South Euclid / Lyndhurst Historical Society Museum

South Euclid /LyndhurstHistorical Society Museum 4645 Mayfield Road, South Euclid, OH 44121 440/449-1997 Saturdays 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., except during July-August or on major holidays

The South Euclid / Lyndhurst Historical Society Museum resides in the Caretaker’s Quarters of the former William Telling mansion. The remainder of the property is occupied by the South Euclid / Lyndhurst Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library.

When you enter the museum you face the kitchen of this lodging. Here Esther, our curator, logs in at the registry located there.

Most family time was spent in the kitchen.

We have a substantial collection of period glassware. Note the kerosene lamp on the wall. Electricity was a rarer commodity in the 1920s.

Mr. Telling had running water. The museum also displays a large number of non-electric, and some electric, kitchen utensils. And we have some Telling memorabilia.

William Telling built a fortune in the dairy business. He then lost it, and more, in banking with some toxic assets. Strange how history repeats itself. These are milk bottles. In a time before homogenization, the cream would separate and rise to the top, as in the two leftmost bottles. Telling’s forte was pasteurization with the slogan “sealed and tested” which later became “Sealtest.”

Then on to the next room down the hall to the room we call Prasse Parlor. This young lady is stepping out to do the daily marketing.

The white (leftmost) wedding dress is more modern (ca. 1940). The two other wedding dresses are from the late 1800s. The cream-colored dress would have come from a more affluent family; the black dress was more practical and might have been the wife’s only finery.

While Ohio law did not allow slavery, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required all citizens to aid in the return of escaped slaves to their owners. Many Ohioans flaunted this law and aided these fugitives to freedom in Canada. This was called the “Underground Railroad” and this map shows the paths through Ohio.

During the Civil War the Confederacy had captured Lexington, Kentucky and was threatening Cincinnati, Ohio. Ohio enlisted over 15,000 civilians, some of them young boys, from all over the state to descend upon Cincinnati and repel the “rebels.” These quasi-troops were known as the “squirrel hunters” because of their curious collection of non-military weapons. This was homeland security, Ohio-style.

Frank Prasse was the only soldier killed during the Civil War whose home was in South Euclid.

The family bible often was the only source of birth and death records for some people.

Quarrying “bluestone” (a fine-grained sandstone used for sidewalks, buildings, etc). was a major industry of northern South Euclid for many years. The is the paymaster’s desk from the –Rolf Quarry. It lived in the little building shown in the picture on the desk. Workers earned an average $1.00 per day.

The parlor has several instruments and players such as this “Victrola” record player from RCA Victor. It had no volume control, so to soften it you would quite literally “shove a sock in it.”

Up the stairs we come to the Bluestone Room. This is named for the rock quarried in northern South Euclid. Telephones used to resemble the one shown on the wall. Companies would have switchboards similar to this board, which was originally used at South Euclid City Hall.

A collection of early farm tools.

And they needed a spinning wheel, of course.

Styles got less formal in later years; hence, this pajama dress.

The Telling’s bathroom was indoor here, thank God!

Much shaving gear, lotions, and potions.

And then on to the bedroom.

“Crazy quilts” were made of any spare scrap of material. Nothing was wasted.

This crib does NOT meet current safety standards. Baby books then took more personal efforts.

The hall displays an aerial map of the city.

Thank you for accompanying us on this short dash through our museum. We hope you can come by some Saturday afternoon for a more in-depth, up-close-and-personal look at our collections. Other days and times might be possible by appointment. We welcome your comments. Please contact us if you have appropriate items you wish to share with us or donate to us. We also welcome you to attend our monthly meetings the first Wednesday of the months April thru November, 7:30 p.m. at the South Euclid Community Center on Victory Road. We can be reached at 440/449-1997 or Bob@SouthEuclidHistory.com or info@LyndhurstHistory.org .

Resources • Discussions with museum curator. • Ohio History Central, online encyclopedia (www.ohiohistorycentral.org). • “Golden Jubilee 1917-1967 South Euclid” booklet. • Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (ech.cwru.edu/index.html).

South Euclid / Lyndhurst Historical Society Museum