About

The Shaker Historical Society is a non-profit organization established in 1947 to provide stewardship for our region's significant history by nurturing respectful discovery, preservation, collection, and public dissemination of the history, traditions, and heritage of the Shaker sect, Shaker Heights, Warrensville Township, and the surrounding areas.

The home of The Shaker Historical Society is situated on the grounds of the former North Union Center Family's apple orchard and vegetable garden and was the former home of Louis Myers, a real estate agent for the Van Sweringen Company, and his wife Blanche. From the Myers Mansion we operate a museum, public research library and archives, art gallery, gift shop, and community garden beds.

Past employees at SHS conducted oral histories at various points in our history, but there was never a formal program maintained over time. Thanks to a generous grant from Ohio Humanities, we were able to purchase recording equipment and hire an intern to establish an Oral History Program in 2021 with the goal of collecting interviews every summer that share underrepresented stories and fill in gaps in our collection. We also thank the Center for Public History + Digital Humanities at Cleveland State University for partnering with us on this project and making our stories accessible through the Cleveland Regional Oral History Collection.