1800s Sleigh at Rose Hill Museum

The Bay Village Historical Society usually asks that visitors do not sit upon any of their antique collections. In December, there will be an exception. An 1800s sleigh will be available for picture taking with Santa Claus during the Cahoon Christmas event days.

The sleigh before the remodel, D.2019.5.1.

It is unclear where and exactly when the two-seater sleigh was built. We do know that it was most likely made sometime in the 1800s. The sleigh was owned most recently by Bill and Grace Anderson Sebesta of Bay Village. Their niece, Bernardette E. Novy Enochian, donated it to the Bay Village Historical Society in 2019. It was restored soon after and painted red and black for the holiday season. The sleigh made its makeover debut for Cahoon Christmas 2022, during which Santa, Mrs. Claus, and their elves joined the festivities and posed for pictures with visitors at Rose Hill Museum.

The sleigh being rebuilt, D.2019.5.1

If you would like to take a photo of your loved ones with Santa at Rose Hill Sunday, December 10, from 2-4 p.m., sign up on our website at Cahoon Christmas 2023 and for a $20 donation, a professional photographer will take a digital photo that will be emailed to you. Walk-ups are welcome at $25 cash. The proceeds will help fund activities and collection preservation at the Bay Village Historical Society.

The 2023 Cahoon Christmas event will be held Sundays, December 3, 10 and 17 from 2:00-4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays December 6, 13, 20 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. You may find a list of special December performances and demonstrations on our website at the following link: Events Calendar. Contact us at (216) 319-4634 / info@bayhistorical.com, with any questions.

Antique brass sleigh bells, 2006.L.04

1899 children’s book “The First Sleigh Ride,” 2021.B.FIC.010

Happy Thanksgiving!

The following postcard, sent in 1938 to Henry and his sister, Olga Wischmeyer, says it all. Best wishes to to you and yours this Thanksgiving, this time from the Bay Village Historical Society.

Who are Henry and Olga Wischmeyer, you ask? They were the children of Henry and Regina Wischmeyer, the owners of a popular resort hotel in 1800s Dover (now Bay Village). The hotel, which used to stand on the Lake, just west of Glen Park, is now gone. The home of Henry and Olga, though, still stands today.

Some artifacts of the Wischmeyer Hotel were saved and can be viewed at the Rose Hill Museum, along with Henry Jr.’s collection of model boats. You may come see these exhibits Sundays (excluding holiday weekends), 2:00-4:30 p.m. In addition, come visit Rose Hill during our special 2023 Cahoon Christmas Event, Saturdays, December 3, 10 and 17 from 2:00-4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays December 6, 13, 20 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. You may find the list of special performances, demonstrations and photos with Santa on our website https://www.bayhistorical.com/. Contact us at (216) 319-4634 / info@bayhistorical.com, with any questions.

d Olga Wischmeyer, you ask? They were the children of Henry and Regina Wischmeyer, the owners of a popular resort hotel in 1800s Dover (now Bay Village). The hotel, which used to stand on Lake Road, is now gone. Some artifacts remain at the Rose Hill Museum, along with Henry Jr.’s collection of model boats.

You may see these exhibits Sundays (excluding holiday weekends), 2:00-4:30 p.m. In addition, come visit Rose Hill during our special 2023 Cahoon Christmas Event, Saturdays, December 3, 10 and 17 from 2:00-4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays December 6, 13, 20 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. You may find a list of special performances, demonstrations and photos with Santa on our website homepage. Contact us at (216) 319-4634 / info@bayhistorical.com, with any questions.

Back of Thanksgiving postcard, 2021.FIC.018

Woman Suffrage Amendment Poster, 1914

by Michele Yamamoto

At the Bay Village Historical Society, we made an unexpected discovery while archiving the college diploma of Elizabeth Hughes Cahoon. The backing used inside the frame for Elizabeth’s diploma was from the women’s suffrage movement in the early 1900s. The poster reads “Vote for Woman Suffrage Amendment 3 on Nov. 3.” A look into Amendment 3 led us to discover this political campaign poster was referring to an attempt in 1914 to initiate an Ohio state constitutional amendment to provide women the right to vote. Suffragists up to this point had been trying to pass state initiatives such as this one to compel the United States Congress to submit a federal amendment. Fifteen other states managed to pass suffrage ballot measures. The amendment cited on the poster was the second attempt to extend the suffrage to women in the state of Ohio. The first attempt on September 9, 1912 failed. The November 3, 1914 attempt also failed, with 60% of the male only voters voting against it, about 3% more than in 1912.

Elizabeth (b. 1830, d. 1914) joined the Cahoon family when she married Thomas Havenner Cahoon (b. 1832, d. 1907) in 1860. Thomas was the son of Joel and Martha Cahoon, the second-generation homeowners of Rose Hill. Before marriage, Elizabeth graduated from Wesleyan Female College in Cincinnati in 1852 with a degree of Mistress of English Literature. This was no ordinary feat in the 1800s, a time during which most American women were discouraged from attending institutions of higher learning.

A young Elizabeth Hughes Cahoon, 2000.P.FIC.013

Thomas Havenner Cahoon,1996.P.008A

Elizabeth Hughes Cahoon’s 1852 college diploma, 2021.FIC.004

Knowing her background, it makes one wonder if she supported the 1914 measure or maybe even campaigned for it. Elizabeth attended college during the very early years of the suffrage movement, which appears to have had a strong presence in Ohio. In a college journal entry from January 11, 1851, Elizabeth wrote that she attended a meeting at a public lecture hall during which she “heard much of woman’s wrongs and rights.” Interestingly, in May of that year, there was an Ohio Woman’s Rights Convention held in Akron, during which abolitionist and women’s rights activist, Sojourner Truth, spoke.

Elizabeth Hughes Cahoon in later years. 2023.P.FIC.011

Elizabeth Hughes Cahoon died on October 4, 1914, one month before the outcome of the November vote. She is buried in the Bay Village Lakeside Cemetery. Almost six years later, on August 26, 1920, the ratification of the 19^th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is certified. It prohibits government from denying or abridging the right to vote on account of sex.

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If you enjoy reading Glimpse of the Past, please consider a donation to the Bay Village Historical Society. We rely mainly on the support of private donors to preserve and share our local history. Donations can be made online on our “Support Us” page. You may also contact us at (216) 319-4634 or info@bayhistorical.com.

1914 Woman Suffrage poster, 2021.FIC.005. A portion of the bottom was cut to fit into a frame as backing. It may be viewed in person in a display at Rose Hill Museum through November 12, 2023.

Halloween Costumes of Yesteryear

by Michele Yamamoto

This week there are many Bay Village families planning what to wear for Halloween. From parties to trick-or-treating, there will be many opportunities to show off costumes. The following photos are a glimpse into some Halloween costumes of Bay Village past. May they take you back to your childhood or inspire you to recreate one today!

The first Kindergarten class in Bay Village Schools, October 1941. The kids pose for a group photo in their costumes. More on this class can be found in the Bay Blue Book from 1954, which can be viewed virtually on the Bay Village Historical Society website.

*Two photos of* Betsy Andrews leading a 1975 Halloween Story Time program at the old Bay Library building where the Bay Board of Education is currently located. Although this is slightly before my time, I did wear that same Casper mask one year and remember well the plastic bib costume and mask sets that continued to be sold well into the 1980s. 2022.P.08.14.02.03.1.3 & 4

A Halloween event circa the early 1990s at the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. I see a Mario brother but no Ninja Turtles here. 2021.P.FIC.295

If you are concerned about preserving Bay Village’s past (even our more recent past) consider donating to the Bay Village Historical Society. You may visit our website Support Us Page, contact us by phone at (216) 319-4634 or email info@bayhistorical.com. Also, feel free to contact us if you know any of the unnamed people in the photos.

Lutheran Mission Grounds Bell

The following piece was researched using articles written by Bay Village Historical Society historians George Serb and Kay Laughlin, who shared their knowledge of the subject in 1997 and 2013, respectively.

The next time you visit the grounds of the Rose Hill Museum, you will notice near the south porch a cast iron bell now hanging near the staircase down to the Cahoon cabin. This bell has historical significance as it used to hang next to the pulpit of the old Lutheran Mission Grounds.

A map of Bay Village’s west side from sometime in the 1930s or 1940s, showing the location of the Lutheran Mission Grounds, 2018.FIC.0017

The Lutheran Mission Grounds was an outdoor gathering spot in Bay Village, used by various Lutheran churches from the west side of Cleveland during summers from June to September. It was located between Bassett and Bradley Roads, reaching south to the railroad tracks, with a road north to Ashton Lane (formerly Link Road). The 10-acre site was purchased from farmer David Sites in 1886 by the churches who were looking for a wooded piece of land out in the country. They eventually erected buildings to house mission festivals, school picnics and other church gatherings. Those attending could ride the train from Cleveland to the site, later driving when automobiles became the preferred mode of transportation.

George Serb remembered visiting the grounds in the late 1930s. Serb’s Lakeshore Ice Company delivered to Lutheran Mission Grounds on Sunday mornings for the refrigerators and coolers located in the large kitchen. A single lane bowling alley (built in 1904), upon which the pins had to be set by hand, was one unique feature Serb recalled using with his classmates. He mentions that a Mr. William Toensing, who lived near the property with his son Leonard, was the caretaker.

Carl Meilander and Victor Toensing play at the bowling alley on the Lutheran Mission Church Grounds, circa the 1930s, RP.01.009.03

The bell has served different purposes over the years. The original bell of the Lutheran Mission Grounds was stolen at some point and replaced with the steam engine bell you see at Rose Hill. It was donated to the church by the New York Central & St. Louis Railroad. When the Lutheran Mission Grounds closed in 1964, that bell was given to the Victor Toensing family for safe keeping. Janet Toensing Bremke took it with her when she moved to Amherst. Janet and her brother Carl Toensing then gifted the bell to the Bay Village Historical Society in 2011, in memory of their brother Robert.

You may see the Lutheran Mission Grounds bell anytime outside of the Rose Hill Museum in Cahoon Memorial Park. Tours of the inside of the home are given Sundays in April through December from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (excluding holiday weekends). Our temporary exhibition, Beadwork: The Beauty of Small Things is currently on display, along with our permanent collection of early American artifacts. You may also contact us at (216) 319-4634 / info@bayhistorical.com.

Women’s Fashions: 1860s-1920s

(Feature image above: 1860s – A fashion fold-out from the Godey’s Lady’s book, 1863, Vol. 66, part of the Rose Hill Museum library collection.)

In anticipation of our upcoming benefit fashion show being held this September (details below), we at the Bay Village Historical Society would like to share some pictures of interesting women’s fashions from the 1860s-1920s, that we have found in our collections. You may see quite a few fashionable dresses and accessories any Sunday at the Rose Hill Museum, especially with our current exhibition, Beadwork: The Beauty of Small Things. The following pictures are not always on display and many are tucked away in our library and archives. Enjoy!

1870s – The Cahoon sisters, left to right: Lydia (b. 1835, d. 1917), Laura (b. 1841, d. 1917), Martha (b. 1844, d. 1903) and Ida (b. 1852, d. 1917), 1996.P.016. The photograph is undated but we can guess at the time period, in part, by the dress of the four sisters. The abundance of ruffles and trim on both the skirts and bodices, the bustles and the cascade of hair curls seem to indicate this photo was taken sometime in the early to mid-1870s.

1880s – Effie Cahoon Ellis (b.1861, d.1888). This portrait photograph was most likely taken on her wedding day in 1883. 2000.P.FIC.014

1890s – Puffed sleeves were all the rage in the mid-1890s, the time period in when we believe this picture was taken of Annabelle Aldrich Terry (b. 1873, d. 1950). 2021.01.1.007

1900s – Mabel Peters (b. 1884) is wearing the “S-bend” style dress, popular in the early 1900s. 2018.P.03.03.84

1910s – Wedding fashion from the 1910s. This group photo was taken for the 1914 wedding of Meta Stark Hinz (b. 1890, d. 1955) and Arthur Hinz (b. 1890, d. 1956). Meta’s wedding dress is part of The Bay Village Historical Society’s costume collection (2005.P.01).

1920s – Martha Bassett Beaucock (born Aldrich) (b.1865, d.1957), 2021.P.FIC.228.08. With her cloche hat, Mary Jane shoes and drop waist dress, Martha screams the 1920s.

If you love historical fashions from the 1860s-1920s, then you’ll want to attend the Bay Village Historical Society’s benefit fashion show. Silhouettes of Style, co-chaired by Monica Thomas and Pamela Ebert, will be held September 24, 2023 at the Lakewood Country Club. Models will be showcasing both historical and reproduced pieces from private collections. Tickets for this luncheon are $45 a person. Checks payable to the Bay Village Historical Society may be mailed to Pamela Ebert, 153 Kensington Circle, Bay Village, OH 44140. The deadline for reservations is September 19. Details can be found at www.bayhistorical.com.

Frame #01: Emeline “Emma” Hackett Cahoon

b. 1808
d. 1876, Elyria, Ohio
Emeline “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.

Frame #02: Joel Butler Cahoon

Joel Butler Cahoon, along with his family, were the first settlers of Bay Village. He sat for a few different portraits over the years. This portrait was painted in his old age, after he had let his beard grow long. To read more about Joel and view a portrait of him as a young man, go to frame #5.

Frame #03: Benjamin Reynolds Cahoon

b. 14 July 1805, Montgomery County, New York
d. 29 Sept. 1872, Elyria, Ohio
Benjamin Reynolds Cahoon was the eighth child of Joseph and Lydia Cahoon and came with the family to Dover in 1810. Benjamin worked as a stone cutter in Cincinnati and Elyria. He married Emeline Hackett on December 1, 1835. They had at least eight children together. Benjamin and Emma’s daughters can be seen in a group portrait at Rose Hill in frames #8 and #22.
According to Ida Cahoon, in her book History of the Cahoon Family, “…Uncle Benjamin was very fond of flowers, fruits and all the beautiful objects he could have about him and was excellent company among his many friends.” Benjamin passed away at the age of 67. He is buried in Ridgelawn Cemetery, Elyria, Ohio.

Frame #04: Abigail Cahoon Johnson

b. 6 May 1796, Salisbury, Herkimer, New York d. 3 May 1869, Dover Township, Ohio
Abigail was the daughter of Joseph and Lydia Cahoon. She came to Dover with her parents when she was twelve years old. She married Leverett H. Johnson in July of 1814, which was the first marriage in Dover. The couple had nine children.