Beechwood, the Book

Cleveland State University EngagedScholarship@CSU Cleveland Memory Books 2012 Beechwood, The Book Jeffrey S. Morris Follow this and additional works at: https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clevmembks Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! Recommended Citation Morris, Jeffrey S., "Beechwood, The Book" (2012). Cleveland Memory. 11. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clevmembks/11 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Books at EngagedScholarship@CSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Cleveland Memory by an authorized administrator of EngagedScholarship@CSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Beechwood: The Book TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments Sponsors Foreword Chapter 1 The Early Days of Warrensville Township 7 Chapter 2 The Birth of Beachwood 1915-1939 11 Chapter 3 Transitional Times 1940-1950 27 Chapter 4 The Schools and Canterbury Township 37 Chapter 5 The Birth of a Planned Community 1951-1965 43 Chapter 6 The Clark Avenue Freeway & I-271 61 Chapter 7 The City Becomes a City 1966-1980 65 Sidebar: Boom, Boom 75 Chapter 8 Facing Maturity and New Horizons 1981-1997 77 Sidebar: The Pioneers 91 Chapter 9 Open Issues and Resources & Statistics 93 Beechwood, The Book The contents of this book are the property of the Author and can not be copied without written permission, Under Copyright Title 17 U.S. Code Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication Data Jeffrey S. Morris History of Beachwood, Ohio, City of 96-94096 Dedication This book is written in memory of Dr. Jerry Wolkoff, a longtime Beachwood resident that demonstrated the outstanding qualities necessary to being a great doctor and father. Acknowledgments Without question my wife Glo and my son Matthew have both felt the pain and joy of this project, and I thank them for their love and support. Longtime Beachwood resident Larry Gordon provided an abundance of research information and guidance. This book could not have happened without the enthusiasm of Les Giesler, a former Beachwood resident. Les grew up in Beachwood in the 1940's. A special thanks to Merle Wascko, who grew up in Beachwood in the 1930's. Merle provided numerous insights into Beachwood's past. A thank you is in order to John Hexter, James Heller, Darrell Young and Ron White for their individual but team-spirited support. A special thank you to my parents, Morton and Sylvia, who endured many unique events with me and introduced me to Miss Ilo Forte, my fourth and fifth grade teacher. She taught me the importance of reading and writing. Finally, a special thank you to the financial sponsors of this project. Whether they were a small business or a large corporation their decision to support this project came from their individual leadership. Those leaders know the value and the importance of documenting history. SPONSORS The following organizations and individuals donated funds to cover the cost of printing Beechwood, The Book. Their generosity allowed the proceeds from the sale of the book to fuel the Beachwood High School Alumni Association's scholarship fund. A&C Auto Parts & Wrecking Co. Beachwood Nursing and Health Care Center Commerce Exchange Bank Fabri-Centers Forest city Enterprises Fraser Papers Graphic World Printing Inc. Joshen Paper K A Inc., Architecture Management Recruiters International Marcy Weisman Bern Martin Arsham Master Builders MBNA Mrs. Betty Rosskamm Mt Sinai – IMC Realty One Zehman-Wolf Companies Foreword By Darrell A.Young The city fathers have been called visionaries. The city has been studied by architects, planners, engineers and the like from all over the country. What is it about Beachwood that has attracted so much attention? To be certain, there is something magical that has taken place over the last 80 years in Beachwood and Jeffrey Morris has finally documented the historical blueprint from which we can study and learn. This book is the first opportunity to understand our heritage and to delve into the intellect that forged this wonderful community. The community that exists today as Beachwood is the product of decades of hard work, sacrifice, vision, risk and leadership of dedicated community servants, elected and otherwise, who wanted to build a better place to live, work and educate their families Success rarely comes without failure, controversy, disagreement and clearly the community has had to endure more than its share of public scrutiny and criticism. But the magic of Beachwood, its people, and their unique commitment and devotion to their city, irrespective of their point of view, continues to focus on how to improve the quality of life not only for the residents, but for those who work there as well. Jeff Morris' examination of Beachwood shows that the community has achieved exceptional safety forces, schools, libraries, work environments, lodging, recreational facilities, housing, shopping, and community services. Beachwood is not only a wonderful residential community, but also a destination location for thousands of people who rely on the community at large on a daily basis to make their visit comfortable, productive and safe. And this historically presented blueprint will surely open your eyes and mind. Beechwood, The Book is an intriguing look at where the city has been, but there is so much more to come. Enjoy learning about the first 80 years and dream about the next 80 years and how the magic will continue. Chapter 1 The early days and the establishment of Warrensville Township The Founding of Warrensville Township The first recorded inhabitants of the area known as the Western Reserve were native Americans from the Erie tribe. The Western Reserve essentially consisted of the present day counties of Erie, Huron, Lorain, Medina, Summit, Portage, Trumbull, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Cuyahoga. After many battles with the occupying tribes and The American Revolution, The Commonwealth (State) of Connecticut won the rights and title to this large expanse of land. Much of the land was given to land owners from Connecticut who had suffered losses at the hands of the British during the Revolution. Three million acres were held back however, and in 1795, sold to a group of investors for $1,200,000 (less than 40 cents per acre). The man selected by the investors of The Land Company to explore the new territories was General Moses Cleaveland. He was to survey the terrain and make peace with the surrounding Indian tribes. In 1796, after making an offering of peace to the Indians of the area, Moses Cleaveland landed on the shores of the Cuyahoga River. In the early 1800's Townships were established to provide the early settlers a means of governing themselves. Each Township had approximately 16,000 acres and measured 25 square miles. The government of each Township was headed by a clerk, a treasurer, a justice of the peace, a constable, and three trustees. As time went on a Board of Education and additional officials were established. Warrensville Township was established in 1814 and contained what is today the City of Beachwood. Numerous attempts to establish what would become Warrensville Township were unsuccessful. Jacob Cattern and three other pioneers arrived in the area in 1807 and deemed it worthy of a settlement. But their attempt was foiled by a stubborn bear, or more appropriately, their own folly. Jacob and his cohorts trapped the bear while exploring the area and decided they would kill it in a most unusual way. They would chop down a tree which was towering over the bear and the tree would fall upon the unsuspecting animal and kill it. While attempting to execute this scheme a limb from another tree fell on Jacob and subsequently killed him. The disappointment was too much for the remaining three pioneers and they abandoned their plans. The initial failures of pioneers such as Jacob Cattern did not persist for long. Soon after Cattern's unlikely demise, Daniel Warren of New Hampshire settled in the area. Warren settled first in Lake County, then in Newberg Township and finally in 1810 he moved to Warrensville Township with his wife and first son, who died in the same year, making him the first person to die in the township. Later that same year Warren's second son was born, making him the first non-Indian born in the area. The Township bear's Warren's name for his determination in establishing the settlement. The Shakers In 1811 Jacob Russell, a Revolutionary War veteran, acquired 475 acres in the western portion of the township. Several years later his son, Ralph, traveled to Lebanon, Ohio and observed a Shaker Village. The Shakers were a group of peaceful people with surprisingly progressive views toward women and marriage. Ralph was so impressed with the group that he converted. Upon returning home to Warrensville in 1822, he formed a religious Shaker organization known as "The Valley of God's Pleasure." The land they occupied was labeled the North Union Shaker Community. The Shakers established a total of 19 villages in the country. The North Union Shaker Community sustained itself quite well and was at one point a thriving community, but farming proved to be an unprofitable enterprise because of the limited potential of the soil. The zealous imagination of the Shakers was well known, though, and they soon found new and ingenious ways to turn a profit. Creative members of the Community formulated a plan to dam Doan Brook, which ran from what is now the Shaker area through Rockefeller Park north to Lake Erie, in order to facilitate the operation of a gristmill and a sawmill. At their peak, the Shakers had 1300 acres and 60 buildings. The group was concentrated in three areas of the community: The North Family resided near what is today Coventry and South Park; The Center Family lived near the intersection of Lee Rd.

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