Meetings
2nd Friday of September, November, January, March, and May. Please note that dates may change due to COVID-19 protocols.
7 p.m. (except for November, which is a potluck/show 'n' tell at 6 p.m.) (Except 2021 which will have refreshments but not a potluck dinner and will, therefore, be at 7 p.m.)
Pearl Road United Methodist Church, 4200 Pearl Road (rear entrance) (parking lot behind church, across Memphis Avenue from CVS)
Guests are always welcome!
Membership
$20 yearly. Join us!
Programs and Events
May 10, 2024
Past Programs and Events
March 8, 2024
Regular business meeting. Program: Lennie Stover, founder of the Red Line Greenway, presented the history behind this project from the Van Sweringen brothers building of the Cuyahoga Viaduct and Terminal Tower in the 1920's through to the greenway becoming a reality in 2021. Included were current efforts to build phase III of the greenway known as the Skywalk elevated greenway.
January 12, 2023
Regular business meeting. Program: William G. Krejci presented his new book, Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland
November 10, 2023
Pot luck dinner. Regular business
meeting. Program: Our annual Show 'n' Tell.
Sept. 8, 2023
Regular business
meeting. Program: "Let's Revisit the Richfield Coliseum (1974-1994)". The history of the Richfield Coliseum from the grand opening with Frank Sinatra to the final event featuring Roger Daltrey of the Who. We will look at concerts, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cleveland Force, and more.
July 14, 2023
Potluck Picnic
Grand Pavilion, Brooklyn
Memorial Park
Speakers: Chris Lotenero and Peg Shumate, authors of the book "Rescue Your Mind and Space by Decluttering" They wrote the Greater Cleveland Reference Guide to Community Donation Centers, Consignment Shops, Charity Donations and Selling On-line.
June 4, 2023
"Trunk to Treasure" sale in the parking lot of Pearl Road United Methodist Church.
May 29, 2023
Annual Memorial Day observance at Brookmere Cemetery. Program.
May 12, 2023
Regular business meeting. Program: Jamie Owens, Administrative Assistant at Riverside Cemetery and Maria Moldovan, Cemetery Docent, gave a presentation on the "Symbols and Stories of Riverside Cemetery," a fascinating deep dive into the meaning behind headstone symbolism and the history behind the people who chose these symbols to represent them after they have passed.
March 10, 2023
Regular Meeting. Program: Amie Appling, great granddaughter of Ella Estabrook, enlightened us about this influential woman that lived in this neighborhood.
January 13, 2023
Program: William Krejci, author of Buried Beneath Cleveland: Lost Cemeteries of Cuyahoga County. (No business meeting.)
November 11, 2022
Annual
Potluck/Show-n-Tell Meeting.
September 9, 2022
Regular meeting.
Program: "DISCOVER THE HISTORY OF KELLEYS ISLAND" presented by Leslie Korenko, Island author and historian, she will present a slideshow and talk about the remarkably rich history of Kelleys Island. Compiled and preserved by its settlers, its history is visible in the houses, businesses, historic structures and the stories the residents shared. The entire island is on the National Register of Historic Places. http://www.kelleysislandstory.com
July 8, 2022
Potluck Picnic / Program
Architect Christopher Lobas presentation about James Ford Rhodes High School which was designed by Architect George P. Hopkinson.
Memorial Day, May 30, 2022
Brookmere Cemetery
Details
May 13, 2022
Regular meeting. Program: Don Kozlowski, great-grandson of the family that lived near the corner of Pearl and Memphis during the early 1900’s, shared his family’s memories.
March 11, 2022
Regular meeting. Program: Local resident and architect John Rakauskas presents "Remembering the Broadvue," recalling the history of the notorious former Old Brooklyn landmark including the uses of the building through the years and the attempts to keep it alive. John's memories of The Broadvue go back to the 1950s when he grew up nearby in Brooklyn. He was very involved with the building from the time he moved to Old Brooklyn in 1978 until its demise.
November 12, 2021
Regular meeting. Program: Annual Show-N-Tell, where Old Brooklyn residents bring an item unique to our area, or something else they may choose to share.
September 10, 2021 .
Regular meeting. Program: A silent movie from the class of 1954 James Ford Rhodes High School.
May 14, 2021 via ZOOM
Regular meeting.
Program: Paul Siedel, representing the Woodland Cemetery Foundation, presented "A Tour of the Civil War Sites of Cleveland." Mr. Siedel, a graduate in Education from the University of Akron, is a semi-retired teacher and Civil War buff. A member of three area Civil War Round Tables, he devotes time to researching the Civil War period. Woodland Cemetery has some of the oldest Civil War monuments in the country. Mr. Siedel lives in Ohio City.
March 12, 2021 via ZOOM
The Historical Society of Old Brooklyn, in collaboration with the Baseball Heritage Muesum: "The first half-century of Cleveland Indians Baseball". by Scott Longert.
November 13, 2020 POSTPONED to January 8, 2021
via ZOOM.
Our “Show-N-Tell” meeting.
September 11, 2020 via ZOOM
Larry Theurer presented "Beginning Backyard Bee Keeping" (with history of honey bees).
May 8, 2020 Cancelled
Regular meeting. Program:
Program: Paul Siedel, representing the Woodland Cemetery Foundation, presents "A Tour of the Civil War Sites of Cleveland." Mr. Siedel, a graduate in Education from the University of Akron, is a semi-retired teacher and Civil War buff. A member of three area Civil War Round Tables, he devotes time to researching the Civil War period. Woodland Cemetery has some of the oldest Civil War monuments in the country. Mr. Siedel lives in Ohio City.
May 25, 2020 We were not able to obtain a permit from the City
Memorial Day Service at Brookmere Cemetery, 3615 Proadview Road (terminus of Broadview, west of Pearl Road).
We will honor the veterans from the Revolutionary War through WWII that are buried there: reading of the names and accompaniment. Bring a lawn chair and learn some of our local history.
March 13, 2020
Regular meeting. Program: Prof. Gerry Nemeth presented "Retired Amusement Park" Chippewa Lake Park and the 150th Anniversary of Cedar Point.
January 10, 2020
Regular meeting.
November 8, 2019
Annual "Pot Luck/Show-n-Tell", where, after we all share dinner, we also share memorabilia of Old Brooklyn each of us might have.
October 19, 2019
Spaghetti Dinner (Download flyer)
September 13, 2019
Regular meeting. Speaker: Professor Gerry Nemeth, “Retired Amusement Parks” Euclid Beach Park.
July 28, 2019
HSOB participated in the 2019 Smorgasbord Street Festival in downtown Old Brooklyn.
July 12, 2019
Annual HSOB Potluck Picnic.
June 1, 2019
Our annual field trip to a Lake County Captains game.
May 27, 2019
Memorial Day Service at Brookmere Cemetery at Noon.
May 10, 2019
"Women of the Western Reserve" presented by a Western Reserve Historical Society representative. We met the talented, inspired, creative and innovative women of the Western Reserve. These admirable women were pioneers, philanthropists, musicians, doctors, educators, suffragettes, judges, legislators, and so much more.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
HSOB participated in Pedal for Prizes.
March 8, 2019
"The Vehicles of the Western Reserve" presented by a Western Reserve Historical Society's representative. At one time, Cleveland was the automobile capital of the world. We took a ride through the Western Reserve at the turn of the 20th century and discovered a treasure of Cleveland made vehicles.
January 11, 2019 – POSTPONED due to weather
"Valentine's Day in Cleveland" presented by the Western Reserve Historical Society's representative.Learn about the history of St. Valentine's Day, experience a local story of true romance between Clevelanders Dawson and Anne Kelly, and remember your own February 14ths of years past. Examine a variety of Valentines from the WRHS collection, and reminisce with Valentine's Day advertisements.
November 9, 2018
Annual "Pot Luck/Show-n-Tell", where, after we all share dinner, we also share memorabilia of Old Brooklyn each of us might have.
September 14, 2018
"The Golden Age of Shopping in Cleveland" presented by the Western Reserve Historical Society's representative. Which was more glamorous? Riding the elevator (with an operator)? Or your first few tries on the escalator? Reminisce about Halle Brothers, May Co., Higbee's and the Sterling Lindner Christmas Tree.
September 8, 11, 13 and 15, 2018
Ohio Open Doors host site
The Historical Society of Old Brooklyn Museum, along with Pearl Road United Methodist Church, participated in “Ohio Open Doors”. Ohio Open Doors was created in 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act and is held every two years in September. Passed by Congress and signed into law in 1966, the National Historic Preservation Act made preserving historic, architectural and archaeological resources whenever possible a policy of the federal government. Ohio continues to rank among our nation’s leading states in preserving historic places.
July 13. 2018
Potluck Picnic at Brooklyn's Veterans Memorial Park, 7619 Memphis Avenue, Brooklyn 44144.
May 27, 2018
Special Memorial Day Service, Brookmere Cemetery, 3615 Broadview Road.
Honors all veterans who died in the service of our country, but particularly the students from James Ford Rhodes High School who lost their lives during WWII.
May 11, 2018
Program: A look back in time to 1920 Old Brooklyn, through articles written in "The Brooklyn News".
March 9, 2018
Program:
Dean Kavouras, professional coin grader, Senior Coin Service, spoke about coin collections and gave complementary appraisals.
January 12, 2018 (Cancelled due to weather)
September 8, 2017
Speaker: Historian John J. Grabowski. He holds a joint appointment with the Department of History at CWRU and the Western Reserve Historical Society, where he serves as Historian and Senior Vice President for Research and Publications. In addition to teaching at the department he also oversees the online edition of The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History/Dictionary of Cleveland Biography, a joint project of CWRU and WRHS, which he helped compile, edit and launch.
July 14, 2017
Pot Luck Picnic at Brooklyn Memorial Park; "Gilligan" Garza magic show
May 29, 2017
Memorial Day Ceremony at Brookmere Cemetery
May 12, 2017
Speaker: Dr. Judith G. Cetina, Ph.D., Cuyahoga County Archives. Topic: researching your home's history
March 10, 2017
Speaker: Radhika Reddy, MBA, MA-Tax, partner in Ariel Ventures, LLC, the group of businesswomen responsible for Ariel Pearl Center, the redeveloped bank building at Pearl and Broadview Rds. See Pearl St. Bank in the Gallery.
Members were invited to the
Grand Opening
MARCH 14, 2017
January 13, 2017
Special Anniversary Open House at the Museum
November 11, 2016
Pot Luck Dinner / Show 'n' Tell
September 9, 2016 DOWNLOAD FLYER
8 First Ladies of Ohio Presidents
May 13, 2016
Gilligan the Magician DOWNLOAD FLYER
March 11, 2016
Alan F. Dutka, “Misfortune on Cleveland’s Millionaires’ Row,” from his book with the same title.
January 8, 2016
Tom Strong, Medical Lecturer, The History of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines,” focusing on the WWI period.
November 13, 2015 >>Note program date change<<
Doug Kusak presents the Great Lakes Exposition 1936–1937. The biggest party Cleveland has ever seen was held on a lakefront garbage dump! Historical Interpreter Doug Kusak takes an irreverent look at how trashy things got above ground, and how great it was for the city of Cleveland. History and gossip abound.
September 11, 2015 >>Note program date change<<
Annual Pot Luck/Show-N-Tell
May 8, 2015
Historian, Judy McKeegan, from Cleveland Metroparks on the history of the Zoo.
March 13, 2015
Daniel Smith owner of Familyography.
January 10, 2015
Kathryn Gasior Wilmer, author of Old Brooklyn: a historic narrative and projection for the 1980's (1979) and Old Brooklyn new, book II : a portrait of Old Brooklyn (1981).
November 14, 2014
Pot Luck Dinner / Show 'n' Tell
October 12, 2014
Book Release 
at Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation
Old Brooklyn. Author: Historical Society Of Old Brooklyn. Publisher: [S.l.] : Arcadia Pub, 2014; Images of America series. 128 pages, 200 b&w images. ISBN: 9781467111928.
Vintage images capture slices of our neighborhood history and celebrate the people, places, and events that define our community.
September 12, 2014
John Rakauskas, "Old Brooklyn Architect,"
projects in the neighborhood.
May 9, 2014
Jim Busch, Busch Funeral Homes. shares an impressive collection of images from our past.
March 14, 2014
Mary Fallon, antique shop owner, with family's life in Ireland and America.
January 10, 2014
Greg Cznadel & Patti Hjort, dressed in period costume, spoke about Victorian funeral customs.
November 8, 2013
Dinner and talk regarding the Cleveland Männerchor hall, 4515 State Road.
Cleveland Männerchor | Facebook
May 10, 2013
Renee Heinle Close, Marketing Director, The Sausage Shoppe, 4501 Memphis Ave.
"The Sausage Shoppe family business"
March 8, 2013
June Hartzell
"The Hinckley Family" (listen to presentation)
January 11, 2013
HSOB member & former Glenn Restaurant owner Michael Loizos
"The first businesses of Old Brooklyn"
September 14, 2012
John Jenkins, chair of the Ben Franklin Community Garden Committee and Old Brooklyn CDC Greenspace Committee: "History of the Ben Franklin Gardens"
May 12, 2012
Civil War 150th anniversary commemoration
Attendees were immersed in the 19th century at the Historical Society of Old Brooklyn's exciting Civil War 150th anniversary event! They met President Abraham Lincoln and his wife (reenacted by Mr. & Mrs. John W. King), listened to Civil War period music, and viewed Civil War-era quilts and other historical displays while enjoying Civil War-era food. After the playing of Taps by John Young, they learned the story of Taps and its legends, told by Ken Groner. Each attendee received a commemorative booklet with a Civil War timeline, selected books and movies about the War, recipes and more!
