Join the Collinwood Nottingham Historical Society (CNHS) on Thursday, August 19, 2010 for a Birthday Party. Not an ordinary birthday party, but one to honor the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie.  August 23rd marks the 225th Birthday of Oliver Hazard Perry, as well the 191st anniversary of his death. According to officers of CNHs, "Perry’s accomplishments have always been celebrated and, as a newer historical society with a relationship with Perry here in Collinwood, we too wanted to celebrate his accomplishments.”

Perry was born on August 23, 1785 to Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and his wife Sarah Wallace Alexander in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. He grew up in a naval family during an era of great naval heroes and battles and during the “Federal” era in these United States of America so recently come from fighting a Revolutionary War (1776-1783). He was educated in Rhode Island and also lived in South Carolina, sailing ships, preparing for a career in the United States Navy.

In April 1799, he was assigned to serve on his father’s ship and saw combat off the coast of Haiti then in rebellion. During the First Barbary War (“to the shores of Tripoli”) he commanded the ship USS Nautilus during the capture of Derna. Then at the time of the War of 1812 he was given command of the US Naval forces on Lake Erie. He supervised the building of a fleet at Dobbin’s Landing in Presque Isle Bay in Erie, Pa and then commanded that fleet during the famous encounter at Put-In-Bay, known as "The Battle of Lake Erie" on September 10, 1813. During the battle, he faced Captain Barclay, who served proudly with none other than the British War hero, Lord Nelson (died 1805). Perry’s victory protected the entire Ohio Valley from British invasion and gave Americans control of the Great Lakes.

COMMODORE OLIVER HAZARD PERRY

Many from the Collinwood community served during the Civil War; some gave all and others served only months. What is important is that they served. As they were born and raised in the Collinwood community as a part of Cuyahoga County, they were eligible to be memorialized with their names engraved in the marble tablets at the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument. 

Our goal through our continuing research in the Collinwood Nottingham Historical Society is to have a good list of those who served from our communities, identify them on the walls of the monument and identify their final resting place.  If a new marker needs to be placed at this site then we will get that taken care of well.  

We sit at the edge of the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, one of the most pivotal times of our lives as Americans. We wish to honor with great dignity the memory of our early community residents.

If you're going to try and tell a story, let alone putting one to print, it's never good just to get it half right. I initially took up researching the provenance, and eventually writing an article about the Four Points Tavern last month because another person had written an incomplete story. Now I find myself guilty of same. 

The other day after visiting a friend in the village, I popped into Mirabile's on Ivanhoe for a quick drink. While nursing my vodka and tonic I overheard the bartender, Mark Mirabile, and a patron discussing the article I had written. After I introduced
myself, they let me know that though Four Points had closed when I said it had in my article, it's history as a tavern wasn't quite finished.

I took what they had told me and confirmed the dates back at the library. I can now tell you that Four Points became the Nashville East Tavern around 1983. It was operated by Ted Maski who was a musician that played country music. It ran till about 1990 then it became the Eighteen Karat Lounge. That lasted till around 1993.

I've always enjoyed reading the different local papers to keep up with changes in town, especially when it comes to restaurant
reviews. So I was very interested upon reading about chef Marlin Kaplan's latest incarnation, Luxe, in the Detroit-Shoreway
neighborhood.

A few years ago, while preparing for a talk on women, I came across an old quilt. At first, when I saw it, all I saw was that it was tattered and torn and had been cut and repaired. I was wondering why my mother suggested I use it. Then she reminded me that my grandmother had made this quilt while she was still living in Kansas in the 1930s and I looked at it with a different perspective. The multicolored blocks and shapes that make up the quilt fit together to create a thing of beauty. The cotton was the old cotton; sure, it was matted where it was coming out of the edge of the quilt, but it was the original cotton used in the quilt about 80 years ago! It was well-loved and much-used and it carried its own battle scars. Therefore, I decided to use the quilt when I did my next talk on how women contributed to the cause during the American Civil War.

The first decade of the 20th Century was filled with discovery and invention. Our country was enjoying a decade of relative peace and prosperity. During this period, Collinwood and Nottingham villages were also very prosperous. The railroad, as well as business and industry, were growing and the population of the villages was expanding. The hearty immigrants brought their religion, their work ethics and their family values and built their homes, churches and their gathering places. The Collinwood School Fire of March 4, 1908 nearly devastated the community but the strong-willed immigrants continued on, despite their loss and worked even harder to build a cohesive community able to withstand anything life threw at them. Collinwood petitioned the City of Cleveland to become a part of their growing metropolis and in February 1910, Collinwood officially and legislatively is added to the City of Cleveland, able to receive services from the City while retaining their unique character. (The same happens with Nottingham Village in 1912 – but, that’s another story!)  

How do you celebrate the holidays? Regardless of one's faith or ethnic background, we all gather to celebrate during these early winter days.

There has to be a medical term for someone who awakens one morning and realizes how much she misses a particular part of her past. Is it melancholia? Homesickness? The “good old days” syndrome? Be that as it may, my “back-to-the-future” experience was the time I learned to play pinochle while tossing pizza.

Who’s making this paper?
You are. You and your neighbors. Anyone who steps forward to speak and write their thoughts down. We will publish everything you send us, either online or in print. We ask that it be truthful and not malicious. Think a writer’s missed the mark? Write down your perspective, send it in, we’ll print it.

Does Councilman Polensek control this paper?
No. He is providing $15,000 in ward allocation funds—your tax dollars—to build a grassroots project that allows

   Oliver Hazard Perry was the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie and a school in the north Collinwood community was named to honor him and his victory September 10, 1813. To read more about him, see the Collinwood Observer website for an article on Perry and his relevance to us today.

   Stay tuned for more Collinwood and Collinwood-related history.  If there is something you would like to know about just ask. It is always fun to look into our history. You can reach the Historical Society via email at collnotthistorical@aol.com. Find out, and write up the story for the Collinwood Observer!