local history

05 27, 2021

Uncover the Hidden History of Lake County

By admin|2021-05-27T06:00:24-04:00May 27, 2021|

Jennifer Boresz Engelking joins us for an interview and explains how an amusement park and shipwreck kindled her interest in local history and inspired her to write Hidden History of Lake County, Ohio. She also describes the research her book required.

Then chats about her first forays into writing, how she acted in the movie Unstoppable, and talks about her favorite Metroparks.

By the way, if you’re interested in local history, we’ve hosted several programs about it – many of which can be viewed in their entirety on our YouTube channel – including:

03 9, 2021

Learn the history of maple sugaring

By admin|2021-03-09T19:00:32-05:00March 9, 2021|

We hosted a sweet program on the origins of maple sugaring earlier this month.

Geauga Park District Naturalist Karie Wheaton describes the history of maple sugar and maple syrup production in Northeast Ohio. She’s hosting another talk about the science of maple sugaring on March 10 that you can register to attend here.

12 12, 2019

Discover the history of notorious Cleveland mobster Shondor Birns

By admin|2019-12-12T06:00:10-05:00December 12, 2019|

Rick Porrello – the author of The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia, To Kill the Irishman and Superthief – talked about his new book on the life and crimes of notorious Cleveland mobster, Alex Shondor Birns, when he visited us earlier this month.

Birns was an important figure in the Cleveland underworld for nearly half a century. He was killed after falling out with fellow Cleveland gangster Danny Greene.

Porrello is also the former chief of the Lyndhurst Police Department. However, his interest in the Cleveland mafia is personal. His grandfather, Raymond Porrello, and great-uncles were involved in the underground and helped supply the corn sugar that bootleggers used to make liquor. He was killed in 1932 during a card game.

7 books about the Cleveland mafia

11 25, 2019

Jeffrey Stroup is your tour guide through ‘Abandoned Cleveland’

By admin|2019-11-25T06:00:00-05:00November 25, 2019|

Photographer and urban explorer Jeffrey Stroup has spent the last 15 years capturing pictures of Cleveland’s abandoned factories, mansions, malls, churches, and more. He’s collected his best images in his new book, Abandoned Cleveland.

Stroup visited us earlier this month to share his photos and anecdotes from more than a decade of combing the forgotten parts of our region.

Afterward, we interviewed him and he offered advice for aspiring urban explorers and the single scariest thing that ever happened to him while investigating an abandoned building.

By the way, you can visit our YouTube channel for dozens of more interviews with authors, including bestsellers like Christina Baker Cline, Paula McLain, Karin Slaughter, and Bernie Kosar.

07 1, 2019

The Untold Stories of Mentor, Ohio, with Thomas Matowitz

By admin|2019-07-01T06:00:03-04:00July 1, 2019|

Thomas Matowitz, the author and local historian who literally wrote the book one Mentor, Ohio, returned to the library to share some of his best stories.

Matowitz is the perfect person to discuss prominent Mentor families like the Garfields, landmarks like the Wildwood Estate, and more. But he also has a mindful of spectacular Mentor stories that nearly nobody else knows, including:

Mentor’s only Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
the most fatal day in Mentor’s history
the tale of the WWII pilot from Mentor who is buried in Normandy.

For more from Matowitz:

Speaking of history, you can also join us for our 200th anniversary party at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 12, on our Main Branch lawn. Help make a community mosaic of Mentor with Gail Christofferson of Animal House Glass.

Also, Tom Todd, the Amazing One Man Band, will perform from 6 to 7 pm. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets, sit back and enjoy a little bit of Jimmy Buffett. We will also have cake and contests. All are welcome and no registration is required for our party.

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