasure
Self-styled "The Valley of God's Pleasure," the North Union Shaker colony existed from 1822 to 1889. At its peak in 1850 it contained over 300 members spread across three settlements. Perhaps the most noticeable remnant of the Shakers are the two Shaker Lakes, created when the Shakers dammed the Doan Brook to power their mills, though other sites in Shaker Heights also tell other parts of the story of the North Union Shakers.
Shaker Gateway Park
Repackaging the Shakers
On September 21, 1948, the Shaker Historical Society commemorated its one-year anniversary with the unveiling of a bronze plaque on the southwest corner of Lee Road and Shaker Boulevard to mark the location of the Center Family of the North Union colony of Shakers. Five years later, a Shaker gate…
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Horseshoe Lake
In 1852, the North Union Shakers dammed Doan Brook for the second time, generating power for a new woolen mill and creating what would later become known as Horseshoe Lake. The new dam symbolized the continued growth of the North Union community, which was founded in 1822. The Shakers had…
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Jacob Russell Grave
On the north side of South Park Boulevard, just east of Lee Road, there is a solitary grave which is the final resting place of an American Revolutionary War soldier--Jacob Russell. Next to the grave is a large stone with a bronze plaque commemorating Russell's life. The plaque, placed there…
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Lower Shaker Lake
On a July night in 1921, a group of "Cleveland hoodlums" fought with members of the Shaker Heights Police Department after being ordered out of Lower Shaker Lake. The young men were not happy about being told that they could not swim in the lake at night. In the ensuing scuffle, the…
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Pioneers, Manxmen and Shakers at the Warrensville West Cemetery
Located within a small business district at 3451 Lee Road, Warrensville West Cemetery offers a reminder of the individuals and communities that inhabited the area prior to the development of Shaker Heights. The headstones and markers adorning the small graveyard speak of an unfamiliar landscape,…
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Warrensville West Cemetery
From Deserted Burial Ground to Shaker Heights Shrine
In the late 1950s, the Shaker Historical Society undertook the daunting task of creating a memorial marker to tell the story of a small unmarked burial ground commonly referred to as the "Lee Road Cemetery" or the "Old Manx Cemetery." This graveyard, located at 3451 Lee Road, was the second oldest…
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