Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland)

wrhs.org

Western Reserve Historical Society was founded in 1867 to help preserve the early history of Cleveland and the Western Reserve. Over the years, WRHS collections have grown to be among the largest of any regional history museum and library in the country. The library/archives hold millions of items including books, photographs, manuscripts, and documents, making it a premiere research institute for scholars, the general public, and genealogists. Highlights of the collections include Civil War materials, various ethnic and community collections including those of the African-American, Irish, Italian, and Jewish histories of the region, and extensive business, industrial, entrepreneurial, and political records. The museum includes two early 20th-century homes and houses one of the largest historic costume and textile collections in the United States, the country's largest collection of items related to the Shaker communities, 3,500 decorative arts artifacts owned by early residents of the Western Reserve, and approximately 800 paintings reflecting the history of the region. The Crawford Auto Aviation Collection contains more than 140 cars, 10 airplanes, and numerous motorcycles, bicycles, and other transportation-related items.