Touring Cleveland, Ohio

Jim's classmate from high school came to visit us on Saturday and took us on a tour of the Cleveland area. Jim has kept in touch with Gary Jun over the years (49 years) and since Gary has lived in the Cleveland area his whole life, he offered to drive us around the city and show us some sights. We had a great time and are very glad that we were able to spend the day with him.

Our first stop was Lakeview Cemetery, where some famous people are buried, such as James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States. He did not serve very long ~ he served from March 4, 1881 until his death by assassination 6-1/2 months later. He was the first sitting member of Congress to be elected to the presidency, and remains the only sitting House member to gain the White House.

Garfield Monument

The James A. Garfield Memorial is the most prominent point of interest at Lake View Cemetery. The ornate interior features a large marble statue, stained glass, bas relief, and various historical relics from Garfield's life and presidency. The monument also serves as a scenic observation deck and picnic area. President and Mrs. Garfield are entombed in the lower level crypt, their coffins placed side by side and visible to cemetery visitors. Unfortunately when we were there the monument was being under reconstruction and not open to the public. I found some people sitting at an information booth near the monument and was able to take pictures of their pictures.

We also visited Wade Chapel, which was open to the public. Wade Chapel was erected in honor of Jeptha H. Wade (1811-1890) by his grandson. Wade constructed a telegraph line from Detroit to Jackson, Michigan. In 1856 Wade's network consolidated with other emerging companies to establish Western Union Telegraph Company. At the same time he moved his family to Cleveland and began working on the development of the city. In 1860 he purchased 285 acres of land for Lakeview Cemetery. 

Wade Chapel

The Fulfillment and Enlightenment of the Christian Scriptures

Seven Oarsmen  ~ the gifts of the Holy Spirit bear shields with the names of the Champions of Christendom: Saint Anthony, Saint Denys, Saint James, Saint Patrick, Saint David, Saint Andrew, Saint George.

The Law and the Prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures

Seven Oarsmen, the pillars of Wisdom of Prophets ~ bear shields with the names of the ancients who foretold the coming of the Messiah: Isiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, David, Hosea and Micah. 

The Consummation of the Divine Promise

Next we parked in downtown Cleveland and walked around for a bit. First stop was The Arcade, the Hilton Hotel lobby. It is considered an historic landmark in architecture, built in 1890. It was designed by John M. Eisenmann and George H. Smith as a big city mercantile center. The five-story galleries connect the ten-story towers facing the city's two main thoroughfares. Of unique architectural design and of daring construction, its exterior is Romanesque Revival, a popular Victorian style from 1875-1900.

The Arcade

As we walked down the street, we went by a balanced work of art that I took a picture of. It moved ever so slightly in the wind.

Balanced Art

We also went into the 5th Street Arcade, where Gary said that his father had a hearing aid store back when he was growing up. The store is gone and a wall is now where the store once stood.

Walking through the city we went up a street closed to auto traffic which was filled with restaurants, bars, theaters and a casino.

Outdoor Restaurant Seating

House of Blues

Down in the Square, the City put in a splash pad for children to enjoy and cool off.

Next to the splash pad is the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, dedicated to those who served in the Civil War. It was constructed in 1894 and is open to the public. The outside has four monuments on each side:

The Advance Guard

Mortar Practice

At Short Range

The Color Guard

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument commemorates the American Civil War; it consists of a 125' column surrounded at its base by a Memorial Room and esplanade. The column, topped with a statue of the Goddess of Freedom, defended by the Shield of Liberty, signifies the essence of the Nation for which Cuyahoga County veterans were willing to and did give their lives. Four bronze groupings on the esplanade depict, in battle scenes, the Navy, Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry.

Inside the Memorial Room are four bronze relief sculptures: Women's Soldiers' and Sailors' Aid Society, Beginning of the War in Ohio, Emancipation of the Slaves and End of the War at City Point, Va., as well as busts of Gen. James Barnett and Architect/Sculptor Levi T. Scofield, together with 6 officers, who were either killed in action, or died of disease or their wounds.

Names of Dead from the Civil War

President Abraham Lincoln's Funeral

The train arrived at Cleveland's Union Depot from Buffalo, New York at 6:50 am on Friday, April 28, 1865. Here, the train's locomotives were switched and the Dispatch pulled the nine car train on to the Euclid Street station, arriving at 7:20 am. The casket was taken from the station by a hearse led by 6 white horses up Euclid Street to Erie (now East 9th Street) to Public Square. Lincoln's coffin was placed on a pagoda style catafalque in the square and remained there until 10:30 pm. The Cleveland committee in charge of the mourning procedure had decided that no building would be suitable for the viewing, so they decided the President's coffin could best be displayed in the Square (the site is directly in front of the north facade of the Monument).

Abraham Lincoln visited Cleveland twice; once in life and the other in death. The first visit was on February 15-16, 1861, while in route to his presidential inauguration. The second, more solemn visit was on April 28, 1865. Cleveland was one of 12 cities to host a scheduled public viewing of the assassinated President's remains. In addition to local officials, Lincoln's cortege included a military escort of then current and former Union officers who were veterans of the Civil War. These officers would form the early membership of the organization known as the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. The casket was returned to the train after midnight to be pulled by the locomotive "Nashville" to Columbus, arriving on April 29.

Quote for the Day: "Break ranks and rest, til the last trumpets call, shall sound the faithful reveille for all." ~~ Levi F. Bauder