The Heart of Cleveland (1924)

The print of The Heart of Cleveland was preserved by the Hagley Library with funding from the National Film Preservation Foundation in 2021. www.filmpreservation.org/blog...
Film sponsored by the Cleveland Illuminating Company promoting expanded electric services beyond urban areas often referred to as rural electrification. The film opens on a farm family outside of Cleveland without electricity and other 'modern conveniences.' While eating dinner, the family is interrupted by a man in an airplane who makes an emergency landing in their farm field. The pilot joins the family for dinner and then shows them his radio. The pilot then offers to take the farmer's children to Cleveland to teach them about electricity. The next day, the pilot and children fly to Cleveland. This part of the film includes aerial shots of Cleveland. The group then goes to the pilot's sister's home where they are given a tour of a home with electricity. After seeing the many electrical appliances, the pilot then takes the children to the Cleveland Illuminating Company Building at 75 Public Square where they are given a tour of offices. They then proceed to the Company's Lake Shore Station - the "world's largest steam-electric" plant -- where they are given a tour of the facility with detailed descriptions of the many facets of the power-producing operation. The film closes with the children touring various industrial facilities using electricity to do such things as bottling milk, loading iron ore, making clothes, melting steel, conveying steel billets, rolling steel bars, making automobile parts, arc-welding, manufacturing brick, making light bulbs, and printing newspapers. The film ends with the farm family in their newly electrified home courtesy of the expanded rural electric service of the Cleveland Illuminating Company.
SOURCE: digital.hagley.org/FILM_20192...
This 16mm film is from the Cinecraft Productions Film archive at the Hagley Museum and Library. For more information about the collection, please check out findingaids.hagley.org/xtf/vi...
Access to this item is provided for educational and research purposes only. If you would like more information, please contact [e-mail]

[@gailjohnson8315]

Oh, my goodness. I love old movies like this, especially when it's about Cleveland, Ohio. Thanks for sharing.

[@andreadeamon6419]

I agree. Was born at Lutheran hospital on 25th - I love watching how our city began.

[@shanamccarthy8932]

I have been looking for this film! I work for the IlluminatingCo and was aware of it, but could not find it no matter how far I dug. The retirees I spoke to looking for it told a story when CEI sold their public square building and would no longer have room for all their archives. Some were kept by the company, but after that employees were told to keep whatever they pleased. Stories that a few retirees had a copy, but no one could remember who. I was so sad to hear of our company history being scattered, but all the more exciting when it’s discovered.

[@goldpet66]

The pilot is flying in airspace now occupied by the Terminal Tower, which wasn't built yet. Fascinating to think about.

[@bobprochko832]

The car driven by the aviator is a Jordan model F seven passenger touting, his radio receiver is a DeForest. His sister has Hotpoint electric appliances, a Premier vacuum sweeper, a DeForest D10 radio, and a Cheney talking machibe with a Burns-Pollock electric motor. The sweaters were being knitted at Lion Knitting Mills, and the automotive crankcase being machined were those for the Peerless V-8.

[@roscoefoofoo]

Wow! You know your stuff. Thanks for sharing it. So much manufacturing history has been forgotten. We need to remember how hard our ancestors worked and what ingenuity America fostered....

[@bgeyer9105]

Wish I could find more of these early films of Cleveland. This movie is great. Show shoreline before freeway.

[@treelover4615]

What is now the Shoreway running past Brown's stadium and now consisting of Burke Lakefront airport. Was all a landfill dump. I remember it well.

[@andystevenson5067]

I'm 4th generation Cleveland born and raised! Without the industry of this city, my family would not exist.

[@catman8965]

My father was born in Cleveland (1921) and me (1958). Cool to see Cleveland back then and remember some of those buildings.

[@shopsshire9282]

A fascinating look at my hometown's industrial history from almost a hundred years ago.

[@marcus1978ABLE]

Boring nothing like any other town

[@RWRogers]

@@marcus1978ABLE like any other town? Was every other town the 5th largest US city? When this was made (1924) cleveland was the 5th largest @ around 796,841 residents. only New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit were larger. Then a few decades later, the population swelled to closer to a million in 1950 (914,000). Most of Cleveland’s existence it has been an important city to the country. Only post 1970 did it really began to fade into the background. Cleveland has tremendous amount of history recorded. From the early days when the first folks set up shop and made it home, to the progression to a village, city, than important industrial powerhouse. There’s a lot to know of this city and for those from Here to be proud of. Not many of us can say the same about our own hometowns. Mine no one here would even know. And of course, something brought you here and than made you stop and watch it. Otherwise you wouldn’t have known how “boring” it was. Clearly, you found interest in this.

[@ogie5194]

The roller coaster next to the power plant was cool.

[@jessewoody5772]

Thanks for the upload, it was very interesting. My Father was born in 1924 Cleveland. 1959 for me. I still have a working vintage GE Mazda lightbulb from 1932

[@rileyowen7731]

That’s amazing! I’m right next to cleaveland! I’m really into history too so seeing this film was fun and exiting

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

Very nice film. The children are well behaved in this. They are getting a lesson on how electricity helps businesses. Even Reddy Kilowatt would have enjoyed this film. The boy is the winner of the essay contest on electricity, and his family, including his very nice sister,congratulates him. Terrific ending.

[@calbob750]

An excellent reference for state of the art technology of 100 years ago. Cleveland at this time was the fifth largest city in the nation. Most people still had an ice box not a refrigerator and had coal fired furnaces. Just a few years before the Ohio Bell Telephone Company opened its state of the art electromechanical switching system at 750 Huron Road. The building still visible next to Progressive Field.

[@jacksnyder7318]

Thank you for posting this wonderful look into the past. I'm a third generation Clevelander born in 1956 and really enjoy the history. My Uncle was a Lineman for CEI after he came back the WW 2.

[@michaeldicarlo5540]

Back then when it was ok and you trusted your kids to fly off with a pilot to Cleveland for the day lol

[@lisk3822]

Not only that but OSHA would have a field day with all of this, walking around without any safety equipment/protection.

[@choirboyfromhell1]

Fabulous. Ready Kilowatt would be proud.

[@coldwar1952]

Uh oh the kids forgot their phones.

[@mariemorgan7759]

Love these old films, thank you for the upload! The girl has those Mary Pickford long curls, she is so pretty!

[@christinevangilder6245]

This is magnificent! Thank you for sharing 😊

[@jogmas12]

My kind of town Cleveland is

[@IanZainea1990]

22:42 I love seeing the clothing making, but WOWOWOWOW those giant dang machines! I've seen other videos on them... H something unloaders. And damn impressive. But I've never seen this shot before!

[@elizabethkeusch4251]

Hulett unloaders - nice footage! My first time seeing this too.. There used to be quite a lot of them on the lower Great lakes. They were effective - had just about a 100 year run on the main design, but by 1992 pretty well phased out by laker freighters being outfitted with self unloading booms. The Huletts are all gone now, but apparently there are still two in existence dissasembled, in Cleveland - with the intention of being reassembled someday for display.

[@SputnickSpooner-jg5gi]

Grew up in Independence. Every time the mill poured, the whole sky to the North would light up orange at night.

[@StuDBaker]

The car that pulls up to the house is a Jordan, built in Cleveland.

[@bobprochko832]

@@Jack.333 No. it's a Jordan Six, a Model F seven passenger touring, with the Jordan arrowhead badge on the radiator. The Hupmobile R with its four cylinder engine and rather short hood was still in production when this film was produced, and it was not a Cleveland product.

[@timtoner1411]

Interesting film. Cleveland was a very big manufacturing city. My aunt worked for GE making lightbulbs. Sadly, all these good-paying jobs are gone. I remember seeing that power plant in the 70's still belching coal smoke. This was the old Muni Power plan I believe. Does Cleveland still have Muni Power. Dennis Kucinich saved it from being taken over by the Cleveland Illuminating Company. "Power to the People" was the slogan.

[@laurafeher9694]

Deep Respect

[@ewserk]

Brilliant!

[@bboucharde]

See 00:47, above. Increasingly, we (USA) are heading for a condition in which hand-pumping from a backyard well will be the only safe water source (after EMP attack or a nuclear exchange). TIP: Install a well and a hand pump on your property, if allowed by codes and CCRs.

[@AndrewGrey22]

Having a girl and a farm like that back then would have been kick-ass.

[@ericjackson9256]

i love the sister's house is it still standing?

[@verinox]

I would love to know if that "electric" house is still standing. Where was it?

[@cKyHIM999]

Demolished a few years back... used to be between E. 55th and E. 72nd

[@cKyHIM999]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHrRgXV9aMStd8k

[@heidikorkosz724]

The steam plant was demolished. I believe the sister's "electric" house is still standing at 2480 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

[@verinox]

@@heidikorkosz724 thank you!!

[@bobbiema6671]

@@verinox if you put the address into google maps you will see it! Its a wooded lot now. Its cool to do.

[@w8lvradio]

One fascinating film, and THANKS for placing it here! But MUST we have that gawd awful watermark right in the MIDDLE of the film? Wouldn't such an old film be in the public domain by now anyway? All the Best! 73 DE W8LV BILL

[@bobbiema6671]

Is that gorgeous sister's electrical house still standing? Was it on Millionair's Row in Cleveland because as I hear it most of them are long gone. Which one was this one? Thank you by the way for posting this. Its a gem of history.

[@fbielskis]

2480 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

[@bobbiema6671]

@@fbielskis Coventry!!? 😱 wow, never would've thought, is it still standing? Its gorgeous. Who originally had it built, do you know? Thanks for your information

[@fbielskis]

@@bobbiema6671 Yes, still standing! You can find it on Google maps if you want to see it today. The area is still upscale but this this house in particular doesn't seem to be as upkept as the rest of the neighborhood. I don't have any other information about the house.

[@bobbiema6671]

@@fbielskis thank you!! I will look it up. I'm surprised its still up because I figured it was on millionaires row. You've been very helpful. I love architecture.

[@bobbiema6671]

@@fbielskis I looked it up on google maps, and I felt like a time traveller! Thanks again, it is a wooded lot now, not like 100 years ago. Way cool.

[@OKFrax-ys2op]

I was wondering about the location of the family farm 🤔

[@MT-ie4ve]

The good ol days , Where those kids could go through the deepest of hazards in the mills and factories in this video and not need to have safety glasses or hard hats and best of all live a long life with leaded paint

[@AdvMedic2010]

I was think about the safety issues also? My Dad was a Millwright at J&L Steel in the early seventies, remember going on a tour of the Steel Mill, he set up. We wore hard hats, safety goggles, walked around a walkway the Supervisors used far from the molting steel. It was so hot, I was sweating.

[@garypowers3186]

Dud tge same at Republic with my Dad.

[@treelover4615]

@@apfenn7777 And hockey players had no head or face protection. Even the Goalie.

[@dannymcmullensr4912]

chores, chores

[@aarongranda7825]

Cross promotion with singer. I hope the gals in the sweatshop are unionized.

[@bobkirsch2722]

Is this supposed to be silent, no sound?

[@cami_banani3239]

Yes it is in fact a silent film

[@bobkirsch2722]

Thank you

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

Yes.

[@rulebritannia1700]

Are there plans to scan this in 2 or 4K? The scan quality is so poor-it almost looks like telecine from the early 2000’s....

[@HagleyMuseumandLibrary]

We have a 2K version at the Hagley Library along with the original film. If you are interested, contact Hagley at [e-mail]

[@patlysobey1938]

The Lakeshore plant was huge but Algore didn't like that it was coal fired . I knew the man who was one of the last plant superintendent's at that plant. He was an usher at St. Albert the Great in North Royalton.

[@georgemartin1436]

My boss was from the Eastlake plant (also shut down) and had sad duties involving the final dispositions of these facilities and others across Ohio and WV...

[@DaveDott]

06/24/2021

[@ssbeebs]

???

[@Sqoou_Too]

Sure strange pilot we've only just met. Take the children off with you in your airplane... lmao

[@brownsboy23]

Meanwhile they had tower city built on dirt roads with horse and buggy 😂😂 🎉

[@aarongranda7825]

What is the touring car? The city has traffic, overcrowding, noise and pollution, much better than the country.

[@bobprochko832]

A 1922 or 1923 Jordan Type F Touring Car