Description: Image of the "high falls" along the Chagrin River in the village of Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. During the 1830s, this area attracted settlers from the New England region who wanted to harness the power of the falls for use in mills and factories. Within a couple of decades, the area featured flour mills, wooden mills, sawmills and paper mills, as well as a foundry, axe factory and woodenware factory. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06712
Subjects: Chagrin Falls (Ohio); Chagrin River (Ohio); Waterfalls; Ohio Economy--Transportation and Development
Places: Chagrin Falls (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1941, this photograph shows a waterfall on the Chagrin River looking east from Main Street Chagrin Falls in Cleveland, Ohio. Chagrin Falls lies in a wide loop of the Chagrin River, which is said to have been named by Moses Cleaveland and his party of surveyors to express their embarrassment after having followed it for a number of miles under the impression that it was the Cuyahoga River. Noah Graves, a Massachusetts native, built a gristmill here in 1833. Abundant water power and extensive forests led to the establishment of several small factories along the river; but the village was isolated from canal, railroad, and lake transportation and became a residential community. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B04F10_38_01
Subjects: Waterfalls; Chagrin River (Ohio); Winter;
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1940-1949, this photograph shows the natural waterfall around which the town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, has grown. The Ohio Department of Industrial and Economic Development Collection contains photographs of prominent features across the state of Ohio, such as public buildings, college campuses, and natural features. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00331
Subjects: Cuyahoga County (Ohio); Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Waterfalls
Places: Chagrin Falls (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: Taken by photographer Ihna Thayer Frary in 1922, this photograph shows the David Thompson house, published in "American Architecture," in Chagrin Falls Township, Ohio. The Doric columns supporting the pediment-like overhang of the front porch reflects the Classical Revival architectural style which utilizes architectural elements of ancient Greece and Rome, in this case Greco-Roman temple architecture. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1873, Ihna Thayer Frary was a prominent American art and architecture scholar, whose primary interest was the architectural heritage of the region of northeastern Ohio known as the Western Reserve. In addition to serving as publicity and membership secretary of the Cleveland Museum of Art, he was a professor of Ohio and American architecture at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Western Reserve University’s School of Architecture. Over the course of his career, Frary was a design consultant for private clients and designed furniture, and was an active member of several prominent arts councils in the Cleveland area. In 1963, Frary and his two sons donated his entire photographic collection to the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection). The Ihna Thayer Frary Collection consists of 4,000 5 x 7 photographs of private residences, churches, taverns, and public buildings, as well as select rural buildings, bridges, archaeological sites, and public monuments. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P_112_B54A_1380_01
Subjects: Frary, I. T. (Ihna Thayer); Photography--Ohio; Western Reserve; Houses; Domestic architecture; Classical Revival (European revival style)
Places: Chagrin Falls (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: Taken by photographer Ihna Thayer Frary in 1921, this photograph shows the Bentley-Kent house in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. This house is an example of the Classical Revival architectural style which was popular throughout the Midwest due to Thomas Jefferson's passion for Roman architecture and culture. The large Doric columns supporting the pedimental awning over the porch, resting on top of a high basement, are a typical architectural feature for a Classical Revival home, resembling that of a Greco-Roman temple. This house sits on a deep basement in order to adapt to its landscape. The house is included in Frary's book "Early Homes of Ohio" and was also published in "American Architecture" according to a note on the back. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1873, Ihna Thayer Frary was a prominent American art and architecture scholar, whose primary interest was the architectural heritage of the region of northeastern Ohio known as the Western Reserve. In addition to serving as publicity and membership secretary of the Cleveland Museum of Art, he was a professor of Ohio and American architecture at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Western Reserve University’s School of Architecture. Over the course of his career, Frary was a design consultant for private clients and designed furniture, and was an active member of several prominent arts councils in the Cleveland area. In 1963, Frary and his two sons donated his entire photographic collection to the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection). The Ihna Thayer Frary Collection consists of 4,000 5 x 7 photographs of private residences, churches, taverns, and public buildings, as well as select rural buildings, bridges, archaeological sites, and public monuments. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P_112_B54A_1125_01
Subjects: Frary, I. T. (Ihna Thayer); Photography--Ohio; Western Reserve; Houses; Domestic architecture; Classical Revival (European revival style)
Places: Chagrin Falls (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: Text on the back of the photograph indicated that this image depicts Cataract Falls on the Chagrin River near Cleveland, Ohio. This identification is not certain. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06405
Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); Photography--Ohio; Waterfalls; Nature; Parks
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph was produced by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1943. This photo’s original caption identifies the location as "Chagrin River falls and rapids (Looking east from Main Street). District #4, Cleveland, Ohio." However, the image appears to show the Rocky River Reservation, part of the Cleveland Metroparks system. The Rocky River runs through Cuyahoga, Summit, Medina and Lorain Counties. In the distance can be seen the shale cliffs which rise above the riverbed. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06404
Subjects: Waterfalls; United States. Work Progress Administration; Rivers--Ohio; Natural resources--Ohio
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)