News

01 21, 2021

Have a ball exploring past presidential parties

By admin|2021-01-21T19:00:01-05:00January 21, 2021|

How does Washington D.C. welcome new residents to the White House? With a ball, of course!

Explore the history of inaugural balls throughout America’s history with Allison Powell, a ranger from the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor. Discover:

Whose inauguration got gate-crashed by a chicken?
Whose inauguration ended with “6,000 people clamoring for their clothes?”
And whose inauguration inadvertently featured dozens of frozen canaries?

By the way, we host a monthly Civil War program with our friends from the Garfield National Historic Site. Several of those talks can be viewed online in their entirety, including:

Antietam: The Deadliest Day in US History
The Atlanta Campaign
Gettysburg
The Fourteenth Amendment
The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Life & Legacy of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

01 16, 2021

Discover the story of one of Lake Erie’s most tragic voyages

By admin|2021-01-16T12:00:28-05:00January 16, 2021|

If you’re interested in Lake Erie history, discover the snowstorm that doomed the tug Admiral, its consort tanker-barge Cleveco, and their crews.

Speaker Kevin Magee describes the doomed voyage that began on Dec. 1, 1942. The vessels left Toledo with 33 men and a million gallons of crude oil that were critical to the nation’s World War II efforts.

For more on local shipwrecks, you can borrow several books from our collection or watch our interview with shipwreck hunters and authors Georgann and Mike Wachter.

01 15, 2021

Major Battles of the Civil War: Mill Springs

By admin|2021-01-15T06:00:05-05:00January 15, 2021|

In the latest from our Civil War series with James A. Garfield National Historic Site, Ranger Rebecca revisits the Battle of Mill Springs, one of the first decisive Union victories in the key battleground of Kentucky.

She also explains the dangers of being a nearsighted Civil War general and describes how Mill Springs recently became a National Monument.

If you enjoy this, we have a pair of history of programs coming soon that you’ll love!

First, you can explore the history of inaugural balls during an online program we’re hosting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The speaker will be Allison Powell, a ranger from Garfield National Historic Site. Naturally, she’ll also highlight President Garfield’s ball at the Smithsonian Institution.

Then, our Civil War series continues next month at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 10. In honor of Black History Month, we’ll discuss the life of Frederick Douglass. The talk will be hosted via Zoom. Registration is required, and you can sign up on our website.

Finally, if you’re interested in Civil War history, several talks in our Civil War series can be viewed online in their entirety, including:

Antietam: The Deadliest Day in US History
The Atlanta Campaign
Gettysburg
The Fourteenth Amendment
The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Life & Legacy of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

01 14, 2021

Learn practical steps to manage your stress

By admin|2021-01-14T06:00:13-05:00January 14, 2021|

Everyone feels stressed at times, but sometimes stress can become overwhelming.

If stress is disrupting your health and happiness, take the first step in controlling it by learning practical stress management techniques from certified health and wellness coach Lydia Skiljan.

She offers breathing, mindfulness, meditation, and self-care practices that you can do to reduce your stress and control how you react to it. (Here’s a handout for one of her breathing exercises.) During her talk, she’ll guide you through meditation and recommend other helpful resources.

Relieve stress with yoga

Skiljan is a health professional with more than 25 years of experience. She even prepared a reading list of people who are interested in researching the topic more. They include: