Timeline of Cleveland

This article is a timeline of the history of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

1904 map of Cleveland

18th century

• 1796 – Moses Cleaveland and survey party arrive at the location that would later become Cleveland. ^[1]
• 1797 – Lorenzo Carter, a prominent early settler, arrives.

19th century

• 1800 – Trumbull County created, encompassing Cleveland.
• 1803 – Ohio becomes the 17th State admitted to the Union.
• 1805 – Geauga County created, encompassing Cleveland.
• 1808 – Lorenzo Carter builds the Zephyr, the first ship to be launched in Cleveland.
• 1810 – Cuyahoga County organized; Cleveland selected as county seat. ^[1]
• 1813 – Oliver Hazard Perry wins the Battle of Lake Erie at Put-in-Bay in the War of 1812.
• 1814
  • Cleveland receives its charter as a village. ^[1]
  • Newburgh Township created.
• 1815
  • Alfred Kelley is elected the first president of the village of Cleveland.
  • Euclid Avenue commissioned, subsequently known as Millionaires' Row.
• 1818 – The Cleveland Gazette and Commercial Register , Cleveland's first newspaper is published. ^[2]
• 1822 – a free bridge is opened across the Cuyahoga River.
• 1827 – opening of the Ohio canal as far as Akron. ^[1]
• 1830 – population: 1,076. ^[1]
• 1831
  • The Cleveland Advertiser alters the spelling of the community's name to Cleveland.
  • James A. Garfield, 20th United States President, born in Orange Township.
• 1832 – Ohio and Erie Canal completed to the Ohio River. ^[1]
• 1836
  • Cleveland and Ohio City are incorporated as cities.
  • John W. Willey is elected the first mayor of Cleveland.
  • Bridge War between Cleveland and Ohio City takes place.
• 1837 – Cleveland City Council votes to create City Hospital, now MetroHealth.
• 1840 – population: 6,071. ^[1]
• 1842 – The Plain Dealer begins publication. ^{[2] [1]}
• 1844 – Samuel Starkweather elected mayor.
• 1845 – City Bank of Cleveland (forerunner of National City Corp.) founded.
• 1847
  • The Weddell House opens.
  • The first telegraph line (from Cleveland to Pittsburgh) is completed.
• 1848 – Colored National Convention held in city. ^[3]
• 1850
  • William Case elected mayor.
  • Population: 17,034. ^[1]
• 1851 – Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad completed.
• 1852 – The Aliened American newspaper begins publication. ^{[4] [5]}
• 1853
  • The Cleveland Theater opens.
  • National Women's Rights Convention held.
  • Woodland Cemetery established.
• 1854
  • Ohio City annexed to Cleveland.
  • William B. Castle elected mayor.
  • The Cleveland Leader begins publication.
• 1860
  • Perry Monument on Public Square dedicated.
  • Population: 43,417. ^[1]
• 1861
  • Abraham Lincoln visits Cleveland. ^[6]
  • The American Civil War begins.
• 1865
  • The American Civil War ends.
  • Thousands of Clevelanders mourn the death of Lincoln. ^[6]
• 1866 – Cleveland Police Department established.
• 1869
  • Cleveland Public Library established.
  • Lake View Cemetery opens.
• 1870
  • Standard Oil Company in business. ^[7]
  • Population: 92,829. ^[1]
• 1873
  • Cleveland Bar Association established.
  • Newburgh annexed to Cleveland.
• 1874 – First Woman's National Temperance Convention held in Cleveland, establishing the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. ^[8]
• 1875 – Euclid Avenue Opera House opens.
• 1876
  • Charles F. Brush patents an electric generator.
  • Riverside Cemetery Chapel & Riverside Cemetery Gatehouse built.
• 1878 – Penny Press, predecessor to the Cleveland Press , begins publication.
• 1880
  • James A. Garfield, from Cleveland, elected 20th President of the United States.
  • Case School of Applied Science established.
  • Population: 160,146. ^[1]
• 1881
  • Garfield lies in state on Public Square after being assassinated, July 2.
  • Adelbert Hall built.
• 1882
  • Western Reserve College moves to Cleveland.
  • Cleveland School of Art established.
• 1883 – John H. Farley elected mayor.
• 1884
  • First electric streetcar run in the city; the first such installation in the country. ^[9]
  • Cleveland Electric Light Co. formed.
• 1887 – Michelson–Morley experiment conducted at Western Reserve University.
• 1890
  • The Arcade opens.
  • Garfield Monument dedicated in Lake View Cemetery.
  • Population: 261,353. ^[1]
• 1894
  • May Day Riots of 1894
  • Soldiers and Sailors Monument dedicated.
• 1895 – Robert E. McKisson elected mayor.
• 1896 – Cleveland celebrates its centennial.

Trumbull County Courthouse. The first Trumbull County Courthouse was built in 1815. It was replaced by a second, larger courthouse in 1854. A third courthouse, and the one still standing today, was completed in 1897 after the previous one was destroyed by a fire in 1895.

• 1897 – Bohemian National Hall built.
• 1899
  • Cleveland streetcar strike. ^[1]
  • John H. Farley re-elected mayor.
• 1900 – population: 381,768. ^[1]

20th century

Map of Territorial Changes to the City of Cleveland

1900s–1940s

• 1901
  • Tom L. Johnson elected mayor. ^[1]
  • The Cleveland Blues (predecessor to the Cleveland Guardians) are established as one of the first teams in the new American League.
  • Cleveland worker and avowed anarchist, Leon Czolgosz assassinates U.S. President William McKinley in Buffalo, New York.
• 1905
  • The Cleveland News begins publication
  • Glenville and South Brooklyn annexed to Cleveland.
• 1908
  • Collinwood School Fire
  • More Streetcar strikes but less violent and unsuccessful. ^[1]
• 1909
  • Tom L. Johnson loses mayoral race to Herman C. Baehr.
  • Corlett Village annexed to Cleveland.
• 1910
  • Collinwood annexed to Cleveland.
  • Cleveland Railway Company operated from 1910 to 1942.
  • Population: 560,663. ^[1]
• 1911
  • Tom L. Johnson dies.
  • Church of the Covenant established. ^[10]
• 1912 – Village of Nottingham annexed to Cleveland.
• 1913
  • The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 hits Cleveland.
  • Home Rule City Charter approved by Cleveland voters. ^[10]
  • Cleveland Museum of Art established. ^[10]
  • Metropolitan Theatre opened.
  • The first Community Chest, "Community Fund", founded in Cleveland. ^[10]
• 1914
  • Cleveland chosen as the Fourth District headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank.
  • Cleveland Municipal Light Plant goes into operation.
• 1915 – Cleveland Play House and Western Reserve University's School of Applied Social Science ^[11] established.
• 1916
  • Cleveland Museum of Art opens.
  • Cleveland City Hall dedicated.
• 1917 – Cleveland Metroparks organized.
• 1918
  • Federal Court trial of Eugene V. Debs held in Cleveland.
  • Detroit–Superior Bridge construction completed.
  • The first Cleveland Cripple Survey was published; one of the first accurate disability censuses, that measured the social and economic conditions of individuals considered.
• 1919
  • May Day Riots of 1919
  • State Prohibition is enacted in Cleveland
  • Voters approve placement of a new railroad terminal on Public Square.
• 1920
  • Cleveland Institute of Music founded.
  • Cleveland becomes the fifth-largest city in the nation.
  • The Volstead Act and the Eighteenth Amendment become law.
  • Cleveland Indians win the World Series.
  • Cleveland Museum of Natural History established.
  • Population: 796,841. ^[10]
• 1921
  • Cleveland Clinic and Playhouse Square established.
  • KeyBank State Theatre built.
  • Mimi Ohio Theatre opened.
  • Hanna Theatre opened.
• 1922 – demolition for the Terminal Tower site begins
• 1923
  • Federal Reserve bank building completed.
  • Alcazar Hotel completed.
• 1924
  • Republican National Convention held in Cleveland.
  • Mayor/Council form of government replaced by City Manager plan.
• 1925
  • New Public Library building opens.
  • Cleveland Airport (now Hopkins International) opens.
  • University Hospitals incorporated.
• 1929
  • Cleveland Clinic disaster occurs.
  • National Air Race first held in Cleveland.
  • The Stock Market crashes
• 1930 – The Tower City Center is dedicated.
• 1931
  • Severance Hall dedicated.
  • City Manager system reverts to the Mayor/Council form of government.
  • Ray T. Miller elected mayor.
• 1932 – Hope Memorial Bridge construction completed.
• 1933
  • Harry L. Davis returns as mayor.
  • Depression-era unemployment peaks in Cleveland: nearly one-third of the city's citizens are out of work.
  • Prohibition is repealed on December 23 – nearly eight months longer than the Eighteenth Amendment.
• 1935
  • Harold Hitz Burton elected mayor.
  • Eliot Ness becomes Safety Director of Cleveland.
• 1936 – Republican National Convention held in Cleveland.
• 1937
  • Cleveland Barons hockey team established.
  • Cleveland Arena opens.
  • Cleveland Rams begin to play professional football.
  • John D. Rockefeller dies.
• 1938
  • Cleveland Memorial Shoreway opens between East 9th Street and Gordon Park.
  • Clevelander Jesse Owens wins four gold medals at Berlin Olympic Games.
  • Great Lakes Exposition opens.
  • Cleveland Torso Murderer with up to 20 victims.
• 1939 – Main Avenue Bridge opened.
• 1940 – NACA, forerunner of NASA, established at the Cleveland airport.
• 1941
  • Frank Lausche elected mayor.
  • Western Reserve Red Cats win the Sun Bowl, the city's first college football bowl game.
• 1942 – Cleveland Bomber Plant (now the I-X Center) opens at Municipal Airport.
• 1944 – Cleveland East Ohio Gas Explosion claims 130 lives.
• 1945
  • Thomas A. Burke elected mayor.
  • Cleveland Rams win NFL football title then move to Los Angeles.
• 1946
  • Cleveland Browns are founded and begin play in All-America Football Conference.
  • Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
• 1947
  • Operations begin at the lakefront airport.
  • First telecast by WEWS, Ohio's first television station.
  • Eliot Ness runs for mayor of Cleveland but is defeated by incumbent Thomas A. Burke.
  • Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
• 1948
  • Cleveland Indians win World Series.
  • Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
• 1949
  • Cleveland named an All-America City for first time.
  • Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.

1950s-1990s

• 1950
  • Cleveland Browns begin play in National Football League.
  • Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
• 1953 – Anthony J. Celebrezze elected mayor.
• 1954
  • Last streetcars run.
  • Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
• 1955
  • Rapid Transit begins operation.
  • Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
• 1959 – Boddie Recording Company in business. ^[12]
• 1960
  • Erieview urban renewal plan unveiled.
  • Final issue of the Cleveland News published.
• 1961 - Mapp v. Ohio
• 1962
  • Ralph S. Locher elected mayor.
  • Innerbelt Freeway opens for its full length.
• 1964
  • Erieview Tower completed.
  • Cleveland State University established.
  • Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
• 1965 – WVIZ, an educational television station, begins broadcasting.
• 1966
  • Hough Riots
  • Cuyahoga Community College opens its Metro Campus.
• 1967
  • Carl B. Stokes elected the first African American mayor of a major American city.
  • Case Western Reserve University established.
• 1968
  • Glenville Shootout
  • Terry v. Ohio
• 1969
  • A burning oil slick on the Cuyahoga River attracts national attention regarding pollution.
  • Euclid Beach Park closes.
• 1970 – Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team organized.
• 1972 – Cleveland Magazine begins publication.
• 1973 – Cleveland Barons play their last hockey game.
• 1974 – Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority established.
• 1976 – desegregation of the Cleveland Public Schools ordered by U.S. District Judge Frank J. Battisti.
• 1977 – Dennis Kucinich elected mayor.
• 1978
  • Cleveland is hit by the Great Blizzard of 1978
  • 1978 recall election
  • December 15, Cleveland becomes the first American city to go into default since the Depression.
• 1979
  • George Voinovich elected mayor.
  • Cleveland Foodbank established.
• 1980 – presidential debate between candidates Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan held in Cleveland.
• 1981
  • Cleveland Public Theatre opened.
  • City Council reduced from 33 to 21 members.
  • Term of office for mayor and council members increased from two to four years.
• 1982
  • Ground broken for the Sohio (BP) Building on Public Square.
  • The Cleveland Press ceases publication.
  • Cleveland named an All-America City for second time.
• 1984 – Cleveland named an All-America City for third time.
• 1986
  • Cleveland named an All-America City for fourth time.
  • Cleveland selected as site for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• 1987 – Cleveland emerges from default.
• 1988 – Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and Case Western Reserve University's Center on Urban Poverty and Social Change established.
• 1989 – Michael R. White elected mayor.
• 1991 – Key Tower "topped off" at 947 ft (289 m).
• 1993 – Cleveland named an All-America City for fifth time.
• 1995
  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opens. ^[13]
  • Indians win American League championship.
  • Bishop Anthony Pilla is elected to the presidency of USCCB
• 1996
  • Cleveland celebrates its bicentennial.
  • Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony win a Grammy for "Tha Crossroads"
• 1997 – Cleveland Indians win the American League pennant and return to the World Series.
• 1999 – the new Cleveland Browns Stadium opens with the return of the Cleveland Browns.

21st century

• 2001 – Cleveland Barons are revived.
• 2002 – Cleveland citizens elect Jane L. Campbell as the first female mayor of Cleveland.
• 2003 – 2003 North America blackout
• 2004 – vice-presidential candidates Dick Cheney and John Edwards debate at Case Western Reserve University.
• 2005 – Frank G. Jackson is the first sitting city councillor to be elected mayor since Stephen Buhrer in 1867. ^[14]
• 2006
  • Barons leave Cleveland for the second time.
  • Cleveland, Columbus, and other Ohio cities argue against a bill passed by the Ohio House legislature that will eliminate residency rules.
• 2007
  • Cleveland is hit with a major winter storm in February, leaving 15 inches of snow.
  • October 20, Cleveland became the first television market in the United States to have all of its local television stations to broadcast in high definition.
• 2008 – Cuyahoga County federal corruption investigation. ^[15]
• 2009
  • The Ohio Supreme Court upholds the 2006 law prohibiting residency requirements.
  • Frank Jackson wins a second term as Mayor of Cleveland.
  • November, Ohio Voters open Ohio to casino gambling and Cleveland will have a casino by 2013.
  • Cleveland is selected by the International Gay Games committee to host the 2014 Gay Games. Cleveland beat out Boston, Washington DC, and Hamburg Germany.
• 2010 – population: 396,815. ^[16]
• 2011 – construction begins on the Medical Mart and new convention center, scheduled to open late 2013.
• 2013 – Frank Jackson wins a third term as Mayor of Cleveland against Kenneth Lanci.
• 2014
  • Shooting of Tamir Rice
  • Hosts the international 2014 Gay Games, also known as Gay Games 9
• 2015 – Chief U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. signs consent decree for the Cleveland Division of Police. ^[17]
• 2016
  • Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA Championship.
  • Lake Erie Monsters win the Calder Cup and then are renamed Cleveland Monsters.
  • Republican National Convention held in Cleveland.
  • The Cleveland Indians face the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series.
• 2017 – Frank Jackson wins a fourth term as Mayor of Cleveland, becoming the city's longest-serving mayor. ^[18]
• 2018 – Cleveland's population begins to flatten as Downtown population increases. ^[19]
• 2019
  • The Beacon completed in Downtown Cleveland.
  • Cuyahoga River named "River of the Year" by the American Rivers conservation association. ^[20]
• 2020
  • Population: 372,624. ^[16]
  • The COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio begins when Ohio Governor Mike DeWine reports the earliest cases of the virus to be in Cuyahoga County. ^[21]
  • George Floyd protests take place in Cleveland and most major U.S. cities.
  • The Lumen tower completed in Downtown Cleveland.
  • Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic host the first 2020 U.S. presidential debate at the Health Education Campus (HEC). ^[22]
• 2021
  • 2021 NFL draft held in Cleveland at FirstEnergy Stadium.
  • Frank Jackson announces that he will not pursue a fifth term as mayor. ^[23]
  • The Cleveland Indians assume the name the Cleveland Guardians.
  • Justin Bibb elected mayor.

See also

• History of Cleveland
• Bibliography of Cleveland

Other cities in Ohio

• Timeline of Cincinnati
• Timeline of Columbus, Ohio
• Timeline of Toledo, Ohio

References

1. Britannica 1910.
2. "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
3. "Conventions Organized by Year". Colored Conventions. University of Delaware. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
4. "Timeline". The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords. USA: Public Broadcasting Service . Retrieved June 12, 2020.
5. I. Garland Penn (1891), The Afro-American Press and its Editors, Springfield, Massachusetts: Willey & Co., OL   23377837M
6. "Abraham Lincoln in Cleveland". Cleveland Historical. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
7. M. S. Vassiliou (2009). "Chronology". Historical Dictionary of the Petroleum Industry. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0-8108-6288-3.
8. Willard, Frances Elizabeth (1888). Woman and Temperance: Or, The Work and Workers of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (Public domain ed.). Park Publishing Company.
9. "Electric Railroad in Cleveland". The New York Times . New York, New York. July 28, 1884. p. 1. Retrieved November 22, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. Britannica 1922.
11. Cleveland Year Book. Cleveland Foundation. 1921.
12. "The Tiny Record Empire in Cleveland". The Root . October 13, 2010. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
13. "Cleveland History Timeline". Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
14. "US mayors". City Mayors.com. London: City Mayors Foundation . Retrieved February 18, 2014.
15. Jackson, Felesia M. (August 20, 2012). "Cuyahoga County's corruption investigation: a comprehensive guide". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved May 30, 2020.
16. "U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts: Cleveland" . Retrieved July 7, 2022.
17. Heisig, Eric (June 12, 2015). "Federal judge approves Cleveland consent decree, calls it a 'good, sound agreement'". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved June 13, 2015.
18. Jackson wins historic 4th term - Cleveland 19.com (WOIO/WUAB)
19. Exner, Rich (May 23, 2019). "Cleveland's population flattens near 385,000 after decades of big losses, new census estimates say". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved July 3, 2019.
20. Johnston, Laura (April 16, 2019). "Cuyahoga named River of the Year". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved July 25, 2019.
21. Pelzer, Jeremy; Hancock, Laura (March 9, 2020). "Three Ohioans, all from Cuyahoga County, have coronavirus, Gov. Mike DeWine says". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved May 12, 2020.
22. Releases, News (July 27, 2020). "Case Western Reserve and Cleveland Clinic to Host First Presidential Debate Tuesday, Sept. 29, in Health Education Campus' Samson Pavilion". Cleveland Clinic Newsroom. Retrieved July 27, 2020.{{cite web}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
23. Richardson, Seth A. (May 6, 2021). "Mayor Frank Jackson announces he won't seek a record fifth term in office". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved May 6, 2021.

External links

• "Cleveland"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 5 (9th ed.). 1878. pp. 828–829.
• Cleveland History Timeline, The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (Case Western Reserve University)
• "Cleveland"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 6 (11th ed.). 1910. pp. 503–506.
• Bourne, Henry Eldridge (1922). "Cleveland"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 30 (12th ed.).
• Federal Writers' Project (1940). Ohio Guide. American Guide Series. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   9781603540346 – via Google Books.
• "Timeline of Ohio History". Ohio History Central. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio History Connection.