Browse Exhibits (19 total)

The purpose of this exhibit is to pose questions for students and to provide answers about how humans interacted with their environment to provide commercial transportation on the Ohio and Erie Canal, the Cuyahoga River, and Lake Erie.

The exhibit will discuss how geographic and environmental factors influenced human interaction on the river in two eras -- the early 19th century and the late 20th century.

The exhibit will also create connections between Great Lakes transportation and folk music.

This exhibit examines the Cuyahoga River Fires. Cleveland's reputation was severely damaged as the result of June 22, 1969 fire. This fire would draw national attention about the pollution of Lake Erie and rivers and streams that feed it Rivers were not uncommon thing catching fire in United States during the 20th Century. The downfall of American environment would lead to the creation of EPA Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Water Act of 1972.

The fire at Lake View Elementary School in Collinwood, Ohio on March, 4, 1908 cost the lives of 172 students, 2 teachers, and 1 rescuer.  Though the school was newly constructed, the fire safety precautions of the time are thought to be the major contributors to the tremendous loss of life.

Tragedies like this often bring about change.  The Collinwood School Fire, like the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911, and the Cuyahoga River Fire in 1969 led to sweeping progressive reforms to prevent similar circumstances from happening, ultimately saving lives and improving urban enviornments.

Not only did the Collinwood School Fire take the lives of 175 people, it destroyed families, and ultimately cost the village of Collinwood its autonomy.

The Cuyahoga Valley National Park Railroad began transporting freight and passengers from Canton to Cleveland in 1880. Approximately 1 million tons of freight was moved via the railroad every year. 

Although the railroad has struggled to stay in existence, today the train still runs a route in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park that is used for leisure and education.

The scenic railroad  offers various excursions and events for adults and children to enjoy the natural beauty of the park.  The Railroad also offers numerous educational programs for schools. 

Questions arise as to the purpose of the railroad and its lack of use to carry passengers and freight from Canton to Cleveland. Our society expects products and technology on demand. 

In his 1864 book titled Man and Nature, George Perkins Marsh asserted that great civilizations decline because they adversely affect the environment in which they grow.  Once the Silicon Valley of American's industrial period, Northeast Ohio now lies at the center of the so called "Rust Belt" and the region's population has been hemoragging since the 1950s.  Is it possible, as George Perkins Marsh suggested, that the abuse of the natural environment is what led to Northeast Ohio's decline?  The steel, oil, and chemical plants that were celebrated as the engines of Cleveland's industrial revolution also caused environmental harm as evidenced by the Cuyahoga River fires and brownfield that occupies the former Diamond-Shamrock facility on the Lakefront near Fairport Harbor. 

The Perry Nuclear Power Plant rises dramatically on the the North Coast.  Once heralded as the answer to the economic problems confronting the rural community that it calls home, it has also been the target of environmental protests and criticisms since plans were first announed in 1971.  The economic impact of the plant has resulted in several tangible benefits for the residents of Perry Village, North Perry, and Perry Township. However, critics contend that the environmental impact has tarnished the landscape and increased health risks for the people and animals that live nearby.  Will Perry follow the same path of decline as Cleveland, Painesville, and Fairport Harbor?  Or will Perry be able to sustain the economic and population growth it has enjoyed since the 1970s.