Marketplace

Shaker Heights achieved international renown in the early 20th century as an enclave for wealthy residents - a city of stunning homes, substantial green space, an excellent school system, and attentive municipal services.

Cleveland entrepreneurs O. P. and M. J. Van Sweringen established Shaker Heights as a haven from the stresses of city life and claimed a connection with previous residents of this land, the North Union settlement of Shakers. Shaker communities sought to create paradise on earth by living communally and focusing on the life of the spirit. Buyers in Shaker Heights were assured that their paradise would last forever because of restrictions on what could be built and who could live there. Nevertheless, Shaker Heights has changed from a protected environment for the wealthy to a stable, integrated city that intentionally promotes diversity in its population. This is a remarkable story of dramatic change but also continuity as residents pursue the goal of creating an ideal community.

Behind its iron gates, the Victorian-era structure of Franklin Castle harbors rumors of everything from insanity to mass murder.

For more than half a century, the castle’s dark façade has lured curiosity seekers from around the world. Disembodied voices echo from empty rooms, doors open and close of their own accord and cold spots drift about the manse. Witnesses swear to sightings of a woman in black and a young girl in white, believed to be the ghostly apparitions of the wife and daughter of the original owner, Hannes Tiedemann. Using previously unpublished photographs, interviews, family accounts, floor plans and nearly forty years of research, authors William G. Krejci and John W. Myers finally reveal the true and definitive history of Cleveland's notorious Franklin Castle.

Department stores were a midwest institution, none more prominent in downtown Columbus Ohio than F&R Laazarus & Company.

For more than 150 years, F&R Lazarus & Company was the heart of downtown Columbus. Headed by the first family of American retailing with an eye for flair and a devotion to the customer, this uniquely midwestern institution won the hearts and minds of a community. Look to Lazarus draws on the memories of those who worked and shopped in this grand emporium to tell the unlikely story of a love affair between a city and a store. It was a love affair born of the solemn promise You can always take it back to Lazarus, no questions asked.

Explore the fascinating history of Willoughby, Ohio with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

Located in northeast Ohio, Willoughby began as a community of mills and cabins clustered along the banks of the Chagrin River. The first settlers arrived before 1800 and were hardy New Englanders who brought their religious beliefs, their love of country, their respect for education, and their architecture to the wilderness.

By 1853, when the village was incorporated, they had established churches, homes, businesses, and schools, including a medical college. Before the century was over, the arrival of two rail lines and an electric streetcar company transformed the quiet little town into a bustling center of commerce and enterprise. Since then, Willoughby, known as the Courtesy City, has continued to grow and prosper while retaining the look and feel of an earlier era.

Historic homes still line its residential streets, while several blocks of the commercial district are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Author Noel B. Poirier takes readers into darkest reaches of Tuscarawas County history. Tranquility is the norm amid these rolling hills, but normal doesn’t mean always. In this version of county history, the Black Hand Syndicate whacks those they can’t extort, a Midvale man takes a hatchet to the head (a dozen times) and four teenagers happen upon a murder victim along Dover railroad tracks. From grave robbers looting the dead in New Philadelphia to a mutilated body turning up in Dennison and a bomb going off at Bolivar State Bank in 1910, author Noel B. Poirier takes readers on a harrowing journey into T-County’s unsettling past.

For most, beer is a beverage. To a brave few, it’s a lifestyle.

In Tanked in Cincinnati, Mike Morgan and Bret Kollmann Baker drink a few brews with the region’s most legendary brewers, beer reps, and bar owners and take a soul-searching look at why some great ideas succeed wildly, and others ignite a dumpster fire. Along the way, they embrace the nostalgia for the early days in craft beer, answer what it’s like to be the number one enemy of Anheuser-Busch, and ask hard hitting questions like, “Why are there so many kids in this tap room?”

With interviews from Jim Koch of Boston Beer Co., “Mr. Cincinnati” Jim Tarbell, “Beer Dave” Gausepohl, Scott LaFollette of the late Blank Slate, Bryant Goulding of Rhinegeist Brewing Co., and more, Morgan and Kollmann Baker discover how a city once synonymous with America’s best beer lost its beer identity and then reclaimed it with a vengeance.

Beginning on Easter Sunday, March 23, 1913, torrential rains across the Midwest dropped a record three months of rainfall in four days.

Floodwaters funneled down Ohio's Miami Valley into the heart of the vibrant industrial city of Dayton. Levees burst, houses were swept away, and downtown was gutted by fires blazing from broken gas mains. At the end of Easter week, nearly 100 Daytonians had perished, and tens of thousands more were left homeless and destitute--a tragedy that made banner headlines in newspapers nationwide. Out of Dayton's ashes and mud rose fierce public resolve never again to suffer such destruction. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 reproduces some 200 astounding photographs from the collections of the Dayton Metro Library and the Miami Conservancy District and the archives of the National Cash Register Company at Dayton History. They portray the terrifying flood, monumental destruction, heroic rescues, and compassionate leadership that occurred during the disaster and its immediate aftermath, as well as the pioneering flood-control engineering that has kept Dayton safe ever since.

Through a collection of images, Cleveland Slovaks show their neighborhoods and family life and give readers an appreciation of the community's legacy.

Cleveland's Slovaks can best be characterized as survivors. Many survived ethnic persecution and poverty so they could have a chance at something better. Beginning with a small core of immigrants seeking work above ground rather than in the coal mines of neighboring states, Cleveland's Slovak community grew through a giant chain migration. Their neighborhoods flourished close to their jobs and their churches. Many of the ancestors of today's Slovaks came to the United States classified as Hungarians. In their hearts, though, they knew what they were and what language they spoke. They held onto their native language even as they learned English and unwaveringly encouraged their children to strive for the opportunity America offered. According to the 2000 census, 93,500 northeast Ohioans claim Slovak heritage.

Toledo incorporated in 1837. Its canals, railroads, and natural resources inspired Jesup W. Scott to proclaim Toledo "The Future Great City of the World." Such boosterism overstated the case, but Toledo did soon attract manufacturers of farm wagons, bicycles, and beer. And in 1888, Edward Drummond Libbey relocated his glass company to the city, creating a catalyst for other glass-manufacturing ventures. Toledo: The 19th Century illustrates the city's early struggles and eventual success as "The Glass Capital of the World."

Fairport Harbor tells the story of the village's rich history with captivating vintage photographs that capture all the natural beauty of this lakeside community. Featured inside are the historic landmarks-buildings, churches, and of course lighthouses that are so identifiable with the village's past. Also featured are the people-the fishermen, shipbuilders, and railroad workers who all helped build one of the most picturesque harbor towns on all of Lake Erie's shores.

Never been seen photographs are revealed in this fascinating history of the Cleveland Indians from American League to present.

The Cleveland Indians came into existence along with the American League in 1901, and their rich and fascinating history has been well documented in photographs. Many prints from the Cleveland Press archive, dating from 1920 until the newspaper's closure in 1982, are reproduced in this book, along with a brief history of the team's successes and failures in each decade. Most of these classic photographs, which include great Indians players like Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller and slugger Rocky Colavito, a fan favorite, have not been seen in print for decades. You will also see baseball legends Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio as they compete with the Tribe.

Canton, Ohio offers a photographic history, from the city's industrial awakening in the 1860s, through its near demise during the urban decay of the 1960s.

This fascinating photographic history focuses on Canton, Ohio, from its industrial awakening in the 1860s, through its near demise during the urban decay of the late 1960s. Timken, and John Dueber. Through photographs from the archives of the Canton Preservation Society and many others representing Canton's various ethnic groups, Ronald E. Sterling has brought historic Canton to life. The images in Canton, Ohio, tell the story of well-known residents including Bezaleel Wells, William McKinley, H.H. They also offer a glimpse into the ethnic communities of Canton, and the people who arrived in the city with not much more than lint in their pockets and a belief in the ""Promise of America.""

Cincinnati is the home to food inventions, rivalries and restaurants that stand the test of time.

The Queen City boasts the invention of both Cincinnati chili and goetta. Mecklenburg Gardens, Arnold's, Izzy's and Scotti's have all operated for over a century. The French restaurant Maisonette was the epitome of fine dining, and Wong Yie's Famous Restaurant took Chinese cuisine from street fare to an exotic experience. Busken Bakery and Frisch's vied for Cincinnati pumpkin pie supremacy by taking digs at each other through billboards and redecorating a Big Boy statue in Busken attire. Author Dann Woellert explores the most iconic eateries, the German influence on Queen City food and what makes dining so unique in Cincinnati.

Take a fascinating journey through the history of Elmore and Genoa, Ohio with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

The villages of Elmoreand Genoahave held a friendly rivalry since the 1860s. Though each has made its own name in Ottawa County, Ohio, both share a rich heritage that instills small-town curiosities with a strong sense of community pride.

Elmore is known as being the home of Schedel's Arboretum and Gardens, the headless motorcyclist ghost, the Elmore car, and professional softball pitcher Carl SoxWainwright. Not to be outdone, Genoa, one of the major producers of white lime in the country, showcases world-renown artist Jan Pugh and National Register of Historic Placessites such as the Genoa Town Halland the Old School Privy.

Both area histories have boasted pioneers that tamed the Black Swamp, prosperous businesses, major transportation centers, and stories of overcoming personal tragedies.Elmore and Genoa takes readers back to a time that was simpler to see two villages grow into places where the past can come alive through the actions and memories of its people.

It was a different time. Ladies wore gloves, hats and nice attire to luncheons at the Woman's Exchange.

Shillito's provided a cosmopolitan environment for its patrons, while Mullane's was the perfect place to sip and socialize. The popular Good Morning Show radio program hosted by charming Bob Braun, and later Nick Clooney, was broadcast from McAlpin's Tea Room. Women gathered at Pogue's and Mabley & Carew tea rooms to celebrate birthdays, as well as wedding and baby showers, over dainty tea sandwiches. Author Cynthia Kuhn Beischel brings the Queen City's bygone downtown tea rooms back to life and shares more than one hundred beloved recipes.

Explore the fascinating history of Buckeye Lake, Ohio with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

On July 4, 1825, construction of the Ohio-Erie Canalbegan with the turning of the first shovel of earth in the Buckeye Lakearea. Completed in 1830, it formed the Licking Summit Reservoir, which became known as Buckeye Lake.

To increase weekend business on its streetcars, the Columbus, Buckeye Lakeand Newark Traction Companybought land at Buckeye Lakeand built an amusement park, advertising it as the Playground of Ohio. The Buckeye Lake Amusement Parkand the Buckeye Lake Yacht Club on Watkins Islandwere very popular, and during the big band era, many visitors came to dance at the Crystal Pavilionand the Lake Breeze Pier Ballroom, which featured the sounds of Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, Lawrence Welk, and Louis Armstrong.

Chance Brockway grew up at Buckeye Lake Amusement Park, where his father managed the Lilac Roomrestaurant, and he discovered his love of photography there. His lens has followed the Ohio State Buckeyessince 1956, and many of his photographs have been published. An avid historian with an extensive photograph collection, he created the video Postcards of Buckeye Lakefor the Greater Buckeye Lake Historical Society.

150 years of Lake Erie's shores and islands' tourism and recreation history is detailed in this book.

From quaint wineries, world-class amusement parks, indoor and outdoor water parks, to cottage communities, religious retreats and natural wonders, for 150 years, people have come to rest, relax, and recharge in the area. Lake Erie is the constant in this fascinating story, the natural resource that gives the region, from Vermilion to Port Clinton, south to Milan, Bellevue, and Fremont, and north to Sandusky, Cedar Point, the Marblehead Peninsula, and the Lake Erie Islands, its character and charm.

Nadine McIlwain and Geraldine Radcliffe reveal the celebrated legends, unsung heroes and historic firsts of African Americans residing in the Canton community.

From Canton’s earliest days, the black population has contributed to the city’s, and even the nation’s, prominence and prosperity. During World War II, nineteen-year-old Harold White joined the famed Tuskegee Airmen of the Ninety-Ninth Fighter Squadron. Only a few years later, Dorothy White persevered through prejudice to become Canton’s first black teacher, paving the way for a long line of dedicated teachers stretching to the present day. Renowned R&B group the O’Jays formed in Canton, and professional golfer Renee Powell is just one of many local athletes to reach the heights of her profession.

Despite a brewing pedigree richer than that of Milwaukee or St. Louis, Cincinnati’s role in American beer history is quite often underappreciated.

Drawing on years of research, Michael D. Morgan, author of the award-winning Over-the-Rhine: When Beer Was King, tackles this subject with a fresh perspective. Complete with new findings, the true story of the city’s first brewer comes to light, as do the oft-heralded deeds - and overlooked misdeeds - of the beer barons who built empires their progeny drove to ruins. From the story of the Scottish brewery that made Cincy famous for English ales, through forgotten Prohibition political scandals, to the birth and rise of the modern craft beer movement, Cincinnati Beer explores previously untold stories of our beer-soaked past.

Explore the investigative intricacies and courtroom drama of crimes of passion, greed, and revenge in Stark County, Ohio.

Rendered in painstaking detail, accounts of high-profile killings and courtroom intrigue filled the pages of Stark County's early newspapers. The triple hanging of three teenage boys in 1880 seized the attention of the entire community. When George Saxton, notorious womanizer and President McKinley's brother-in-law, was shot dead on the front lawn of his widowed lover in 1898, the whole nation looked on. For the brutal slaying of his wife, James Cornelius became the first local prison inmate executed in the electric chair in 1906.

Using contemporary local newspaper accounts, Kim Kenney, author of Canton's Pioneers in Flight and coauthor of Stark County Food tells the story of eight Stark County murders, unfolding the grisly details while honoring the lives cut short by violence.

Supernatural Lore of Ohio offers a blood-curdling exploration of the witches, werewolves, wraiths and other dastardly beings of the Buckeye State.

A rich vein of bizarre and uncanny tales snakes through Ohio’s cornfields and cityscapes. In the earliest days of statehood, dark reports spoke of witches causing feathers to form a deadly ring in one’s bed, magically strangling its sleeping victims. For years, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train rolled through Urbana, a small town in the center of the state, and caused clocks and watches to stop in its wake. A vampiric entity was said to haunt a strange cabin in the Black Swamp, and a werewolf reportedly roamed a Defiance train yard. Join Cincinnati historian Steven J. Rolfes on a tour of Ohio’s strangest supernatural lore, from wailing banshees to the devil himself.

The sports landscape changed in the spring of 1994 when the Cleveland Indiansmoved into their new stadium at the corner of Carnegieand Ontario.

No longer the joke of the league, The Jakemade the Cleveland Indiansthe jewel of baseball and helped revitalize a city and a fan base. For the first time ever, these interviews and stories from the players, managers and front office personnel give the inside scoop on what happened on the field, in the dugout and behind the scenes of this exciting time in Cleveland sports history.

Vince McKee is the author of Heroand Cleveland's Finest. Cleveland sports icon Joe Tait called Cleveland's Finest one of the best Cleveland sports books ever written. Get the best seat in the house for the most recent addition to the Tribe'scelebrated legacy.

An engaging history of Cincinnati's Hyde Park.

First settled in 1795, Hyde Park was an area of great estates and small and large farms until 1892. Designed to be upscale, the neighborhood attracted people looking for a suburban experience in an urban setting. That's when the seven-member Hyde Park Syndicate capitalized on new transportation connections to downtown as a means to sell their property as smaller parcels. This history introduces influential figures, including eventual Ohio governor Myers Y. Cooper, the Kilgour brothers, Levi Ault and Senator Joseph Foraker. It explains the development of Hyde Park Square and the community's streets, schools and churches. Readers will rediscover lost places, like the Grandin Bridge, Rookwood, the Pines, Belcamp and the Hermitage.

By World War I, Toledo's prosperity paralleled the popularity of the automobile, which transported citizens to homes along the Maumee River, Ottawa Hills, and Westmoreland.

After World War II, stores, theaters, and businesses migrated out of 19th-century city boundaries as well. Toledo in the 1920s and 1930s boasted elegant department stores, the Commodore Perry Hotel, the towering new Ohio Building, and the legendary Paramount Theater. Great expressions of faith, Rosary Cathedral and Doc Hettinger's ""Garden of Eden,"" were built. Depression years saw the Zoo, the University of Toledo, and the Peristyle at the Art Museum built. Toledo innovations, glass block and vitrolite, were used to great effect at the new Main Library building.

Welcome to Marietta, the elegant Ohio River city where this state's history begins. This informative guide will help you make the most of your time.

Explore ancient earthworks, stroll shady brick streets lined with glorious Victorian mansions, wander through museums and kick back in a wide variety of restaurants and taverns. Venture into nearby West Virginia and visit Fenton, America's oldest art glass company; Blennerhassett Island, where Aaron Burr hatched a plot against the U.S. government; and Henderson Hall, the majestic great house of a former slave plantation - all within fifteen miles of downtown Marietta. It includes an overview of the area's rich history, maps, dozens of vintage and modern photographs and descriptions of the best sites and attractions the region has to offer - including those that most visitors miss.

Behind Put-in-Bay's breathtaking scenery and wild nightlife is a side of the island that will make your hair stand on end.

Passersby claim to see the ghost of assistant lighthouse keeper Sam Anderson, who jumped to his death in the turbulent water of Lake Erie during an 1898 smallpox outbreak. Doors open and close of their own accord, and some say a spirit named Benny tosses things around at the Put-in-Bay Brewery and Distillery. Stage actor T.B. Alexander married the granddaughter of famous abolitionist John Brown and became one of the island's most noted mayors. His ghost is said to linger in the historic barroom of T&J's Smokehouse. Author William G. Krejci hosts this tour of the darker aspects of island life.

Over-the-Rhine is a place where a building owner can stumble upon huge caverns underneath a basement floor or find long-forgotten tunnels that travel far below city streets.

ts present mysteries are attributable to a past that transcends the common story of how cities change over time: it is the story of how a clash between immigrants and real Americans helped rob Cincinnati of its image, its soul and its economy. In the 1870s, OTR was comparable to the cultural hearts of Paris and Vienna. By the turn of the last century, the neighborhood was home to roughly three hundred saloons and had over a dozen breweries within or adjacent to its borders. It was beloved by countless citizens and travelers for the exact reasons that others successfully sought to destroy it. This is the story of how the heart of the Paris of America became a time capsule.

Bursting with delightful colors and bright illustrations, Local Baby: Ohio engages babies’ attention and encourages families to explore what makes their state so great.

Melting Pot Memories

Lorain County attracted people from all around the globe in search of a better life, and these intrepid immigrants brought their culinary traditions with them. From the late nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries, Lorain’s steel mill recruited workers from southern, eastern and western Europe. Later, the mill welcomed workers from Mexico and Puerto Rico, while local quarries offered immigrants work in Grafton, Elyria and Amherst. From these diverse cultures sprang an incredible range of meat and fish main dishes, side delicacies and desserts still found on Lorain tables today—including Cullen skink, Irish stew, chile rellenos, koulourakia, sugo and many more. Lorain’s International Festival highlights these culinary traditions in mouthwatering ways. Author and lifelong Lorainite Kelly Boyer Sagert shares the incredible migration stories and the delicious recipes that make Lorain County such a wonderful place to live—and eat.

A sad and shocking story of love betrayed

The murder of Bessie Little and the trial of her murderer rocked Victorian Dayton. Believing herself pregnant and desperate to save her reputation, young Bessie tried to force her boyfriend, Albert Frantz, to marry her quickly. Instead, he took her out for a buggy ride, shot her twice in the head and dumped her body in the river. When she was discovered, he tried to convince everyone that she committed suicide. The dramatic trial brought to light details of Bessie and Albert’s secret trysts, and Albert’s sanity became a point of contention.

In her third historical book about Dayton, Sara Kaushal delves into a tale of scandal and betrayal to discover the truth.

A part of Belt's City Anthology Series, this collection explores Akron, Ohio's past and what may happen there in the future. A portrait of the city's rich, mysterious, odd-leaning inner life.

Between 1910 and 1920, Akron was the fastest growing city in the United States, tripling in size and exploding from a population of 69,000 to 208,000. Its period of rapid growth coincided with the expansion of the rubber and tire industry, which in turn corresponded with that of the automobile industry. But since the mid-1970s, industry has abandoned Akron, and the city has lost 31 percent of its population. Once opulent neighborhoods are now swaths of abandoned homes, and the factories that made Akron the Rubber Capital of the World lie dormant.

Edited by Jason Segedy, and bringing together established writers like Rita Dove and David Giffels with the work of emerging voices, The Akron Anthology collects essays, poems, and photographs from the writers, artists, and activists who call Akron home. Here you'll find stories that include:

- The diaries of a doorman

- The trials and triumphs of refugees who have relocated to the city

- A portrait of Jamie Stillman, world-renowned effects pedal manufacturer

- Archie the talking snowman.

Providing readers with diverse group of voices, this collection offers an intimate look at a storied Ohio city.

With a history dating back 2000 years, Columbia Tusculum stands as a vital contributor to the region’s development.

The lush, strategically located land provided essential resources for native hunting and trade as well as for pioneer farming. Positioned at the convergence of the Little Miami and Ohio Rivers, the young community became a hub for transporting people and goods. Over time, streetcars, railroads, and Columbia Parkway facilitated transportation, fostering migration and growth. Columbia's Lunken Airport, a major municipal airport in the early twentieth century, also enhanced Cincinnati’s connectivity.

Author Dinese Young unfolds the story of Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood and its role in the city’s evolution.

Ghost stories from The Glass City have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

Welcome to the spooky streets of Toledo, Ohio!

Stay alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms.

Did you know that a murdered maid and a bashful child are just two of the restless spirits roaming the haunted Oliver House? Or that the nuns of St. Ursula's Academy, now the Collingwood Arts Center, tend the campus in death as they did in life? Can you believe the Toledo Zoo has amazing animals . . . and amazing ghosts?

Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see Toledo forever, and have you sleeping with the lights on!

Beneath the calm and bucolic appearance of Ross County, dark things await.

Chillicothe’s iconic Majestic Theater is a veritable haunted hotspot. Numerous homes in Huntington Hills report strange occurrences, and ghostly shadows appear nightly at Mound City. Unbeknownst to many, a Frankfort apartment complex stands on the hallowed ground of a family cemetery, leaving the spirits beneath the earth far from peaceful. Deftly weaving together elements of murder, mystery, suspense, and horror into a captivating blend of the supernatural and the unknown, award-winning author Neal Parks leads a haunting journey through local haunted lore.

Discover the dozens of exciting never-before-published images of the people and events at Lunken Airfield.

Lunken Airfield flew headlong into the golden age of aviation in the 1920s. World War I veterans became gutsy barnstormers who had only roads and railroad tracks as navigational landmarks. They gave way to courageous pilots who flew airmail, as well as record makers who flew for the joie de vivre and fame under conditions fraught with danger. These flyers gave way to aircraft engineers and designers who would craft the next generation of planes. Pilots were seduced by the allure of international recognition and wealth, as well as the feeling of freedom experienced in the air. Along the way, they assumed the status of movie stars. On any given day, anyone from a spectator to a mechanic might hobnob with Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Roscoe Turner, or Jimmy Doolittle, who routinely flew in and out of Lunken. Over the decades, Lunken has undergone many changes, but today, as it approaches its centennial, planes still take off and land daily, and crowds still flock to special events.

For more than a century, Cincinnati's candy industry satisfied our national sweet tooth. Dive into its specialties and past.

Stick and drop candies appeared here long before their Civil War popularity. Opera creams, rich fondant-filled chocolate candy brought here by Robert Hiner Putman, provided decadence. Candy corn, which the Goelitz Company introduced to the United States before World War I, remains a ubiquitous treat. Marpro Products created and popularized the marshmallow cone candy. Doscher invented the French Chew and made caramel corn a baseball concession at Redland Field decades before Cracker Jack became synonymous with our national pastime. The city's many Greek and Macedonian immigrants influenced the unique Queen City tradition of finishing a Cincinnati-style ""threeway"" of spaghetti, chili and cheddar with a chocolate mint. Local food etymologist Dann Woellert tells these stories and more in this delectably sweet history.