Cleveland: A Concise History, 1796-1996

by Carol Poh Miller, Robert Wheeler

This highly successful short history of Cleveland has now been revised and brought up to date through 1996, the bicentennial year, including two new chapters, and new illustrations and charts.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

Reviews

[Dominic Ferrante · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conciseness of this book proves a quick but gripping read on Cleveland history. Presents topics that can spark further research elsewhere if interested.

[Joeyeoj321 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a quick, pleasant history of a city I've had an interest in. It walks the reader through time and chronicles the ups and downs that the city has had.

You get a better understanding of why things are the way they are, and also an application for how important this city was once upon a time.

After finishing, I felt sad for this city, and I hope that once a day, a new happier capture can begin

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in the history of Cleveland and how it got to where it was in the present era (yes, that's you), it's a good read. As the title suggests, it is fairly concise coming in at about 200 pages, but I was left with a good sense of the major events, trends, and mistakes that shaped the city. The book was a little heavy on population statistics, and light on some interesting personal stories that reflect on the city's development (e.g. Garrett Morgan, Eliot Ness, etc), the causes and impact of limited regional planning, and how Cleveland's arc compared to other rust belt cities. Overall however, a good read for anyone interested in CLE or urban planning in general.

Some tidbits:

- In early 1800's, a group called the "Wags of Cleveland" performed weekly with play readings and dramatic presentations
- In 1896, the Women's Dept of the Cleveland Centennial Commission enclosed a time capsule, with the following message to the women of 1996: "We bequeath to you a city of a century, prosperous and beautiful, and yet far from our ideal. Some of our streets are not well lighted; some are unpaved; many are unclean. Many of our people are poor, and some vainly seeking work at living wages... some of our children are robbed of their childhood."
- While white flight and the exodus to the burbs is more associated with post-WWII, census figures as early as the 1930s showed Cleveland 'decaying at the core' with populations on the city's periphery increasing.

[Keri Zipay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I typically read architectural history books, this was a refreshing (however dismal!) look at Cleveland's history with regards to the education system, finances, economic development, and racial relations.
It was interesting, and quite concise (as the title indicates!) I think every mayor of Cleveland should have to read it before taking office!

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

not lying about the concise part, this gets through 220 years in barely as many pages, but a good intro on the basic arc of life round these parts. need to find more info about the bridge war between cleveland and ohio city from the olden days. sounds like it was a good (bad) time.

[Lucas · Rating 1 out of 5]

too concise. No interesting details at all

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a college class requirement, but it proved to be interesting. If you're ever curious about Cleveland, this is the book for you.