Chagrin Falls has always invested in the arts. Organizations such as the Chagrin Valley Little Theater, the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, the Valley Art Center, the Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra, and Chagrin Arts have enriched and entertained residents and visitors for generations. Join us on Tuesday, March 26th at 7pm as Historical Society President John Bourisseau presents a program about the history and tradition of the arts organizations in Chagrin Falls.
Chagrin Falls Historical Society Participates in Ohio Open Doors
Chagrin Falls Historical Society will take part in Ohio Open Doors in partnership with the Ohio History Connection, on Sunday, September 9, 2018 from 2-4pm, admission is free. Explore the history of Chagrin Falls Township Hall, the center of Village activities since 1848. It has been a library, school, lecture hall, theater and the seat of Chagrin Falls Township government. Join us for light refreshments and meet President James Garfield! Township Hall was the place to be for famous orators–President Garfield and Susan B. Anthony both spoke there. Visitors will learn through photo and document displays about the historic home of the Little Theater, Opera House and our town jail! Light refreshments will be served.
About Ohio Open Doors
Discover Ohio’s amazing heritage Fri., Sept. 7, through Sun., Sept. 16, as historic buildings and landmarks across our state open their doors for special tours and events during the statewide event Ohio Open Doors. Explore fascinating places that reflect Ohio’s rich heritage, some open especially for Ohio Open Doors events or offering behind-the-scenes looks that aren’t ordinarily available.
All Ohio Open Doors events are free. Most are special one-day-only opportunities.
The Ohio History Connection created Ohio Open Doors in 2016 to promote and inspire pride in Ohio’s heritage and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Oct. 15, 1966, the Act has proven instrumental in transforming the face of communities from coast to coast, establishing the legal framework and incentives to preserve historic buildings, landscapes and archaeological sites. It drives economic revitalization by attracting investment, supporting small business, stabilizing neighborhoods and creating jobs.
The Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office administers the National Historic Preservation Act in Ohio. Many of the landmarks featured in Ohio Open Doors events are in the National Register of Historic Places, which the National Historic Preservation Act created.
“Ohio Open Doors shares stories of important landmarks right in our backyard, highlighting the history and unique nature of some of Ohio’s most treasured historic places,” says Burt Logan, executive director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection.
For more information about Ohio Open Doors, visit ohiohistory.org or www.chagrinhistorical.org.
Chagrin Falls Historical Society presents: SPIRITS ALIVE! At Evergreen Hill Cemetery
UPDATE- The Saturday tours are SOLD OUT and Sunday at 4pm is SOLD OUT! And limited spots remain on the Sunday at 5pm tour. Please call if you would like to be added to a waiting list for next year!
Start the Halloween season off right with SPIRITS ALIVE, a historic cemetery tour! Chagrin Falls Historical Society in partnership with Stroud-Lawrence Funeral Home is conducting Cemetery Tours of the historic Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Chagrin Falls. You will be guided to ten graves in the cemetery. At each grave, you will meet the spirit who lives there and hear their story! Light refreshments will be provided. The tours will take place on Saturday, September 29 at 4pm and 5pm. Also, Sunday, September 30 at 4pm and 5pm. RSVP REQUIRED through PayPal or you can reach us at 440.247.4695 or [email protected] Admission- $10 nonmembers or $5 members. THERE IS NO RAIN DATE OR REFUNDS. We thank you for your support of the Chagrin Falls Historical Society & Museum.
The people you will meet on this tour lived in Chagrin Falls in the first half of the 19th Century when it was a small, rural village. Most lived into the 20th Century and witnessed many changes in our small town. They all participated in the life of the village and through their efforts Chagrin Falls evolved from a small, isolated village to a vibrant commercial center. Along the way, its residents experienced the hardships of life on the Ohio frontier, the travails of the Civil War and the virtues and the vices of the Modern Age.
About Evergreen Hill Cemetery:Evergreen Hill Cemetery was the second cemetery established in the Village and Township. The first Chagrin Falls Burying Ground was established in the 1840s by George Stocking who purchased land at the top of Grove Hill on the west side of North Main Street where he proceeded to sell burial lots to individual families. There were several other small cemeteries outside of the village boundaries where members of the Chagrin Falls community were buried. By the 1860s the village had outgrown the Grove Hill Cemetery so the land on South Franklin Street which was owned by the Township, was deeded to the Village. Additional land was acquired from Village residents Robert and Caroline Barrows, and Albon B. Gardner.The first burial in the Cemetery took place in 1863. Some families removed the remains of their family members from Grove Hill Cemetery to Evergreen Hill, although the Grove Hill Cemetery was active until 1869. The Chagrin Falls Township Trustees still maintain the grounds of the cemetery.
