(Ebay link) Baldwin was a well known businessman and politician in the Cleveland area and served as mayor of Ohio City in the late 1830s.
(Ebay link) Seller’s description: “It has been folded and probably came from a book. The paper is very thin same thickness of onion skin. This is 150+ years old. It measures app 11 1/2″ x 18″. some tearing along the folds and edges.”
(Ebay link) Per the Cleveland Encyclopedia, the Grays were formed in “1837 as an independent volunteer militia company to bolster the local constabulary and to protect the city in case of invasion from Canada” and “saw military service as a unit in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the Mexican Punitive Expedition (1916), and World War I.”
(Ebay link) A letter dated July 31, 1896, from Cleveland’s Central High School
(Ebay link) Seller’s description: “Here is a fabulous 1909 Special Catalog No 609 from the Cleveland Window Glass & Door Company entitled “Official Catalog The National Ornamental Glass Manufacturers Association Cleveland Ohio 1909.”. The title page has separated from the rest of the catalog. The first thirty-two pages are black and white illustrations of some marvelous stained glass but pages 33 to 64 are spectacular! These plates are in colour and the glass is fantastic.”
(Ebay link) Car theft is not a new problem in Cleveland. This 1921 document offers a reward for the return of a “1920 Cole Sports Model.”
(Ebay link) This 1929 map of downtown Cleveland is extremely detailed. Every lot is labeled and it’s definitely worth checking out.
(Ebay link) Seller’s description; “A guestbook from a luncheon of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, held January 11, 1930, held at the onset of the Great Depression just two and a half months after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. There are 25 signatures of industrialists, businessmen and officials contained within, including C.E. Shafter, Simon Resek, Ralph H. West, D.W. Glanzer…”
(Ebay link)
(Ebay link) An undated “Hough Penny Transfer” ticket from The Cleveland Railway Company. Per the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, the company “held the city’s public transit franchise from 1910-42. During that time its streetcar lines carried hundreds of millions of passengers on a fleet that numbered as many as 1,702 streetcars and buses.”

Doug Brown is a staff writer at Scene with a passion for public records laws and investigative reporting. A native of Ann Arbor, Mich., he has an M.A. in journalism from the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a B.A. in political science from Hiram College. Prior to joining Scene, Doug was a contributing writer for Deadspin.com, reporting behind-the-scenes stories about college sports through public records and developing sources. Doug's work as an enterprise reporter for the Daily Kent Stater was recognized by the Cleveland Press Club (2013 Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards), Society of Professional Journalists (regional and national Mark of Excellence Awards), and the Associated Collegiate Press. He spent the summer of 2012 working for the Metro desk of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and spent previous summers working for Outside Bozeman Magazine and Crain's Detroit Business. His website is dougbrown8.com.