Bradstreet’s Disaster: Rocky River’s Most Historic (and Unlucky) Moment
Long before Cleveland’s skyline reflected off the waters of Lake Erie, and way before Rocky River became known for lush parks, winding trails, and a welcoming harbor, this stretch of shoreline witnessed one of Ohio’s most dramatic—and downright unlucky—military moments.
It was October 18, 1764. A moonless night. A quiet beach 1.7 miles west of what we now call Rocky River. And 1,500 exhausted soldiers were about to be hit with the worst wake-up call imaginable.
This was Bradstreet’s Disaster.
The Mission
The man in charge was Colonel John Bradstreet, a British officer fresh off his victory at Fort Frontenac. In late summer of 1764, he set out with 2,300 men—a mix of British regulars, provincial troops, and Native allies—on what was initially a military campaign to suppress Pontiac’s Rebellion.
But by the time Bradstreet launched from Fort Niagara, most of the fighting had fizzled. The new plan? Less battle, more diplomatic cleanup. His orders now included reinforcing forts, negotiating with once-hostile tribes, retrieving captives, and documenting the still-wild Great Lakes frontier.
The expedition stopped briefly along the Cuyahoga and Rocky rivers in August, including a camp near today’s Bradstreet’s Landing. So far, so good.
The return trip? Not so much.
The Wave
After a long pause at Fort Sandusky, the expedition began its return to Fort Niagara. As fall weather closed in, Bradstreet urged his men to keep moving. On the night of October 18, they neared the mouth of the Rocky River. While it was usually a decent harbor, by nightfall, it was a mess—shallow, rocky, and lined with sand spits.
Too risky to navigate in the dark.
Instead, they opted for a nearby beach—just west of the river mouth—what we now know as Bradstreet’s Landing Park. Cold, wet, and assuming they’d found shelter, the troops dragged only their bedding, tents, and food from the boats. The rest—including most supplies—stayed aboard the 60 bateaux and 9 canoes.
And then Lake Erie said, “Absolutely not.”
Without warning, a powerful seiche wave—a sudden surge caused by air pressure or wind shifts—slammed the beach. It wrecked 25 boats, damaged many more, and swept much of their remaining supplies into the cold black lake.
The Aftermath
The next three days were full-on survival mode.
With too few boats left, about 500 men had to march the rest of the way - through cold, rain, mud, and general 18th-century misery. The rest rowed in overcrowded vessels, swapping out with the marchers at predetermined camps.
The overland group endured storms, tent fires, trees falling onto their shelters (because, why not?), and near-starvation. One unfortunate soldier died after mistaking hemlock for wild parsnip—a foraging fail of the highest order.
Despite rumors, that was the only confirmed fatality. But it’s safe to say everyone left with a story.
By November 4, the final stragglers reached Fort Erie. The mission was technically complete—but the scars (emotional and otherwise) would linger.
The Fallout
Back home, instead of getting a medal, Bradstreet got heat.
Sir William Johnson, the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs, was furious. He accused Bradstreet of overstepping by making formal treaties rather than simply “making peace.” And worse, he blamed him for not taking shelter in the Rocky River itself—ignoring the fact that, in the dark, it would’ve been more shipwreck than safe harbor.
Bradstreet's military reputation survived. He was promoted, but never formally titled “General John Bradstreet” in the modern sense. He held the rank of Deputy Quartermaster General and Colonel, and was often referred to as "General" informally due to the nature of British colonial command structures. But the name of the beach—and the history books—would forever link him to one of the more chaotic and costly moments of early Ohio exploration.
Why It Still Matters
Today, Bradstreet’s Landing Park is quiet. Scenic. Peaceful. Walkers stroll its paths. Kids run on the grass. The only wave most people worry about is the one lapping at their paddleboard.
But if you pause for a moment and close your eyes, you might hear it: the groan of a bateau hull. The crack of canvas tents. A few muttered curses in 18th-century English. And the distant sound of a commander wondering, not for the first time, how in the world he was going to fix this.
Welcome to Bradstreet’s Disaster—Rocky River’s most historic (and most relatable) moment.
A Look Back at Rocky River’s Beginnings
A Look Back at Rocky River’s Beginnings
Long before Rocky River had a public pool, bustling restaurants, and Detroit Road traffic that could test a saint’s patience, there was… well, not much Just one ambitious Eastern landowner with a dream—and some serious optimism.
It was 1805 when Gideon Granger stood on the banks of a river that local Native Americans called “The Rocky River.” With a bright gaze, he imagined a mighty city rising from the wilderness.
Three years later, Philo Taylor built a modest house at the river’s mouth. More settlers trickled in, and the newborn community became Granger City—because Gideon Granger wasn’t just planting roots, he was sowing a legacy.
But there was a small hitch: Gideon had picked the wrong side of the river.
By 1819, eighteen families on the east bank petitioned to rename their settlement East Rockport—perhaps wanting a little distance from the grand ambitions (and name) of Gideon Granger. Meanwhile, across the river, things were beginning to take root. As early as 1815, Joseph Larwell, a key promoter of Granger City, began selling parcels of land on the west side. Settlers followed, along with a sawmill and pottery works, giving the area both structure and purpose. In 1821, a wooden plank toll bridge was built to connect the two sides—a practical, if slightly wobbly, link between east and west.
By 1891, the folks on the west side petitioned to be known as Rocky River Hamlet. After a mere twelve years (clearly, things moved at the speed of molasses in the 1800s), it became an official village in 1903. The first mayor, Mark Mitchell, even had a building named in his honor. See? Civic involvement pays off—sometimes in naming rights.
At the time, the village’s boundaries ran from Lake Erie south to around Shoreland Avenue, and it was part of Rockport Township, which stretched from today’s Westlake border all the way east to Kamm’s Corners.
Taverns, Street Names & Tales from the Town
One of the earliest buildings was the Silverthorne Tavern, built on the site of what later became the Westlake Hotel. Originally a waystation for travelers, it was rebuilt several times over. Remarkably, some of its original beams were repurposed and still survive in a house on Morley Court. So, when your friend brags about their home’s “original features,” they might not be bluffing.
As for street names: Wagar used to be Columbus (or Columbia, depending on whom you asked), and Water Street led to the river and its small industrial district. Detroit Road was originally called North Ridge Road—and in 1899, only one side was paved. Progress!
Large tracts of land were owned by families whose names are still familiar today: Dean, Christensen, Eells, Zeager, and Pease. Senator Clifford Beach, a friend of Governor Woods, owned a sprawling farm near the lake and generously donated much of it to the community. Beach Elementary now stands on that land, and both the Beach Cliff subdivision and Beach Cliff Boulevard (although the name got a little flipped over time) honor the senator’s legacy.
Right around where Old School Pizza & Wings stands today, once stood the town’s livery stable. Across the street, near the old City Hall and the police and fire station (now the Dixon Building), stood the blacksmith’s shop. A dry goods store, grocery, meat market, and several other revitalized buildings rounded out the scene. The Mitchell Building—appropriately named after the first mayor—still stands as a reminder of those early civic roots.
All Aboard: The Railroad Era
During the Civil War era, the railroads rolled into town. The so-called “Dummy Railroad” (named for its steam engine, not its smarts) eventually gave way to the Interurban system, which stretched all the way to Toledo. Today, Beaconsfield Boulevard gives quiet, divided testimony to the old right-of-way.
Schools began to pop up along Wooster Road, near Center Ridge, and behind what’s now Heinen’s.
By 1960, Rocky River had grown up enough to become a charter city. Civic improvements rolled in: a new fire and police department, community pool, tennis courts, beaches, and a summer band concert or two to keep the spirit lively.
Today, Rocky River boasts an estimated 21,468 residents (2024), more than 1,500 businesses, and a robust love for its past.
Law & Order, River Style
Law enforcement in River began in 1909 with Marshal L. Roy Martin—uncle of future mayor Earl Martin (1970–1993). The first police chief, Matt Andersen, hired officers the old-fashioned way: no written exams, no agility drills. If you could do the job, congratulations—you got the badge.
Chief Gunder Robertson followed and oversaw the city’s first police car in the 1930s. Before that? It was all motorcycles and hand signals. On Sunday nights, River’s finest were mostly busy directing traffic across the bridge. Detectives? They were freelance.
In 1942, Chief Albert Cornish was sworn in and famously led the department’s pistol team to an Ohio championship. Not exactly your average desk job.
In 1949, Chief Robert Kelley took over, remembered as one of the city’s most respected lawmen.
And as the list of chiefs grew, so did the department. From that first badge to today’s fully equipped force—with cruisers, boats, a juvenile bureau, and enough auxiliary officers to field a pretty competitive softball team—Rocky River’s commitment to public safety has never wavered.
So the next time you’re stuck on Detroit Road or waiting on your double scoop at Mitchell’s, take a second and look around. You’re standing in a place that started with a dream on a quiet riverbank over 200 years ago. The old wooden bridge may be gone, but the spirit that built this community - Still here—steady, rooted, and very much alive.
Fourth of July Then & Now: A Rocky River Celebration
This photo of the opening of Rocky River Park on July 4, 1921, is one of our favorites at the Rocky River Historical Society. Donated by Eleanore and George Von Haase, it captures a joyful moment in our town’s history. Back then, the park was known as Lake Front Park, a scenic five-acre space along the banks of Lake Erie that has welcomed generations of families.
Rocky River’s parks and the Fourth of July have long gone hand in hand. There’s something timeless about gathering outdoors, watching fireworks, and celebrating freedom by the water.
Independence Day has been a federal holiday since 1941, but its roots stretch back much further. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence. Just two days later, the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence—drafted by Thomas Jefferson—marking the birth of a new nation.
So, this Fourth, as you break out your best red, white, and blue (fun fact: red stands for hardiness and valor, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice), take a moment to soak it all in. Whether you're waving a flag, grilling in the backyard, or catching fireworks by the lake, you're part of a proud tradition—uniquely American and unmistakably Rocky River.
Happy Independence Day from all of us at the Rocky River Historical Society!
Vernon B. Stouffer 1901-1974
Vernon Bigelow Stouffer was born in 1901. After graduating from the Wharton School of Business in 1923, he opened a food counter in the Arcade in downtown Cleveland, selling dairy products, sandwiches, and his mother’s (Lena Stouffer) Dutch apple pies. After one year, he and his father (Abraham Stouffer) opened “Stouffer’s Lunch” restaurant at East 9th Street, which featured tasty meals at moderate prices.
In 1929, Stouffer’s went public as the Stouffer Corporation, and then expanded into frozen foods (1946) and a chain of restaurants and motor inns (1960). In 1965, Vernon opened the premier Stouffer’s Pier W restaurant at Winton Place in Lakewood, Ohio.
Stouffer Foods was selected by NASA for the crew of Apollo 11, 12, and 14. From 1966-1971, Vernon Stouffer owned a controlling interest in the Cleveland Indians baseball team, Vernon Stouffer died on July 26, 1974, and is buried in Lakewood Park Cemetery, Rocky River.
For the complete article by Gay Christensen-Dean, click here.
Herb Score, 1933-2008
Herb Score, born in 1933 in New York, moved with his family to Florida. In 1952, he pitched six no-hitters for his Lake Worth High School baseball team and then signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians, playing with Rocky Colavito. The two came to the Major League in 1955.
On the night of May 7, 1957 at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, in the first inning, the second batter to the New York Yankees’ Gil McDougald faced Herb Score. With the count 2 and 2, Herb threw a low fast ball and McDougald whacked the ball right back at the pitcher, while his head was still down in the follow-through position, hitting him in the eye and breaking some facial bones. Herb never lost consciousness but had severe hemorrhaging in his eye and a swollen retina. He spent three weeks in the hospital and was sidelined for the rest of the season. His vision eventually returned but his pitching was never the same. In 1959 he was traded to the Chicago White Sox and he injured his elbow. He retired after three more seasons (in 1962).
In 1964, the Cleveland Indians hired him as their play-by-play announcer. He was revered by the fans and stayed with the Indians for the next 34 years. Herb Score died in Rocky River (age 75) on November 11, 2008 and is buried in Lakewood Park Cemetery. Click here for the full article by Gay Christensen-Dean.
Szabo Shoes: 99 Years
Szabo Shoes opened in Cleveland in 1920. The store moved to Center Ridge Road in Rocky River in 1953, in a building of the classic mid-century modern style. Szabo Shoes was a popular place, specializing in large sizes, wide and narrow widths. It was the place to go if your feet were hard to fit. They fitted high school athletes in Rocky River and surrounding areas with athletic shoes. Szabo Shoes also sold shoes to Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Cavaliers players. The business and property sold in November 2019. For more details, click here to find the 2019 article by Gay Christensen-Dean.
Eh? Almost Rocky River, Quebec?
The British Parliament passed the Quebec Act on June 22, 1774. The Quebec Act extended the boundaries of Quebec to include Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. This infuriated people in the eastern colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. These colonies claimed that their land extended to the west. After the American Revolution in 1776, the Quebec Act was repealed in 1791. Ohio became the 17th state of the U.S.A. in 1803. Click here for the full article about the Quebec Act of 1774 by Gay Christensen-Dean.
The Devonian Period and Dunkleosteus Terrelli
During the Devonian Period of the Paleozoic Era (459 to 360 million years ago), Ohio was covered with water. The upper waters were clear and teemed with life, including the famous Rocky River fossil, Dunkleosteus terrelli, named after Dr. David Dunkle in 1956. He was a curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Dunkleosteus was a huge predator, at least 20 feet long and weighing two tons or more. Dunkleosteus had a jaw with two pairs of bony plates forming a beak-like structure. There was a mass extinction at the end of the Devonian period and Dunkleosteus did not survive. A model of this ferocious-looking creature is displayed at the Rocky River Nature Center. For more information, click here to read the full article by Gay Christensen-Dean.
1885 Pump Organ
Betty Weiss (1915-2023) lived in Rocky River for over 70 years. Before her death, Mrs. Weiss donated this 1885 Mason & Hamlin pump organ to the Rocky River Historical Society. She loved classical music and supported the Rocky River Chamber Music Society and the Cleveland Orchestra for many years. Betty lived across the street from the Rocky River Park and remembered that the park had an ice rink when it was cold enough with a warming shed and a coal-fed heater for the skaters.
WINTER HOLIDAY SCENE c. 1983
Old Detroit Bridge with Westlake Hotel
Holiday card from the Rocky River Junior Women’s club archives at the Rocky River Historical Society with snowy Old Detroit bridge
Party Hearty in Rocky River circa 1957
Getting ready for holiday entertaining? Take a peak at the party game played by guests at the Rocky River Junior High School PTA Holiday Party. To play, guests needed to find and list the names of other guests sporting—
Unmatched earrings
Odd color shoe string
One glove
Unmatched ladies hose
Safety pin under man’s lapel
Ring with Coast Guard emblem
Ribbon in man’s shirt button
Hair ribbon
Unmatched men’s socks
Unmatched cuff links
Cotton in ear
Rope belt
Two toned lipstick
Odd shoes
Bobby pin in man’s hair
Unmatching nail polish
Two wrist watches
Costume clip on purse
Ribbon on heel of shoe
Earring clipped on glasses
False eyelashes
Grant-Funded Project to Support our Collections!
The RRHS Archives Grant Project
The Rocky River Historical Society is excited to announce that the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board chose our organization for a grant to support our collections! With the money granted to us, we have been able to purchase lots of archivally safe storage, and now we are hard at work transferring photos, letters, and more from old metal file cabinets into our brand new flip-top boxes and acid-free folders.
As we’re working on this grant-funded project, we welcome any additional helping hands from the Rocky River community. If you have been looking for a way to volunteer with RRHS, now is the time! Visit our website to fill out a contact form, or direct message us right here on Facebook. We hope to hear from you soon.
ST. CHRISTOPHER PARISH COMMUNITY: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
By Ginni Going
On May 14, 1922, Rocky River’s original Town Hall was also the site of the first Mass of the newly established Catholic parish of St. Christopher. The name for the new church was selected by the new pastor, Fr. Patterson, for the Patron Saint of Travelers. At the time, commerce and travel were increasing to the west; largely due to the railroad, and the 1910 construction of the new “longest unreinforced concrete span in the world.” The new Rocky River Bridge provided pedestrian, automobile, and streetcar access to Rocky River, and increased traffic was most evident.
Later that same year, the diocese purchased 7 acres of farmland on Detroit Road, Rocky River, and on Palm Sunday, March 18, 1923, the first Mass was celebrated in the newly constructed frame church. On July 25, 1925, the popular tradition of blessing motor vehicles at St. Christopher was begun and continued into the 1960s. Fr. Patterson’s reminder to all was “St. Christopher jumps out after you hit 60 mph.” The car blessing will return on July 24, 2022, as part of the Centennial Celebration.
The congregation continued to grow, and in 1954 under the direction of Fr. Ahern, the need for a new, larger church was met with the construction of the present Romanesque building on Detroit Rd., Rocky River. The next 64 years have seen continued growth. The building of the multi-use Community Center came to fruition in 1981 along with a major remodeling of the church, including large stained-glass windows, a new altar, and other upgrades, which were accomplished in the mid-’80s. In 2001 under Fr. Chlebo’s leadership, the newly built Parish Center provided a large multi-purpose room, smaller meeting rooms, a library, and a computer lab, along with new education offices.
With the very dedicated efforts of parish members and the strong support of Fr. Chlebo, Centennial Park became a reality in July of 2020. The public is welcome to visit Centennial Park with its playground, Pavilion, Meditation Garden, outdoor amphitheater, picnic tables, walking paths, and multiple seating areas.
Celebrations will be occurring throughout this year and a few highlights are:
May 14, 2022, was the Anniversary of the first Mass
July 24, 2022: There will be a blessing of cars and other modes of transportation, along with a car wash and ice cream social.
There are monthly activities planned including concerts, some outdoors. The annual Block Party will become a weekend event.
During this Centennial year, St. Christopher will install their Century Landmark Plaque on the Lakeview Avenue side, indicating the site of the original church.
The entire community is welcome to the Centennial Celebration, and further notice will be in local publications.
Grand Army of the Republic Highway…U.S. Route 6
We might be feeling isolated due to the virus, but we are really connected to the whole rest of the country.
U.S. Route 6, also known as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, runs through Rocky River as Lake Road. The Grand Army of the Republic was an organization of veterans of the Civil War. The organization ended when the last Civil War veteran died in 1956.
Heading east from Lake Road in Rocky River, U.S. 6 follows the Clifton Blvd. bridge over the Rocky River into Lakewood, where it is joined by U.S. 20. Continuing on, it passes Edgewater Park, crosses the Flats on the Detroit-Superior Bridge, winds around Public Square and follows Superior Avenue until it joins Euclid Avenue after East 131st Street. At Euclid Creek Reservation, it splits from U.S. 20 and follows Chardon Road through Chardon and across Ohio to Pymatuning Reservoir on the Ohio/Pennsylvania border.
Leaving Ohio, U.S. 6 zigzags through northern Pennsylvania, through the Allegheny National Forest, follows a scenic part of the Susquehanna River, and then through the Pennsylvania anthracite coal country until it crosses into New York at Port Jervis, on the Delaware River. Still going, it crosses the Hudson River north of New York City at Peekskill, New York, and then it’s on into Connecticut.
It enters Hartford, Connecticut, capital of Connecticut, and location of the Victorian Gothic Mark Twain House, built for him in 1874, with woodwork designed by Tiffany, and where he wrote his most famous books, including of the fictitious adventurers Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Next comes the college town of Providence, Rhode Island, another state capital, founded by Roger Williams who fled the Massachusetts Bay Colony as he believed the right to worship should not be regulated by the state. Turning south, U.S. 6 goes through the old whaling port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and on to Cape Cod. This main route across the Cape passes the dunes of Cape Cod National Seashore and ends its journey at the very tip: Provincetown.
Back in Rocky River, our adventure now takes us west, still along the lake, to Vermilion, Huron, and Sandusky, after which U.S. 6 leaves the lake, crosses Indiana, skirts the south side of Chicago through Joliet. In Illinois, it parallels I-80, sometimes joining it, and crosses the Mighty Mississippi River at the Quad Cities (Moline and Rock Island, Illinois; and Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa.) Then, it’s on to Des Moines, named after the river which was originally called La Rivière des Moines (River of the Monks) by French voyageurs. It leaves Iowa at Council Bluffs, historically a site of Native American ceremonial pow wows, crosses the Missouri River into Omaha, Nebraska, and then comes another state capital, Lincoln. The capitol building is topped by a 19’ tall statue of “The Sower”, representing the importance of agriculture to Nebraska, on top of a 400’ tower that can be seen for 20 miles. Next comes Hastings, Nebraska. Kool-Aid was invented there in 1927.
Paralleling or joining I-76 in eastern Colorado, it’s on to Denver and another state capital. The 1908 neoclassic capitol building resembles the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Leaving Denver, U.S. 6 is the same as I-70 all the way to the Utah border, crossing the Continental Divide at Loveland Pass (elevation 11,990 feet) and continuing through the ski areas of the Rocky Mountains, including Vail, Colorado, named after Charles Vail, the highway engineer who routed U.S. 6 through that Eagle Valley area in 1940.
In Utah, it is the same as U.S. 50, travelling north of Arches National Park, and then it splits from U.S. 50, heading north and back south through Delta, Utah. Entering Nevada at Great Basin National Park, an area of ancient bristlecone pines, and dark skies, it’s on to Ely, Nevada, founded as a stagecoach station for the Pony Express, and then southerly to Tonopah before entering California and ending at the tourist town of Bishop, California, on the east side of the Sierras.
Written by Gay A. Christensen-Dean
Charles M. Ingersoll
Charles Ingersoll was born in Madison, Ohio on July 27, 1896. His father, Francis Siegel Ingersoll, was an executive of the Madison Wheel Company. Francis had a disagreement with the president, sold his company stock, and moved the family to Rocky River in 1906. He bought the John Deere Agency from W.J. Geiger, the hardware store originally at the corner of Blount and Detroit, and his livery stable. The family lived on the southeast corner of Wooster and Telbir.
In 1922, “Charlie” married Ethel Sayers. His parents gave him a lot on Wooster Road, second lot north of Shoreland. He had a house built before the wedding, by tradesmen who owed his father money on their accounts. Charlie and Ethel had two children, Frances Sara and Charlene Ethel.
In 1927, Charlie bought his father’s John Deere equipment dealership. His father was used to horse-drawn equipment and the engine-driven tractors were frustrating to him. Charlie’s first customer was Fred Schneider and sons on Northview Road. They bought an engine-driven tractor, made by the Dodge Co. of Boston, for $128.00. As a result, Charlie got the distributorship for the state of Ohio and set up dealerships in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Youngstown, and Cleveland. He later got state tractor distributorships for the Bolen Co. of Wisconsin, and Gibson from Colorado. Charlie had a lot of energy and drive. He wheeled and dealed his way around the country besides Ohio. He dealt in many types of heavy equipment, including tractors of various kinds, lawn mowers, front end loaders, rock crushers, seed planters, pumps, road graders, scrapers, etc.; and dynamite, that he stored in Caldwell’s Gully off Detroit Road across from Linda Street.
Written by Gay A. Christensen-Dean
Lakewood Park Cemetery Gravestone Dedication Ceremony
It was a beautiful afternoon on May 18, 2019, when we gathered to honor early settlers, originally buried in Wagar and Kidney cemeteries, Detroit Road, Lakewood, Ohio, and re-buried in Lakewood Park Cemetery, Detroit Road, Rocky River, Ohio, in plots originally purchased by Mars Wagar. The Johns-Carabelli Cemetery Memorials Co. fashioned the two new gravestones that we dedicated, for: the Calkins/Howe family buried in Section 2, Lot 302, Grave 5, and the Kidney family members buried in Section 2, Lot 301, Grave 4.
Speaking at the gravesites, Sandy Sill, manager of Lakewood Park Cemetery, explained how and why the project was started. Mayor Pam Bobst honored our forgotten fellow citizens. Gay Christensen-Dean gave a history of these early settlers. Gay had searched for any relatives/descendants of the honorees to notify them of the event. Joanne, Bill, Emma, and Maggie Calkins attended. A Kidney relative, Deirdre Lavieri of Atlanta, Georgia, was not able to come but sent a letter of thanks and appreciation that was read. At the end of the ceremony, a rose was placed on each gravestone. A tour of Lakewood Park Cemetery followed, highlighting the graves of famous people buried there.
Other attendees included representatives/descendants (Bill, Cynthia, Joy, Russ, Gay) of Section 2, Lot 301, Grave 5: “EARLY PIONEERS of LAKEWOOD originally buried WAGAR CEMETERY”, there to support their fellow ancestors; Jenny Dieringer of the Rocky River Historical Society; Ralph Pfingsten of the West Park Historical Society; Bill Barrow of the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve.
Thank you to the Lakewood Park Cemetery board (Jack, Scott, Dave) and staff (Sandy, Peggy, Chris, Tara, Kathy), and Eric Butler, and Monica Johns of the Johns-Carabelli Co. for making this happen.
Thank You for a Wonderful Picnic
It all begins with an idea.
This year's annual picnic proved to be another great success!
The Annual Summer Picnic for the Rocky River Historical Society was held on Thursday, August 9, 2018 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Elmwood Park Cabin.
This successful event helped raise $400 for our Society with close to 50 in attendance. With delicious food and terrific prizes, this event was a lot of fun.
Please see the list below to thank those who continue to support the organization:
Ford’s Mens Shop
Estectica Salon
Jan Dell Florist
Pearl of the Orient
Tomorrow’s Hair Salon
Pure Enchantment
Innuendo
Old Carolina BBQ
King Wah Restaurant
Mitchell’s Ice Cream
Ace Hardware
Herb’s Tavern
Rustic Restaurant
Irish Barber
Heinen’s
Mellow Mushroom Pizza
Paper Trails
Wild Flour Bakery
Burntwood Tavern
Wine Bar Market Restaurant
Zoup
The Olive Scene
Woods Restaurant
Rocky River Brewing Co.
Lake Road Market
Danny Boys
Sweet Melissa Restaurant
Flip Side
Cowan Pottery Museum Associates
First Watch Restaurant
Erie Island Coffee
Hospitality Restaurants
Tartine Restaurant
Lovely
Charles Scott Salons
Much thanks for the many businesses who donated raffle prizes and to everyone who attended and made this a wonderful event!
Rocky River Historical Society Celebrates 50 Years
2018 marks the 50 year anniversary of the Rocky River Historical Society!
Founded by a dedicated group of volunteers on November 14, 1968, the Rocky River Historical Society’s purpose remains the same then as it does now which is, “to promote interest in preserving and obtaining all that relates to the history of Rocky River.”
To celebrate this special year, the Society is offering discounted book prices of $15 for “ROCKY RIVER YESTERDAY” and $25 for “WHERE THE RIVER ENDS.”
Missing Links - The Keswick Golf Club
A century ago in 1917, Rocky River lost its first golf course.
When it opened in June 1913, it was only the sixth course in Cuyahoga County. Keswick Golf Club lasted only three years from its auspicious debut on the grounds of the 137-acre Eells estate in the northeast corner of Rocky River.
In 1907 the Frasier (and sometimes Frazier) Realty Company purchased the land from the Eells heirs for the purpose of residential development, but the slowing real estate market lead the marketing teams from Mathews and Gilbert; as well as Fowler, Worman, and Kelly; to postpone homebuilding and build a nine-hole, par 36, layout bounded by Frazier Drive, Falmouth Drive, and Lake Road.
Prior to the grand opening, the 100-member Club released a plan to construct a large $50,000 Club House with tennis courts, a 1000’ beach, dining rooms and lounges, a grill room and buffet, card rooms, a barbershop, and men’s and women’s locker rooms. The expansion included another nine holes of golf immediately west on the 80-acre Clifton Beach property. It was not to be.
Several factors contributed to the unexpected closing after the 1916 season. With World War I rapidly approaching, the economic appetite for extravagant spending waned. As Cleveland expanded, suburbs began to flourish both on the east and west sides. With Lakewood growing westward, Mathews and Gilbert saw increasing demand beyond the Rocky River. Roadways, bridges, and transportation options reduced the commute to Downtown Cleveland significantly.
It was time for growth to replace golf. Newer courses and Clubs offering better amenities emerged at Westwood and Dover Bay. When Keswick closed, the members moved to the new clubs. By the end of 1917, road crews were busy constructing a bridge over the creek dividing the Eells and Beach properties. It took another six years to complete the paving of Beachcliff Boulevard east to Lake Road. During that time, the city poured $100,000 into street and sewer enhancement to help spur home construction on the now-defunct Keswick site.
By David A. Hollis