Posted in Cleveland
March 10, 2019
These 10 Candid Photos Show What Life Was Like In Cleveland In the 1920s
We’re just a year away from the 2020s, and the future holds spectacular promises. Some are joking about bringing back the Jazz Age with great music and sassy-chic fashion… but are they joking? There’s something about the Roaring Twenties that people can’t help but adore. The fashion, the rebellion, the music, the dance – everything about the era was extravagant, even down to otherwise mundane situations. But what were the most mundane situations like in a place like Cleveland? Rest assured, you can virtually visit the era through photo collections of yesteryear.
A woman sits at Avon Lake before a brilliantly set table. Picnicking was a popular activity in the Roaring Twenties, and there were many gorgeous parks in Greater Cleveland at which locals could enjoy some sunshine.
It was a gorgeous day on Sycamore Road when the Fourth of July procession began. Just as is true with today, community gatherings were an important part of city life in the 1920s.
Baseball was a beloved pastime in the 1920s, and it's no wonder why! It was in this era that athletic superstars like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig made their debut, and it was in 1920 that the Cleveland Indians won the World Series.
Pictured here are Mary E. Jackson, Mrs. E.C. Blaine, Marion Kirk, and Helen Keeler - all staff members at the Lee Road branch of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library. Women made up more than 21 percent of the working population at this time; a fact that would change quite significantly in the oncoming decades.
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Coakley walk side-by-side through Cleveland, flaunting costly fashions. John was a wealthy manufacturer and philanthropist and he'd go on to help create the Automatic Sprinkler Co. of America.
When the British Cultural Garden was dedicated in 1916, it started a trend centered around celebrating the diverse cultures that contribute to Cleveland life. In this photo, City Manager Hopkins and actress Ethel Barrymore lead a crowd into the garden ten years after its dedication for a tree planting ceremony.
Local police certainly had their hands full in the 1920s. Not only were they dealing with Prohibition (or looking the other way), but they also had to keep order at some of the most dramatic scenes in Cleveland history. The first buses were introduced to Cleveland in 1925, which doubtlessly caused new congestion problems in the streets. Maternal Health Association (now Planned Parenthood of Cleveland) opened its doors in 1928. The National Air Races attracted enormous crowds in 1929, and during that same year, the tragic Cleveland Clinic fire claimed many lives. These officers were certainly busy during the Jazz Age!
Cleveland has long made headlines for its challenges facing pollution, but locals took action against it in 1927. The individuals pictured here are participating in the trial involving the Industrial Fibre fumes nuisance, taking a stance against pollution long before it earned Cleveland the "Mistake on the Lake" nickname.
Believe it or not, the 1920s was a groundbreaking era for women in sports. Before this decade, sports were not seen as a particularly ladylike activity. Even though comfortable uniforms had yet to come to fruition, these ladies were doubtlessly enjoying the opportunity to stretch and participate in popular sports.
1929 was a tumultuous year for the nation. The end of the decade was hit with the stock market crash and ushered in the Great Depression, but it was also that year that the Cleveland Clinic burned down and took 125 lives with it. As poorly stored x-rays wore down, they unleashed a flammable gas that ignited and produced flames that could not be quelled with water. The tragic event shocked the nation and led to safer storage standards for medical professionals.
The Roaring Twenties were certainly full of celebration and fun, but it was also an era of great change. Did you ever hear any family stories from this era when you were growing up?
If you find yourself fascinated by local history, you’ll be delighted by these local sites that were once part of the Underground Railroad.
