Description: These six photographs are views of the Collinwood Memorial Garden. This garden was created as a memorial to the children who lost their lives during the Lakeview Elementary School fire in Collinwood Village (near Cleveland) in 1908. The Collinwood School Fire occurred on March 4, 1908, killing 172 children and 2 teachers. The fire began shortly after 9 am when an overheated steam pipe came in contact with wooden joists under the front stairs. Only 194 of the 366 students enrolled escaped the blaze. The others were trapped inside the rear first-floor exit, and by the time volunteer firemen arrived, nothing could be done to save them. Nineteen bodies could not be identified and were buried in a common grave in Lake View Cemetery, along with 150 students whose identity was known. The photographs were taken by Ihna Thayer Frary. The Ihna Thayer Frary Audiovisual Collection was given to the Ohio Historical Society by Mr. Frary in two sections. One was in March of 1963 and the remainder in May of 1965 by his sons, Dr. Spencer G. and Allen T. Frary following their father's death. I.T. Frary (1873-1965) was the publicity and membership secretary for the Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. He taught for many years at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Western Reserve University's School of Architecture. He did much research of Ohio and American architecture and was the author of seven major works and numerous scholarly articles on architectural and art history. One of his major works was Early Homes of Ohio published in 1936. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3346_4834620_001
Subjects: Education; Plants and Animals; Schools; Fires; Cleveland Public Schools; Disasters
Places: Collinwood (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)