Browse By Topic

Our Pathfinders and Exhibits, covering a wide variety of local topics, bring together all the digital resources available in Cleveland Memory — historical photographs, oral histories, eBooks, streaming video, and finding aids for print collections — with a bit of context and recommended reading to provide visitors with a better understanding of how these artifacts of our collective past bring meaning to our lives today.

TIP: Use Ctrl+F or Command+F to quickly search this page by name or keyword. For an alphabetical listing of exhibits, eBooks, and other web site content, visit our Site Index.

Subject-Specific Pathfinders

Browse Individual Exhibits


    • The "Akron Sound" Museum
      Digital reproductions of photos, fliers, record sleeves and album covers from the collection of the "Akron Sound" Museum, established in 2015 to celebrate, commemorate and preserve the contributions and musical history of the Akron, Ohio area.
    • Annals of Cleveland: A Depression-Era Project of the WPA
      An online finding aid to the Annals of Cleveland, a WPA project dedicated to the indexing and summarization of Cleveland's early newspapers.
    • The Betty Klaric Collection
      Photos, newsclippings and more documenting the life of Betty Klaric, a pioneering environmental reporter for the Cleveland Press.
    • The Buck Harris Collection
      A collection of artifacts, media and memorabilia originally gathered by Buck Harris, a leading figure of Cleveland's gay rights movement during the 1980’s and 1990’s perhaps best known for his ground-breaking AM radio show, “The Gay 90’s with Buck Harris”.
    • The City Club Forums Collection
      Streaming audio and video recordings from the lub of Cleveland, oldest free speech forum in the country. Distinguished speakers over the years include politicians, labor and business leaders, scientists, educators, clergy and entertainers.
    • Clay Herrick Slide Collection
      This archival collection, donated by Clay Herrick, author of "Cleveland Landmarks", consists of 100 pamphlets, brochures, books, and photographs. The most important element is some 6,000 slides; one-of-a-kind shots of various buildings in Cleveland, which are showcased here.
    • Cleveland Cultural Gardens Collection
      The Cleveland Cultural Gardens, extending along East Blvd. & Martin Luther King Blvd. in Cleveland's University Circle area, is a unique collection of landscaped, themed gardens each representing a different ethnic group/organization in Cleveland. The gardens represent many of the cultural backgrounds of Cleveland's diverse population.
    • The Cleveland Group Plan of 1903
      This plan for the Mall and surrounding buildings is the earliest and the most fully realized plan for a major city outside of Washington, D.C.
    • Cleveland Illustrated
      All 135 images from this lavish viewbook and brief history of Cleveland published in 1889.
    • The Cleveland Metroparks
      Also known as the Emerald Necklace, the Cleveland Metroparks is one of city’s highlights. Conceived by engineer William Stinchcomb back in 1917, this system of sixteen reservations encircles the city of Cleveland to create a 21,000 acre park district, the oldest in Ohio.
    • Cleveland: Pioneer in Cardiac Care
      This website takes a closer look at those who contributed to Cleveland's distinctive history as a “Mecca” for heart care.
    • Cleveland Police Historical Society & Museum
      Showcasing a selection of photographs from our partners at the Cleveland Police Historical Society representing the entire history of the Cleveland Police Department, from its earliest days in the 1800s to today. Mounted units, police cars & ambulances, motorcycle & bicycle units and more.
    • The Cleveland State University Archives Photo Collection
      Nearly 1,600 images chosen from the University Archives, going back to 1927.
    • Cleveland State University: Neighborhood Survey
      Hundreds of images of the 43 blocks surrounding the new Cleveland State University in 1965. A fascinating snapshot in time.
    • Cleveland's First Infrastructure: The Ohio & Erie Canal
      Historic photographs and other images, maps, and period advertisements offer a glimpse into canal era life in Ohio.
    • Cleveland's Forgotten Freeways
      Route location studies, including proposed routes, for planned freeways that were never built in the Greater Cleveland area.
    • Cleveland's Golden Age of Downtown Shopping
      Revisit Cleveland's Downtown Department Stores. Remember the Silver Grille? Mr. Jingeling? The Sterling Lindner Davis trees? Take a nostalgic trip back with these images from the Cleveland Press Collection of the golden age of downtown shopping in Cleveland.
    • Clytean Club
      Records, correspondence, photos and more from the Clytean Club, a women's literary/charitable organization dating back to 1897.
    • Crime Scene, Cleveland
      Some of our city's more sensationalized murder cases: The Torso murders, the Sheppard murder case, and the Danny Green car bombing. Also includes a profile of Eliot Ness during his time as Cleveland Safety Director.
    • The CSU Theatre History Collection
      Student theatrical productions at Cleveland State University have been a continuous part of student life on campus since the early 1920's. This collection focuses on one generation of these productions: c.1970 through the mid-1990's. Explore these productions through theater programs, clippings, reviews, behind-the-scenes photos, and publicity stills.
    • Cuyahoga County Engineer's Photography Collection
      Nearly 2,000 images from the Cuyahoga County Engineer's Office, documenting Engineer's Office projects to install and maintain the civil infrastructure.
    • The Cuyahoga County Fair Collection
      120 photographs taken over a 60 year span depicting fair activities and fairgoers; a 1970 documentary film County Fair, U.S.A.; photos and audio recollections from the "Memories of Cleveland" exhibit at the 2006 county fair.
    • d.a. levy Collection
      A portal to works by and about Cleveland poet d.a. levy. The collection includes a digital gallery of CSU's levy collection of poetry, artwork, newspapers, manuscript and media materials, photographs and other related ephemera along with links to bibliographies and additional resources about levy.
    • The Darius Milhaud Society Collection
      Photographs, programs, books, articles, correspondence, scores, and other materials relevant to French composer Darius Milhaud and the Darius Milhaud Society founded by Dr. Katharine Warne.
    • Disasters in Cleveland History
      Images of the fires, explosions, floods, and other calamities that have left their mark on the city over the years.
    • Each in Their Own Voice: African American Artists in Cleveland 1970-2005
      Artwork and interviews with the artists featured in the above exhibition that ran from Jan. 23 - March 7 2009 at the Art Gallery at Cleveland State University.
    • Eliot Ness in Cleveland: Ness, best known for bringing down Al Capone as leader of the Chicago "Untouchables", also spent time as Cleveland's safety director and later ran for mayor of the city. Part of Crime Scene, Cleveland.
    • Euclid Beach Park & the Humphrey Glass Negative Collection
      Revisit Euclid Beach Park (1895-1969), one of Cleveland's more successful and longer-lived amusement parks and get to know the Humphrey Family, owners and operators of the park from 1901 until 1969. The gates are open and you are welcome to enter.
    • The Federal Reserve Bank Building of Cleveland, Ohio Digital Photograph Collection: Construction
      78 black and white photos from the Archives of Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland documenting the building's construction from the excavation of the site in 1921 to the completion of the structure in 1923.
    • Fenn College On-Line
      Rediscover or learn for the first time what it was like to attend Fenn College, Cleveland State University's predecessor, in the 1960's. Explore the history of the university through photographs and oral histories.
    • Frank J. Libal Photograph Collection
      A selection of images taken by Frank Libal, an Old Brooklyn-based commercial photographer who also served as historian of The Historical Society of Old Brooklyn.
    • The Gerald E. Brookins Collection
      Documents and photos from the Gerald E. Brookins Trolleyville U.S.A. archives including images of streetcars, interurbans, railroads and everyday Cleveland area photographs.
    • The Glory Days of the Cleveland Browns
      Over 200 photos from 1946-64, when the Cleveland Browns were one of the best teams in football.
    • Greater Cleveland Print Collection
      Hundreds of digital reproductions of engravings depicting various scenes and locations in the Greater Cleveland area during the 19th century.
    • The James A. Garfield Collection at Hiram College
      Includes digital reproductions of documents, photographs, and memorabilia documenting the life and death of President Garfield and his family.
    • League Park: Cleveland's Original Ballpark
      Built in the 1890s, League Park was the site of several important moments in baseball history and saw the likes of many baseball greats, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Satchel Paige, and Lou Gehrig. See photos and more. Also included here:
    • The Lewis Turco Collection
      Using digital content from Lewis Turco's donated letters and materials as well as other documentation, this website provides a valuable resource for scholars and poets alike interested in tracing the roots of Cleveland's poetry scene.
    • The Life & Times of Ralph J. Perk
      An in-depth look at this former Cleveland mayor and the contributions he made to the city during his tenure from 1971 to 1977.
    • Messing About in Boats: The Amazing Adventure of Robert Manry
      On June 1, 1965 Robert Manry, a copy editor for the Plain Dealer and a Willowick, Ohio resident, left Falmouth, Massachusetts aboard his 13.5-foot sailboat, Tinkerbelle, to begin his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. He arrived in Falmouth, England seventy-eight days later on August 17, 1965. At the time of the crossing Tinkerbelle was the smallest boat to have ever crossed the Atlantic.
    • Mystery Photo Album from the 1890s
      This is a small photo album that was acquired from a dealer. We know nothing about it, except what it discloses about itself: namely that it covers territory south of Cleveland, Ohio -- in the Kent/Akron area along the Cuyhoga River, Ohio & Erie Canal and nearby towns -- and that the photos were shot around 1897.
    • The Photograph Albums of Glenallen
      A collection of 116 professional photographs by photographer Cifford Norton featuring Glenallen, the Cleveland Heights estate of Elisabeth Severance Allen Prentiss.
    • Postcards of Cleveland
      Digital representations of over half of the postcards in Dr. Walter C. Leedy's extensive collection, documenting many aspects of Cleveland history and life from as early as 1898.
    • Praying Grounds: African American Faith Communities
      An ongoing documentary and oral history project which will ultimately offer audio and video recordings of oral histories and musical performances, as well as photographs, newspaper articles, anniversary programs and other printed materials, along with an extensive bibliography. A fascinating collection gathered from African American churches and faith communities throughout greater Cleveland.
    • Roldo Bartimole - A Modern-Day Muckraker
      This iconoclastic journalist rocked Cleveland's political boat with his biweekly newsletter, Point of View from 1968 to 2000. We have archived the full text of the entire run of Point of View, as well as his articles for the Cleveland Edition, Cleveland Free Times, and his more recent work from 2015 to the present.
    • Stereoscopic Images of Cleveland in 3D
      Stereoscopic scenes taken from historic stereoview cards showing Cleveland and the wider Great Lakes industrial region.
    • Streaming Media in Cleveland Memory
      A list of all the streaming media, video and audio, available on the CMP website.
    • T.W. Grogan Company Collection
      50 black and white photos of various buildings in and around the Greater Cleveland area from the late 1930s to the early 1950s that were managed by the T.W. Grogan Company.
    • The Viktor Schreckengost Collection*
      Correspondence, sketches, blueprints, and contracts from the archives of Cleveland artist, teacher and industrial designer, Viktor Schreckengost. *None of this collection is yet available online.
    • The William Wynne Collection
      Reuniting materials from two separate collections reflecting different aspects of the work of Plain Dealer photojournalist William Wynne, the images showcased in this site demonstrate a wide range of subjects captured by this remarkably gifted man.
    • The Women's Archive Collection
      The Women's Archive Collection is dedicated to promoting access to digital and traditional archival resources in Cleveland that can aid in interpreting Cleveland women's history, and to creating an awareness of the role of women in the development of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

*Nickel Plate Road is a registered trademark of the Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society, Inc.