2021 Oral History Speaker Series

The Shaker Historical Society held a five-part virtual speaker series in the summer of 2021 as part of our inaugural oral history program to address themes of the program and place the activities of The Village Garden Club in a broader context. We welcomed Dr. Mark Souther from Cleveland State University, Dr. Nancy Unger from Santa Clara University, and Dr. Stephanie Yuhl from College of the Holy Cross to discussed oral histories, women's clubs in environmental activism, the Garden City movement, and the politics of historic preservation.

Oral History Digital Workshop

We all have stories in our lives. Maybe your grandparents talked about their jobs growing up, or your friends share their pandemic experiences. Are you interested in preserving these stories and experiences of your family and friends? Dr. Mark Souther, Director for the Center for Public History + Digital Humanities at Cleveland State University, provides an introduction to methods, techniques, and tools you will need to collect oral history interviews! Learn how to collect and preserve your family recordings and history in this engaging workshop.

This virtual workshop originally aired live on June 1, 2021.

Changing The World, Empowering Themselves: Women’s Clubs in Environmental History

Since the early 1800s, women’s clubs and organizations have been at the vanguard of environmental awareness, education, and reform in the United States. This richly illustrated talk, spanning two centuries, will feature a few of their stories—from the vast General Federation of Women’s Clubs to more localized groups including The We Say What We Think Club, Women for a Peaceful Christmas, The League Against Nuclear Dangers [LAND], Women of all Red Nations [WARN], the Smog-a-Tears, and the Cambridge Plant and Garden Club. The importance of oral history in capturing this important record will also be highlighted.

This virtual talk by Dr. Nancy Unger, Professor of History at Santa Clara University, originally aired live on June 9, 2021.

City Parks & Park Suburbs

Dr. Mark Souther, Director of the Center for Public History + Digital Humanities at CSU, explores the broader history behind the planning principles that defined Shaker Heights. His illustrated presentation draws connections to the rural cemetery, urban park, City Beautiful, and Garden City movements and zoning codes and restrictions of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

This virtual talk originally aired live on June 16, 2021.

Cleveland Voices: Exploring City and Region Through Oral History

We all have stories in our lives, and the Cleveland area has a wealth of information stored in a publicly accessible archive online! Dr. Mark Souther, Director of the Center for Public History + Digital Humanities at CSU, reflects on 15 years of the Cleveland Voices project, which frames the history of Greater Cleveland through the retold memories of place collected from more than 1,000 participants. This audiovisual presentation highlights a few of Souther’s favorite place-based stories shared through the project.

This virtual talk originally aired live on July 14, 2021.

The Politics of Historic Preservation: From Charleston to Cleveland

As home to the nation’s first Historic Zoning Ordinance, Charleston, South Carolina serves as a rich case study for understanding the motivations and challenges of the historic preservation movement. Led by elite white woman, Charleston’s preservation story enables us to explore the tensions among history and heritage, personal memory and personal politics, and inclusion and exclusion in the built environment. Dr. Stephanie Yuhl, Professor of History at the College of the Holy Cross, uses Charleston as a case study to propose some probing questions about the legacies of preservation work that she hopes will spark discussion about Shaker Heights’ past and possible future legacies.

This virtual talk originally aired live on July 27, 2021.

This speaker series was made possible by an Ohio Humanities grant.

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