At age 75, the Shaker Historical Society considers its past, present, and future.
By Sharon Holbrook
The Shaker Historical Society on South Park Boulevard. Photos by Jason Miller
Dated, stale, dusty? Nope – history is happening right now.
On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the Shaker Historical Society (SHS) is refining its mission. Documenting Shaker Heights’ ongoing story and engaging with the Shaker Heights community are at the heart of that mission.
Decades before the City of Shaker Heights was founded, this area was home to a community of Shakers, a utopian Christian sect. The Shakers lived in, cultivated, and developed the area (including building the dams that formed Lower Shaker Lake and Horseshoe Lake) from 1822 until they disbanded in 1889.
SHS was founded in 1947 with a focus on teaching schoolchildren about the history of the Shaker settlement. At that time, there were still older residents who had known and been neighbors of the Shakers, so the time was ripe – but passing quickly – to preserve and pass on that firsthand knowledge.
Since the founding of SHS, 75 more years of history have been created.
Since the founding of SHS, 75 more years of history have been created. Its task now, as expressed in its mission statement, is to “link the past with the present to inspire the future.” That means documenting the Shaker settlement heritage, but also allowing space for more stories, ones that tell of the evolution of this place and the people, challenges, and successes that make Shaker Heights what it is. That narrative includes harder parts of our history – for example, the imperfect path, still under construction, toward racial equity in the City. Not all of that story can or should be told by Shaker Historical Society staff, says Brianna Treleven, executive director of SHS. If, for example, the story of the integration of the Ludlow neighborhood were being told, the people from that community who lived through it, or had relatives who lived through it, are better positioned to tell that story. SHS’s role, says Treleven, is to facilitate that by inviting those voices to be part of SHS.
Collaborative partnerships with other organizations are a key part of that broadening of storytelling, and SHS has partnered with about 25 organizations over the past year. One of the most significant collaborations has been with Shaker African American Mothers Support (SAMS). That partnership resulted in “I Come as One,” an exhibit on the pandemic experience of single Black mothers. Another SAMS exhibit is planned for 2023. SAMS provides a creative vision and subject matter knowledge, and SHS provides exhibit space, materials, and curating expertise. Together, they create something that neither could do alone.
Kate Walker, operations and events manager, and Brianna Treleven, executive director.
While permanent exhibits on the Shakers and the Van Sweringen brothers’ development work in Shaker Heights and Cleveland occupy most of the museum space at SHS, rotating exhibit space on the first floor allows the organization to vary and expand the museum’s narrative. That’s where the SAMS exhibits are located. SHS has also partnered with the Warrensville Heights-based African American Quilt and Doll Guild to host a quilt show this summer in the first-floor exhibit space.
In addition to bringing more stories into the museum, SHS is also working to expand its presence in the community – a Century House Birthday Party for houses in Shaker Heights turning 100 was held last fall at the Van Aken District. SHS has also recently been involved in the restoration of the historic Warrensville Cemetery near Shaker Towne Center.
“The story of our City really resonates and means something to the people who live here.”
SHS is proactively opening itself to young people, too. A Shaker Heights High School student, Hazel Smith, serves
as a junior board member. (See the winter 2021 issue of Shaker Life for more information on Hazel’s extensive volunteer work at SHS.)
Each summer, provided COVID-19 is under control, SHS hosts a history and archaeology camp for kids. In the backyard of the South Park Boulevard museum, warm weather also means veggies, flowers, and herbs flourishing in community garden plots. There are numerous Scout projects, including seasonal cleanups and the addition of a bat house and a bee box.
“I’m a resident of Shaker Heights and it’s the first place that I’ve ever lived that really has such a sense of community,” says Kate Walker, operations and events manager at SHS. “The story of our City really resonates and means something to the people who live here.”
Just as true, though, is that Shaker is a City moving forward, and that includes SHS. “Almost every person I know in town is like, ‘Yeah, we’re doing a good job, but what can we do better?’” says Walker.
Two hundred years after the Shaker settlement in this area, and 75 years after SHS was founded to preserve and
document that history, there’s always more work to be done – and dedicated people ready to do it.
Address: 16740 South Park Boulevard | Website: shakerhistory.org
Facebook: facebook.com/shakerhistory | Instagram: @shakerhistory
