USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume I > Part 75
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advanced student in every walk of life, mechanical, technical or professional, and even more than the school it creates in the children of the city the taste for interesting and improving reading which has so sagely been said to be the first great object of training during childhood years, and without which any schooling, however systematic, is a failure.
Any history of the public library of Cleveland would be far from complete which failed to record the consistent and long continued effort which has been made to bring the administration of the affairs of the library into the charge of persons specially trained for the work and at the same time to dignify that work by thereby giving it a place comparable to that of teaching and the other learned professions. It was formerly thought that a high school training or at most a college degree amply fitted any man or woman to enter library employment, but recent years have proved beyond discussion that a special training for library work multiplies many fold the efficiency of any person for library service no difference what his or her previous training may have been. Thus a trained librarian is as much a necessity today as a trained teacher for our schools. Long before this now accepted fact was established, Mr. Brett urged the need and secured the introduction of preliminary examinations for entrance to the library in any capacity and seeing the value of training, called together in 1900 a small committee in which the library was represented by himself and the vice-librarian, Miss L. A. Eastman and in Western Reserve University by the librarian, E. C. Williams and Prof. A. O. Severance. This committee formulated a plan for a library school which being clearly presented to Mr. Carnegie by President Thwing led to the gift of $100,000, as an endowment for a school in connection with the University. To the control of this school, Mr. Brett was called as Dean, and the library board wisely consented that he should devote whatever of his time was necessary to the management of its affairs. The result has been highly profitable to the City of Cleveland for almost every person now aiming to enter library em- ployment takes a course, complete if possible, at the library school, and many of the employes who were engaged in the library before the establishment of the school have taken the special training which it affords, convinced as they are of the superior equipment which it furnishes. The establishment of this library school is a debt which the City of Cleveland, not less than the public library as an institution, owes largely to Mr. Brett, and the undivided purpose with which he has given his life to the profession which he adorns.
The affairs of the library were administered first directly by the Board of Education of the city through a committee of its own members, but in 1886 a . wise provision of law transferred the administration to a public library board which is chosen by the board of education. The members of the library board, however, when once chosen are entirely independent of the control of the board of education, the only relation maintained between the two boards being an an- nual report in geenral terms made to the board of education.
This method of choosing the controlling authority of the library has proved an entirely satisfactory one for now the life of a generation. The men selected have for the most part been prominent in the professional and business life of the city and while few of them have had special knowledge of libraries or library work before their selection they have almost without exception given their
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best efforts and of their time freely to the duties going with the position and for their selection much credit is due to the Board of Education. Above and bet- ter than all else these practical men of affairs have understood fully the value of obtaining and acting upon expert advice where their own training and ex- perience were lacking and have therefore followed with wise judgment the plans matured and proposed by Mr. Brett. To this disposition is to be attributed in large measure the success that has come to the library work of the city, and it is another illustration of the wisdom of what Burke calls "A salutary neglect."
I have now described the physical equipment of the public library and the methods now used to bring the reader to the books and to carry the books to the reader, and I can imagine the question arising, What are the results achieved by all this expenditure of money and effort and organization? In 1889 the limit of usefulness of the public library under the old methods of administering it, seemed to have been reached. An annual circulation of 200,000 volumes seemed to be the limit that could be achieved; one year it would be a little greater and the next some less, but close observers had settled down to that circulation as the limit. Then came the open shelf, the branch library, the sub-branch and the deposit stations, then the school libraries and the great movement to interest the children, and then the home libraries, with the result that last year the circula- tion of books in this city was 2,198,499 volumes. To all this we must add that 1,315,535 reference workers visited our various libraries last year to consult books which could not be taken to their homes. Experience here and elsewhere proves that upon an average each of such persons uses at least two books during each visit, so that this attendance shows the use of certainly 2,631,070 volumes. This added to the circulation of the books brings the grand total of books used last year to 4,829,569 volumes; which represents in the aggregate the use of each of the volumes in the library more than twelve and one-half times within the year.
The efficiency of this administration will be yet more fully realized when it is remembered that Boston with nearly three times as many volumes in its public library as are in ours, and with a considerably greater population circulated only 1,647,846 volumes during last year, and it is interesting to add that this city, now eighth in population is third in circulation of its public library books, the circulation in New York and Brooklyn alone exceeding that of Cleveland, and having regard to the size of our library and the population of the city its circula- tion is easily first in the country. Surely this is an achievement in which every citizen of Cleveland may take a just pride.
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CHAPTER LXI.
THE WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
By Albion Morris Dyer, Curator of the Society.
The Western Reserve Historical society had its origin in the Cleveland Library association, an organization incorporated under laws of the state of Ohio about the middle of the last century. This association was the first per-
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From a photograph courtesy Dr. J. P. Sawyer
JUDGE C. C. BALDWIN
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manent institution of a literary or scientific educational nature in the city, although there are traces of earlier societies which may properly be regarded as the antecedents of the present organization. The first of these is found in the year 1811 when Cleveland was a pioneer settlement of twenty houses. This one had a short existence, but others succeeded it, one after the other, in various forms and under different names, the object being always the same, to provide literary entertainment for the community in the form of reading rooms and annual lecture programs, after the manner of the times. The reading rooms developed into a library and in the year 1845 a new society was formed which cared for this and other remnants of the earlier efforts. The new organiza- tion met with public approval and for a number of years it was the only public library in the community. To this association now widely and favorably known as Case library, the Western Reserve Historical society owes its legal and corporate existence.
The organization of the Historical society as a branch of the Cleveland Library association was the conception of Charles Candee Baldwin, perhaps the most distinguished man in public life known to this city. Amid the arduous duties attending his professional career Judge Baldwin found time for the pleasures and refinements of literary and scientific study. His interest in the discovery, exploration, and development of the Ohio and Erie region was especially keen. He saw the effects of the great struggle of natural forces which had been wrought here and he understood the nature of the human struggles that followed. His mind appreciated the interest and value of local details and circumstances which are easily overlooked or are soon lost and quickly forgotten. While an officer and trustee of the Cleveland Library associa- tion he formed a plan of having departments devoted to these studies with especial charge of searching out, collecting and preserving relics, documents, and other materials associated with these great changes in the nature and order of things about him. Pioneer associations were well known in Ohio. Annual local gath- erings occurred in almost every county. No farmhouse could be found with- out its New England relics. Every farmer had his story of adventure in the wilderness. But these memories were passing away and the relics were being destroyed. Pioneer associations lacked elements of permanency and stability, and they were not well qualified to accumulate and preserve. Conditions of life were changing, and an organization of higher purposes, broader scope and more enduring character was needed. Such societies were successful in the New England states, and there was a place and work for one in the Western Reserve.
During the year 1866 Judge Baldwin began to perfect plans for the organ- ization of the Historical society, and at the next annual meeting of the Cleve- land Library association, of which he was an officer and trustee, the necessary changes in the constitution and by-laws of the association were made. He had already enlisted the enthusiasm of Col. Charles Whittlesey, a man of great energy and ability, in the support of the society. Colonel Whittlesey entered the directorate of the Library association. The amendments made in the constitu- tion of the association authorized the formation of departments for special lines of study. Each department was to be quite distinct and independent, but all
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were to remain under the auspices of the parent library. Thus the younger or- ganizations would have the benefit of the prestige of the older society and nothing would be lost in case of suspension.
The preliminary meeting of the new society was held Thursday evening, April 11, 1867, at which Judge Baldwin unfolded his plans to his special friends, Colonel Whittlesey, Joseph Perkins, noted for his public benefactions, Judge John Barr, Henry A. Smith and A. T. Goodman, a writer and attorney-at-law, all members of the larger association. As a result of this meeting, a formal application was drawn up and signed with the requisite number of signatures to lay before the Library association for the formation of a department of history in accordance with the amended constitution.
The petition was received at the 1867 annual meeting of the Cleveland Library association, approved by the association and the necessary authority was given to carry out the plan. By a vote of the association the third story of the Society for Savings building on the public square was ordered to be engaged as a home for the historical department and authority issued to place certain historical books, papers, war relics and objects of interest in order to start a museum of local history in the new quarters. Officers were elected, and arrangements made for funds, and plans laid for furnishing and opening the rooms to members and to the public. By-laws were adopted, the first rule fixing the name, The Western Reserve Historical society, and defining the object of the society: "to discover, procure and preserve whatever relates to the his- tory, biography, genealogy, antiquities and statistics connected with the city of Cleveland and the Western Reserve, and generally what relates to the history of Ohio and the great west."
The books of the society were formally opened for signatures of members who desired to aid in this laudable enterprise and public spirited citizens were invited to contribute to the support and success by donations of books, papers, heirlooms, curios, etc., as well as money. With this fair beginning the Western Reserve Historical society entered upon its career. A number of men promi- nent in the affairs of the city, business and professional, joined the society at once. They represented the best elements of the community socially and finan- cially. Their names are an earnest of the high public approval which the so- ciety enjoyed at its origin: P. H. Babcock, F. M. Backus, C. C. Baldwin, D. H. Beardsley, J. H. A. Bone, J. C. Buell, H. M. Chapin, T. R. Chase, J. D. Cleveland, John D. Crehore, W. P. Fogg, A. T. Goodman, G. C. F. Hayne, L. E. Holden, W. N. Hudson, Joseph Ireland, J. S. Kingsland, George Mygatt, E. R. Perkins, Joseph Perkins, Harvey Rice, C. W. Sackrider, John H. Sar- gent, M. B. Scott, C. T. Sherman, Jacob H. Smies, Henry A. Smith, A. K. Spencer, Samuel Starkweather, Peter Thatcher, George R. Tuttle, H. B. Tuttle, Charles Whittlesey, Samuel Williamson, George Willey, S. V. Willson.
Judge Baldwin's idea was to place the work of the Historical society in the control of his friends; accordingly, Colonel Whittlesey was chosen its first president, and he continued in that office until his death, in 1886. Colonel Whittlesey spent his life in a wide circle of action. He was a man of great energy and public spirit, with wonderful capacity of combining these qualities for the production of results in his work. By nature he was a student and a
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writer. He had the tastes of an antiquarian and the training of an engineer. He was a scientist with a West Point education and military experience. His especial equipment carried him into the profession of mineralogy and mining and his career was as a prospector for the investments of large capital. But his private enthusiasm was entirely for local archæology and history. He had more influence than any other man in the economic development of the lake mines. He made a geological survey of Ohio and the lake region, and pro- jected most of the early railroads of the state. He was in every public enter- prise. And wherever he went and in whatever he was engaged, he carried as a constant presence a cordial devotion to the interests of the Western Reserve Historical society.
These two men developed the society. They brought friends to its support. They enriched it with the results of their own collections. They made studies and researches and wrote of the results. They gave the society the benefit of their best thought and attention until their last day, and their association with the society still lives as its greatest possession. Judge Baldwin followed Colonel Whittlesey as president, remaining until his death in 1896, and both men be- stowed upon the society the valuable literary accumulations of their lifetime.
Through the influence of the founders, many generous friends came to the support of the society. They were most fortunate in securing the cooperation of Leonard Case, a man of great wealth and civic pride. He furnished means for many important purchases and assisted otherwise in the advancement of the society. Some of the rarest treasures of the museum and library were secured through his help, most important being the special historical collections of the Cleveland Library association. Other friends joined in benefactions, and their names are recorded in the society's list of patrons. Henry Clay Ranney, pa- triarch of the Cleveland bar, was the third president, and following him Liberty Emery Holden, active leader in every public enterprise for the better- ment of Cleveland. Mr. Holden was one of the first to sign the roll of mem- bership, and he is the last surviving member of the original organization. To his constant attention and frequent favors is largely due the present honorable position of the Western Reserve Historical society. It so happens that all of the presidents, and nearly all the founders of the society were men of New England ancestry. Colonel Whittlesey was born in Connecticut and he came west with the pioneers in his infancy. Judge Baldwin's ancestors were the founders of Connecticut. The Ranney family were original proprietors of Middletown, Connecticut, and the name of Holden is among the first in the pioneer history of Connecticut as it is also in the first settlement of Ohio. The Western Reserve Historical society was founded by New Englanders to pre- serve and pass on to posterity the memories of New England. Mr. Holden retired from the presidency a few years ago, but his interest is still with the society, which still enjoys the benefits of his counsel and financial help.
Quoting from a manual, it may be said that "The work of the Histor- ical society from the beginning took the form of searching out, and collecting material, and of preserving, arranging, displaying, and publishing the fruits of its research. In all these activities it has been signally successful. Its men went forth
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on the strength of its resources and in the power of its prestige and gathered up great treasure of relics, records, manuscripts, books and papers at a time when these things were obtainable at first hand, and which otherwise might have been lost." The special function of the society has been to hold these treasures in trust as conservator for the future. While the society is private, supported entirely by private generosity, its ministrations are public. It is free for the use of students without restrictions or reservation except such as are required for safety and general convenience of the public.
The first efforts of the founders of the society was to collect a library for historical study. At first this was general in character but as other means of meeting this requirement developed in the city the Historical Society library became specialized. It consists of source books of information relating to the Ohio valley and lake region and of the Western Reserve. Exploration, travel, Indian history, archaeology, political growth, town and county histories, local activities, churches, schools and societies, family histories, genealogies, heraldry. English ancestry and geography. The source books of pioneer life are almost complete. French and English works of exploration and discovery, travel through the Ohio valley, Indian atrocities, etc., are all well filled. These books have all been carefully examined and identified and they are now being classified and cat- alogued according to expert modern methods of library administration.
Special efforts of the management in recent years has been directed to filling up sets of Ohio state and municipal documents and in supplying wants in the sets of northern Ohio newspapers. In this the society has been singularly success- ful, owing to the intelligence and activity of its present president, Wallace Hugh Cathcart. Under his direction, lists of all such publications have been carefully prepared and efforts unremitting have been made to locate and secure from every quarter what was needed to make these features complete. The society now has on its shelves complete files, or nearly complete, of all the departmental reports and annual publications of the state of Ohio, the city of Cleveland and other cities and these are open to examination of students of economics and political economy. The society plans to continue this work and to erect, in the future, a roomy fireproof stack to accommodate the issues in these lines for many years to come.
The collection of Ohio newspapers is the largest and most complete in Amer- ica. President Cathcart's expert interest in this subject and his training as a bibliographer and collector has assisted materially in these accumulations. All the newspaper publications of the Western Reserve are represented by practically com- plete or partial sets. The Cleveland files are complete from the beginning. The newspapers are bound and arranged in stacks for convenient access and they are of great service to students of Ohio history. This collection also will be extended as time passes as it is the intention to keep alive this interest in the early news- papers of northern Ohio.
The collection of historical maps and atlases given to the Historical society by its founder, Charles Candee Baldwin, consisting of a large number of rare and valuable maps relating to North American discovery and exploration, has never been displayed to the public owing to certain conditions in the will of the donor.
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From a photograph courtesy J. W. Walton COLONEL CHARLES WHITTLESEY
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It is believed that these conditions will soon be fulfilled and this rich collection of cartography made accessible to students of history. The maps were collected by Judge Baldwin in his studies of the geography of the great lakes and its im- portance is fully recognized. Besides there is a large and interesting collection of maps of the lake region which has been open to examination for several years. The society has a large collection of books and periodicals useful to workers in genealogy. These are so arranged as to be of service to all who seek, even with- out experience in such work, for information of their ancestors.
The richest treasures of the society are its manuscripts. Most important of these are the records of the Connecticut Land company and its instructions to agents and surveyors. Next are the field books and daily records and sketches made by the surveyors at work on the reserve. Then the finished manuscript plats and finally the official survey maps. Almost of equal importance are the papers and records left by the original holders of lands who settled at the various cen- ters. These have been turned over to the society for preservation. They are replete with material information of the early days and early settlements of the Reserve. There are also many letters and documents relating to the Indian troubles on the border and the war of 1812. Some of these have been published by the society ; others have been mounted and listed and the lists published, but there are large deposits of papers, etc., which are still to be examined and published when time and means will allow.
Among the most important collections of the Historical society are the eco- nomic pamphlets left by Colonel Whittlesey. These consist of several thousand reports and prospectuses of early railroad and mining projects of Ohio collected by Colonel Whittlesey in his work as an engineer. These pamphlets will prove of inestimable service to investigators of the commercial growth in the west.
The museum of the society contains a large quantity of material left by early settlers of the Western Reserve and by special workers in various fields of interest, more or less closely related to the objects of the society. Relics of pioneer period and remains of the aborigines and Indian inhabitants are the most interesting features. There are besides mementoes of the wars, tools, implements and curios displayed in cases and cabinets.
The publications of the society have been issued in the form of tracts which are highly esteemed among libraries as sources of local history and archaeology. These deal with Indian life, war of 1812, geology, and matters of local importance. A list of these publications, numbering nearly one hundred titles, is published in the society manual.
For many years the society remained at its home on the square, securing title to the property through a generous public subscription headed by John D. Rocke- feller. Later the property was sold to the Chamber of Commerce and through the liberality of the Society for Savings the present commanding site on the University Circle was secured. A handsome fireproof building was erected and the society was installed in its new home in the winter of 1897-8. The building is well lighted and admirably adapted for the display of collections and for social func- tions of the society, while in the rear there is space for a modern book stack which may be erected for the document collections. There is a pleasant auditorium, and
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a number of small rooms suitable for special collections, and in the basement a roomy vault for storing books and material that needs special care.
Owing to engrossing public interest, chief of which was the management of the affairs of the Monumental Art gallery in Wade park, with which he was closely identified. Mr. Holden withdrew from the presidency of the Historical society and President Cathcart was his successor. Mr. Cathcart is also of New England ancestry, his forefathers being first comers to Martha's Vineyard. He was born at Elyria and was educated at Granville. He is a trustee of Denison university, and is actively associated with the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and other public matters. He is engaged in business as the managing director of the Burrows Brothers Company but finds time to devote to many of the impor- tant details of the Western Reserve Historical society.
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