Honoring Bay Village History
b. 1808
d. 1876, Elyria, Ohio
Emmeline “Emma” Hackett Cahoon was born in 1808. She married Benjamin Cahoon on December 1, 1835. They had at least eight children together. Their daughters can be seen in a group portrait at Rose Hill in frames #8 and #22. She was described by Ida Cahoon, in her book History of the Cahoon Family, as “…a most excellent wife and model mother.” Emma lived to be 68 years old and is buried in Ridgelawn Cemetery, Elyria, Ohio.
The following post about gloves was written by Bay Village Historical Society member and volunteer Marie Albano, who has been a tremendous help to the museum in her knowledge and interest in historical clothing.
We have more fashion on display at the Rose Hill Museum, with an emphasis on the 1920s. The museum is open on Sundays in April through December from 2:00pm to 4:30pm and admission is free.
Also open is the Osborn Learning Center which now showcases exhibits ranging from Eliot Ness and the “Untouchables” to the Sheppard murder case. It also houses various research materials from our archives for visitors.
Fashion Diva Fun: Gloves
The word “glove” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “glof” meaning palm. The term of measurement of a glove is the word button. It starts at the base of the thumb and is equal to one French inch. A French inch is slightly larger than an American inch. Therefore, a one button glove is wrist length. Whereas a four to six button glove is half-way to the elbow. A formal length is a sixteen-button glove (this is measurement, not how many buttons are on the glove).
As an accessory to dress, royalty had them ornamented with pearls and precious stones. Many of these are in museums today.
Mitts, sometimes referred to as mittens, are characteristically a Victorian accessory. Fingerless gloves were fashionable in the 1830-40’s for day and evening. Short for the day and long for the evening. They tended to go in and out of fashion until the late 1880’s. In the 1900’s they often accessorized wedding ensembles.
Throughout the Victorian and Edwardian periods, gloves were the symbol of gentility. The social status of a lady or a gentleman could be determined by the quality of their gloves.
For men’s working gloves in the late 1800’s there were 140 separate glove factories in Gloversville, New York which manufactured 2/3 of men’s working gloves in the United States. The annual production was $20,000,000 from this one town.
1996.C.241 Two black lace fingerless gloves in an open pattern of netting with pattern in rows. Glove has a dot design in a triangular pattern near the fingers and diagonal lines near the top.
1999.P.04.047 Two young women wear fingerless gloves.
2020.C.FIC.348 Leather classic gloves with a 3 1/4″ opening. There are four brass studs on the sides of the opening and two eyelets at the top. A cord is through each to pull them tighter.
2018.P.03.03.21 Edna Wuebker wears white gloves, early 1900s
2002.C.18K Rust colored, cloth, classic length gloves. Triangular shape cut from the front middle hem has plastic inset with the same inset repeated on the thumb. Beige hand sewn top stitching outlining the fingers on the front side, base thumb area, bottom hem and triangular detail. Bottom outer edge protrudes 5/8″ in a half-circle design.
1998.C.29 Long white leather gloves with three pearl buttons where there is a slit at the wrist, circa 1890s.
1996.P.019 Margaret Fairley Wright Glendenning wears long white gloves.
After the 1970’s gloves diminished as a fashion accessory, but a gloved hand can be mysterious and alluring as well.
More fashion fun to come,
Dr. Marie A. Albano, D.D.S.
Your donations and memberships help keep these artifacts preserved and accessible to all and can be made by visiting our webpage https://www.bayhistorical.com/support-us/.
If you have any questions for us or are interested in volunteering in order to have a more hands-on experience with Bay Village history, please contact us at (440) 871-7338 or email us at info@bayhistorical.com.
The following post about stockings was written by Bay Village Historical Society member and volunteer Marie Albano, who has been a tremendous help to the museum in her knowledge and interest in historical clothing.
We have more fashion on display at the Rose Hill Museum, with an emphasis on the 1920s. The museum is now open on Sundays from 2:00pm to 4:30pm (closed July 3rd).
Also open is the Osborn Learning Center which now showcases exhibits ranging from Eliot Ness and the “Untouchables” to the Sheppard murder case. It also houses various research materials from our archives for visitors.
Fashion Diva Fun: Stockings
Let’s talk stockings and I don’t mean Christmas!
Did you know that our museum has an extensive collection of stockings and socks? Everyone tends to think that stockings came in either white or black. During the Victorian era, stockings were often matched to the shade of the gown for evening. It was also popular to match your stockings to your petticoat with purple or red being very fashionable.
1998.C.37 Victorian Maroon Stockings
Black stockings for boys and girls were considered to be strong and were typically worn until 1920. They were made domestically and cost 25 cents/year.
When hemlines revealed more leg, it was suggested by a 1915 fashion magazine that a delicate stripe would be permissible with the new saddle oxfords. Also, plaid or polka dot stockings with plain shoes would be in good taste.
The stockings for both men and women were typically made of wool, cotton, linen or silk with silk being reserved for the very wealthy. The thread for the silk stockings was made in Lille, France. The material is called Lisle, it is actually combed Egyptian cotton made fine and silky by a mercerizing process making it stronger. In 1903 they were imported from France at $1.00/pair.
More fashion fun to come.
Dr. Marie A. Albano, D.D.S.
1996.P.FIC.02.61 possibly Mae Ligget wearing light-colored stockings in the late 1800s, from the Foote Family album
Your donations and memberships help keep these artifacts preserved and accessible to all and can be made by visiting our webpage https://www.bayhistorical.com/support-us/.
If you have any questions for us or are interested in volunteering in order to have a more hands-on experience with Bay Village history, please contact us at (440) 871-7338 or email us: info@bayhistorical.com.
2021.P.FIC.010 Georgia Brown shows a bit of dark stockings at the end of their popularity in the 1910s
2020.C.FIC.265 Corset with garters (front only survive) to hold up stockings
1996.C.503 Blue Embroidered Stockings, late 1800s
1999.C.78 Green Silk Stockings, circa 1930, labeled Osborne
2020.C.FIC.281 Marvel Emil Sebert’s Lace Stockings. Sebert was an English and typing teacher in Parkview/Bay High School from 1925-1952.
Marvel Sebert from the 1947 Bay Blue Book Yearbook
2022.08.14.01.12.117 Bay Librarians Model Jim Shea Hosiery, 1969
Summer is almost here and many friends of the Bay Village Historical Society may have plans to visit our shoreline, if they haven’t already. The Lake Erie coastline is everchanging, both by natural and man-made forces. In the archives of the Osborn Learning Center, we have many photos of fun at the beach in Bay Village from years gone by. Below you’ll find several from our collection that we hope you’ll enjoy.
As a reminder, the Osborn Learning Center is open Sundays from 2:00pm to 4:30pm with exhibits ranging from Eliot Ness and the “Untouchables” to the Sheppard murder case. It also houses various research materials from our archives for visitors.
Want more glimpses of historic fun at the beach? At Rose Hill we have swimsuits on display from the 1920s, along with other exhibits showcasing the important decade in the history of Bay Village.
Your donations and memberships help keep these artifacts preserved and accessible to all and can be made by visiting our webpage https://www.bayhistorical.com/support-us/.
If you have any questions for us or are interested in volunteering in order to have a more hands-on experience with Bay Village history, please contact us at (440) 871-7338 or email us: info@bayhistorical.com.
2021.P.23.09.08 Bay Family swimming in Lake Erie 1925 or 26. Back: Colette Clement, Colette Frank Clement (her mother), Jack McIlvried. Front: Sylvia Clement, and Clement cousins Myra and Louise
2021.P.23.09.06 Colette Clement and future husband Jack McIlvried on Huntington Beach 1934
2021.P.FIC.024 Man Buried in Sand (maybe 1941)
2021.P.FIC.237.07 Young Men on Huntington Beach (undated)
2000.P.FIC.017 Undated, Wischmeyer Hotel guests at the dock and out for a sail.
The following article was written by Bay Historical Society Trustee Sue Jachnick. It was sparked, in part, by the discovery of an intact bird-of-paradise in the costume collection at Rose Hill Museum. The museum owns many such accessories with some put on display this year to coincide with several small exhibits celebrating the significant decade of the 1920s in Bay.
The Osborn Learning Center (next door) currently features photos and artifacts concerning the Bay Hospital. Photos and articles about one of its physicians, Dr. Samuel Sheppard, and his infamous murder trial are also on display. Information about former Bay Village resident and famous G-Man of the “Untouchables” fame, Eliot Ness, can be viewed courtesy of collector Kevin Killeen.
Rose Hill Museum and the Osborn Learning Center are open Sundays, 2-4:30pm.
Victorian Women’s Fashion
Over the past winter under the direction of Cathy Flament, the clothing collection at Rosehill has been meticulously inventoried and stored. We have opened countless drawers, bags, boxes and containers filled with all sort of items. Imagine our surprise when we came across a beautiful stuffed bird. We had no idea where it came from but guessed that it had once adorned a woman’s hat. We did some research and learned that it was a bird of paradise and had likely come from Papua New Guinea. One of the few places on earth where it can be found. It is a multicolored bird with brilliant, iridescent feathers that grow only during its mating season. Further research revealed some fascinating facts about this odd Victorian fashion.
2021.C.FIC.41 Bird-of-paradise accessory.
The Victorians were said to have over done everything from decorating to fashion. Their motto may have been “too much is never enough” and this was certainly true from 1885 – 1921. During that time women’s hats were not only tall but wide-brimmed and lavishly decorated with large bows, flowers, ribbons, feathers and even entire birds. Yes, birds. The hats were so large that women had to sometimes kneel down in their carriages or ride with the head outside the window.
1996.C.302 Plum-colored hat with feathers.
This trend originated in the fashion salons of Paris and rapidly spread to the United States. The birds that were used were not common birds like chickens, starlings or robins but rather rare, exotic, colorful birds found only in Central/South America, Amazon rainforest and the Pacific Islands. Explorers spent months and sometimes years in these far-off places gathering thousands of specimens to be shipped back home for the sole purpose of the fashion industry. Hundreds of pounds of feathers were shipped back to supply the demand for this fashion trend. Hunters descended on the everglades in Florida and stole snowy egrets off the nest for the sole purpose of obtaining their plumes that only grow during mating season. The practice not only killed the stolen bird but left nestlings and eggs without a parent and doomed them to a certain death. It drove the species to near extinction.
1996.C.318 Cream color ostrich feather hand held fan.
Sometimes the specimens were prepared is such a way that the bird was left intact and the entire bird sat perched on the hat. For a particularly ostentatious look multiple birds would be used to adorn the hat thus increasing the status of the woman in Victorian society. Other times, the feathers would be plucked and used separately.
By 1914 the practice of killing birds for their feathers had become so out of control that entire species were being driven to extinction and birds were disappearing by the millions driving their numbers to dangerously low levels. Finally, people began to take notice and were appalled. Women’s groups and conservations groups began organizing and staging protests. Eventually, women began to reject the practice and refused to wear feathers of any sort.
2000.C.14 Pink hand held feather fan.
This fashion trend contributed to the founding of the Audubon society and in 1918 President Wilson signed the Migratory Bird Act into effect. It is the most important bird protection law in the U.S. and it has been in place for over 100 years. Legislation had been passed to weaken the act but it has recently been repealed.
If you want to learn more:
David Attenborough has a documentary about birds of paradise. The Feather Thief a non-fiction novel by Kirk Wallace Johnson.
written by Sue Jachnick
1999.C.70 Black ostrich feather and tortoise shell fan.
2020.C.FIC.452 Peacock feathers on display in the Rose Hill Museum Victorian Parlor.
by Michele Yamamoto
October 1948 marked the opening of the new Bay View Osteopathic General Hospital in the old estate of Washington Herbert Lawrence (b.1840, d. 1900). It was a dream home of this early investor in the new field of electricity and president of The National Carbon Company, which manufactured, among many products, the first “D” cell battery. Lawrence died in 1900, before the mansion was fully completed to house his seven daughters and their families.
In 1948, monies to buy the old mansion and turn it into a hospital were advanced by the Sheppard Family, including new Bay View Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Richard A. Sheppard and his two sons Dr. Richard N. Sheppard (senior surgeon and obstetrician) and Dr. Stephen A. Sheppard (director of hospital practices and urologist). A third son, Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard, who was a specialist in neuro-traumatic surgery, joined the staff later in 1951.
The hospital’s needs soon outgrew the old mansion and a wing was added in 1953 to increase the capacity to 96 beds. By 1963, 15,300 square feet of two more floors and 30 additional beds had been added above the newer wing and the hospital was able to provide an emergency room, X-rays, surgeries, lab work, a treatment center for alcoholism and a pharmacy, among other services and amenities for patients.
By 1971, the hospital needed to expand again and applied for permission from the Metropolitan Health Planning Commission to build to the west of the hospital building. Permission was refused with limited land space, cramped parking, building age and the need to care for more underserved areas and work with other hospitals listed as reasons for the refusal. As a result, there was a move toward developing the Westlake Health Campus with St. John’s and Fairview hospitals. At the end of its life, Bay View Hospital included nearly 100 doctors, 300 employees and more than 200 volunteers. The old home and hospital was converted into condominiums in the early 1980s and today is known as Cashelmara.
Photographs and objects from the Bay View Hospital are now on display in the “Crime Room” at the Osborn Learning Center at Cahoon Memorial Park. In a related display are pictures and news articles about the well-publicized 1954 murder of Marilyn Sheppard, wife of Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard, resident of Bay Village and physician at the Bay View Hospital.
You will also find a new display about former Bay Village resident Eliot Ness, the famous leader of a team of law enforcement agents nicknamed “The Untouchables,” courtesy of collector Kevin Killeen.
Rose Hill Museum and the Osborn Learning Center (next door) are now open to the public every Sunday from 2-4:30 p.m. Closed on holidays.
The following history of the library in Bay Village is taken from an article written by Bay Village Historical Society board member, Cynthia Eakin. It is part three of a three-part series that we will be sharing with you through Glimpse of the Past.
If you would like to find out even more about the library or Bay Village history in general, contact us at (440) 871-7338 or email us: info@bayhistorical.com.
Bay Village Library History, Part 3
Bay Village Builds a Larger, Modern Library on Cahoon Road
By the late 1970s, Bay Village had outgrown the library building at the corner of Dover Center Road and Wolf Road. A decision was made to construct a larger, more modern building.
A $1.2 million bond issue was approved by the voters of Bay Village on Nov. 7, 1978 for the design and construction of a new library. The Bay Village branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at 502 Cahoon Road opened on Apr. 5, 1981. The new building had 15,735 square feet of space and housed 70,000 volumes. The design received an award from the American Institute of Architects/Architects Society of Ohio in the fall of that year.
Bay Library at 502 Cahoon July 1980, 2022.P.08.14.02.13B.6
Bay Village Library before parking lot build, August 1981,2022.P.08.14.02.14A.1
Newly built Bay Village Library on 502 Cahoon Road 1981, 2022.P.08.14.03.02A.1
“The building was built in 1981 and renovated in 1997,” Bay Village Branch Manager Jessica Breslin noted. “At that time, the circulation department, entryways, computer and teen areas were modified significantly. There was a stage in the meeting room, which was removed during the renovation. The children’s play area was expanded and comfortable seating was added around 2012.”
Families browse books and new audio-visual collection circa early 1980s,2022.P.08.14.03.03B.3
Children reading at the Library circa 1981,2022.P.08.14.03.05B.1
“Over the years, we expanded early childhood programming to include STEAM programming, extended story times, facilitated kindergarten readiness activities and sensory story times adapted for youth with disabilities. Other children’s programs such as Book Buddies, Chalk the Walk and the Summer Reading Game grew in popularity,” she added.
“After the closure of the Bayway after school program, the library became a safe and engaging place for middle school students to spend time in the afternoon. We created a weekly Teen Zone program that encouraged our tweens and teens to participate in activities such as painting workshops, tech classes, movie days and service projects. We had a homework mentor to assist students with their schoolwork Monday through Thursday afternoons. Our staff welcomed students in and had a chance to make some great connections with them,” Breslin said.
“We offered digital literacy programming for adults including training on the library’s digital resources, iPad 101 and drop-in and download. We hosted the AARP for tax preparation sessions from January through April annually. Many civic organizations have utilized our meeting spaces, including the Bay Village Historical Society, League of Women Voters, Board of Elections, Girl Scouts, Sea Scouts, PTA and the Bay Village Community Council,” she said. “We have hosted many authors including local favorites like Michael Heaton, James Renner and Dan Coughlin. The Friends of the Library offered both quarterly and ongoing book sales and generously supported library programming. We offered various maker programs including 3D origami wall art, vegan leather jewelry, glass etching and book folding. We offered three monthly book discussions, including partnerships with Dwyer Senior Center and BAYarts.”
“Our collection floats from building to building, so we don’t keep statistics on the number of volumes that we now house,” Breslin explained. “But, our annual circulation from the Cahoon Road location was approximately 248,000 items with an average of 153,000 customer visits.”
Children study and use the new electronics at Bay Library circa early 1980s, 2022.P.08.14.03.06A.1
The following history of the library in Bay Village is taken from an article written by Bay Village Historical Society board member, Cynthia Eakin. It is part 2 of a three-part series that we will be sharing with you through Glimpse of the Past.
If you would like to find out even more about the library or you can help us identify the women the library staff photo below, contact us at (440) 871-7338 or email us: info@bayhistorical.com.
We hope to see you at the Bay Village Branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library during their Grand Opening, Saturday, April 30 from 2-5pm in the new location at 27400 Wolf Road.
Rapid post-war community growth prompted a library move
After World War II, Bay Village developed so rapidly that municipal, religious, educational, shopping and residential facilities became inadequate and a period of rapid construction began.
In addition to homes, churches and schools, a new Colonial-style shopping center, a professional building and a post office were built. The village government had many added duties, including increased police and fire protection, the building of new roads and the improving of water and sewage systems. Since there were so many responsibilities to be met, the village adopted the charter form of government. In 1950, the Village of Bay became the City of Bay Village, the legal name required by Ohio law after a village has attained a population of 5,000 or more.
The growth of Bay Village was soon reflected in the library program. More books were being read, circulation increased and there were more requests for meetings to be held in the library. The library board was convinced that some measure had to be taken to relieve the situation. Many pros and cons were considered, but the final decision was to join the county library system.
Head Librarian Eve Taylor Gleeson, circa late 1940s
In 1946, Mrs. Eve T. Gleeson succeeded Mrs. Scott as librarian, after Mrs. Scott had served for 24 years. In her annual report that year, Mrs. Gleeson noted that the lack of heat in the library during the winter caused meetings and children’s story hours to be rescheduled. Circulation was dropping and newcomers to Bay Village were going into Lakewood for their books. Beloved as Rose Hill was by old and new residents, it could no longer serve as a public institution for a city now totaling 13,000 residents. Another disadvantage of having the Dover-by-the-Lake Library housed in Rose Hill was its isolated location. Because of its distance from the schools, the library was inaccessible to younger children due to a lack of public transportation. Heavy motor traffic made it too dangerous for children to attempt walking to the library.
2022.P.08.14.01.03, At the crowded Dover-by-the-Lake Library, patron Grace McFarren browses books in the kitchen, May 1959.
Ever since becoming affiliated with the Cuyahoga County library system, groups within the community had pressed for a new library in a new location. A new Library Advisory Board was formed in February 1957, and a site committee was appointed at the very first meeting. Their first selection was a plot of land behind the Bay Village City Hall and across from the Wolf Road shopping center. But, because this was part of Cahoon Memorial Park, the title of which had been left to the people of the community through the mayor and city council, the title could not be transferred to the Cuyahoga County library as required.
In the midst of these discussions, Mrs. Gleeson resigned as librarian. Mrs. Helen M. Casey, then librarian at Fairport Public Library, was appointed to succeed Mrs. Gleeson. By the time Mrs. Casey assumed her duties in Bay Village in August 1957, the site search for a new building had been settled. It was the southeast corner of Wolf and Dover Center roads.
The circulation of the library showed a sharp increase under Mrs. Casey’s leadership.
2022.P.08.14.01.04 Head Librarian Helen Casey, January 18, 1960
According to city hall estimates, the 1957 population in Bay Village was 13,500, and the librarian’s annual report showed a total circulation for that year of 45,607 books, an increase of 10,248 over the preceding year. Much of that increase resulted from an accelerated program of work with children, made possible by the appointment of a part-time children’s librarian. In addition to story hour at the library, book talks were given at the schools and a summer reading program was established.
Adult library services were also increasing, with many more books, film strips and recordings being borrowed from the regional library. The Baycrafters continued to occupy space in the library, bringing in people through their art classes. The League of Women Voters continued to meet at the Dover-by-the-Lake library, as well as the Lake Erie Junior Museum, now the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, under the direction of Mrs. Elberta Fleming.
2022.P.FIC.05.3 Elberta Fleming (founder of Lake Erie Nature & Science Center) stands by the doorway of the Children’s Museum at Dover-by-the-Lake Library, circa late 1940s
By the end of 1957, there were several part-time assistant librarians and one full-time desk worker. The mayor’s report for the year indicated that the proposed site for the new library building had been purchased and bonds issued. The title to the land was transferred to the Cuyahoga County library in early 1958. After the bids for construction went out, work on the building plans proceeded under the supervision of the architectural firm of Mellenbrook, Foley and Scott of Berea.
The year of 1959 saw a new library under construction, and also saw a critical re-evaluation of the book collection. Many outdated volumes were cancelled and purchases of newer books were made. Several part-time assistant librarians were added to the staff in anticipation of the move to new quarters. The Library Advisory Board and civic groups worked to raise additional funds for furnishings, landscaping and parking lot paving.
2022.P.08.11.04 Bay Village Library at 377 Dover Center Rd., Jan. 1960
2022.P.08.14.01.05 Interior of the new Bay Village Library on opening day, January 18, 1960
In January 1960, the new library building was ready for occupancy, and dedication ceremonies were held on Jan. 31. Dover-by-the-Lake Library slipped into the past, ever to be associated with Rose Hill, and the Bay Village Public Library took its place at the hub of the community’s life.
The information in this segment of the series on the history of the Bay Village Library was gathered from, “Evolution of a Library: Bay Village, Ohio” by Marjorie Corey.
2022.P.08.11.19.1 Helen Casey and Mayor Gilbert Holtz signing a proclamation at a library open house event, October 1969
2022.P.08.11.23 Librarians Helen Casey (bottom left) and Anne Saunders (bottom middle) with other staff at the Bay Village Library, August, 1965
As Bay Village prepares for the opening of its much-anticipated new library, we at the Bay Village Historical Society would like to share with you some library history from our collections.
The following early history of the library in Bay Village is from an article written by Bay Village Historical Society board member, Cynthia Eakin. It is part 1 of a three-part history that we will be sharing with you for the next few installments of Glimpse of the Past.
If you would like to find out even more about the library or Bay Village history in general, contact us at (440) 871-7338 or email us: info@bayhistorical.com.
We hope to see you at the Bay Village Branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library during their Grand Opening, Saturday, April 30 from 2-5pm in the new location at 27400 Wolf Road.
History of the Bay Village Library—Part 1, by Cynthia Eakin
Cahoon Will established the first library in Bay Village
The first settler in Bay Village was Joseph Cahoon, whose youngest granddaughter, Ida Maria Cahoon, left the family estate to the city for a library.
The Cahoon family settled along the Indian trail, now Lake Road, in 1810. In 1818, their permanent home, called Rose Hill, was built where it now stands. The third son of Joseph Cahoon married Margaret Van Allen, and their 11 children were all successful, prominent citizens. Three of their daughters, Lydia, Laura and Margaret were teachers in the Cleveland school system, and a fourth daughter, Ida, was a writer of prominence in the field of poetry. So, it was natural for a family interested in education to foster learning by establishing a library.
The library was made possible through the will of Ida Maria Cahoon. In her will, she asked that the name be, “Dover-by-the-Lake Library,” should another library ever by organized in what was then Dover Township.
The Cahoon estate consisted of 114 acres, the ancestral home of Rose Hill and the barn, left in trust to Mayor Walter Wright, city council, and their successors. The will stipulated that Rose Hill was to be used for a library and museum, and the surrounding land was to be used as a park. Item 25 of the will states, “I hereby direct and request that steps be taken by said Mayor and Council of the Village of Bay to enlist the attention of Mr. Andrew Carnegie, and solicit his help and assistance in establishing and maintaining said library. I hereby give and bequeath to the Library of Dover-by-the-Lake herein intended to be created, all of my books, pictures and I request that the family portraits and best pictures be placed on the walls of the Cahoon homestead, and be forever maintained therein.”
2022.P.08.11.07 Dover-by-the-Lake Library located at Rose Hill, May 25, 1959
A committee of 12 members was appointed on Feb. 2, 1920 to organize and develop a program for a public library. This committee met formally on Dec. 10, 1920 with their recommendations. On Mar. 18, 1921, Mrs. Emma Paul Pope and Miss Olive P. Bailey were appointed associate librarians. They planned and organized the library and opened it to the public on May 24, 1921. There were 80 people present, which was a sizable crowd in a village of 750 people.
Ida Cahoon’s will established two trust funds known as the “Library of Dover-by-the-Lake Fund,” to buy books, maintain, support and care for the library. This fund, plus fines and a small sum from the village general fund, financed the library from its beginning until 1935, when it became eligible for funds from intangible taxes.
R2021.01.10 Julia Osborn Scott
Mrs. Julia Osborn Scott was appointed resident librarian on Oct. 1,1922, and continued until 1946. Scott was the great granddaughter of Reuben Osborn, one of the first settlers of Bay Village. She not only knew her library collection, but she knew the village and all of its inhabitants, and many of their ancestors, if not by personal relationship, then by stories, folk lore and traditions passed down from one generation to the next. From her own family, she learned of the trials and hardships the pioneers endured as they traveled west into Ohio. Since Scott was steeped in the folk lore, manners and customs of the pioneers, she gave this information as freely as she lent a book.
Every newcomer to the village knew the library and Mrs. Scott before knowing anyone else, except perhaps their minister. The library was the center of interest, and there was a personal relationship between the librarian and her patrons that would not exist in larger communities. Scott lived in the upstairs of the library building from her appointment in 1924 until her retirement in 1946. Her quarters were described as being homey and interesting, as there were books everywhere.
Although there was always work to be done, Scott took the time to relate experiences that had no relation to the borrowing of books or reference readings, such as the time a Gypsy family took refuge in the library, since it was the nearest house when their baby became sick. They remained two weeks, but with all of the care they could give, the child died and was given a decent burial in the cemetery by the lake. Then, there was the incident when two men who had imbibed too much, broke into the library on a very cold night and slept on the couches downstairs. Still slightly tipsy in the morning, they proceeded upstairs to wake the librarian to ask her to intercede with the police on their behalf.
During the Depression years and until after WWII, the library hours were irregular and long for one person supervising alone. Because Scott lived in the building, many people would drop in at their convenience. The average number of hours from 1923 to 1934 were not recorded, but from 1934 to 1937, 34 hours a week were scheduled. Between 1937 and 1948, the number increased to 48 hours. There was no regular assistant, yet the services and circulation continued to increase. The library was known first as a Private Trust Library, then it became a municipal library and finally a branch of the Cuyahoga County Library System.
The Mayor and city council leased the dwelling house to the Board of Library trustees, furnished custodial services, water, gas and electricity, and paid the sum of $1,000 a year out of the Dover-by-the-Lake Library fund for use in operation and maintenance of the library. This agreement lasted from 1943 to 1952.
The information in this segment of the series on the history of the Bay Village Library was gathered from, “History of the Dover-by-the-Lake Library of Bay Village, Ohio” by Ruth R. Lephart, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Library Science, School of Library Science, Western Reserve University, June, 1954.
2022.P.FIC.05.2 Lake Erie Junior Museum event (now Lake Erie Nature & Science Center) inside the library at Rose Hill, circa the late 1940s.
The mass influx of immigrants in the mid-to-late 1800’s included a German family in 1854 who would eventually bring a primary business adventure to Dover. Originally settling in Cleveland, Henry Wischmeyer (1832-1902) purchased a farm in 1872 that was located at 26565 Lake Road. Carrying on the tradition of grape growing, they planted vineyards on two of their acres. Within two years they built a resort hotel storing casks in the lower area with the capacity of ten thousand gallons of wine. The hotel, able to accommodate seventy guests, would become a thriving vacation spot.
The Wischmeyer family included Henry’s wife Regina (1834-1918), whose sister Caroline married Alfred Wolf, and six children, five living to adulthood. The Wischmeyer home still stands today and has been lovingly attended to for the last 150 years.
The following items come from the Wischmeyer family collection. The photograph features “Granny Wischmeyer” in the seat of a beloved family buggy. A version of the buggy was created for the family in toy form. You may view the miniature buggy at the Rose Hill Museum which opens again to the public on Sunday, April 24 from 2:00 to 4:30pm.
1996.Y.018 Toy version of Granny Wischmeyer’s buggy
2000.P.FIC.026 Wischmeyer women (Granny Wischmeyer and daughters) and their buggy, 1908.