The Slavic Village Historical Society documents the past. Change has been a hallmark of the area from its original surveying by the Connecticut Land Company in 1797. We believe that a knowledge of the past prepares people to face a more predictable future. So much of the area's two century history has been forgotten; we endeavor to remind you of that rich and interesting heritage.
Did you know that today's Washington Park, a part of the Metroparks System, lies adjacent to a former amusement park called Forest City Park? Did you know that a presidential assassin lived on Fleet Avenue? Did you know that the highest waterfall in Cuyahoga County lies just out of view near the Warner-Turney intersection? Did you know that the Broadway-East 55th area was home to Cleveland's first downtown branch bank and that the nearby Olympia Theater opened the weekend the Titanic sank? Fleet Avenue had several movie theaters in the distant past.
Our churches provide another wealthy source of history. When built, St. Stanislaus Church was second only in size to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. A tornado in 1909 almost destroyed St. Stanislaus Church and killed a child trying to escape the storm. Lightning from the same storm set the old Fullerton School afire. Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church existed in schism from Rome for fourteen years. The stained glass windows of Broadway Methodist Church were finally installed after WWI, having been found safely stored underground in a German warehouse.
The very streets we walk today once had other names. Upon annexation to Cleveland from Newburgh Township, the old 14th and 18th ward names were standardized in 1905. Some of the street names today carry the names of the original reals estate developers who built here. Yes, history fascinates!
We hope you find the information here useful and sobering. Please contact us if you have anything to add to the existing knowledge base.