Dr. J. Mark Souther
Rhodes Tower 1904
Department of History
Cleveland State Univ.
Spring 2005

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Euclid Corridor Project

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Additional Instructions for Source Collection

Assembling a good source collection is perhaps THE most critical task of the entire project. The quality of your final project depends directly on finding useful sources. In some cases, specific sources may prove useful. I will work with each of you individually in cases where I know specific sources beyond the standard ones expected for this project. Much of your work may be accomplished online and in CSU Special Collections, but you should ALSO make every effort to explore further, especially in the Photographic Division of the Cleveland Public Library on Superior Avenue (Louis Stokes Wing, 4th floor). Other possible sources of information: Western Reserve Historical Society, Cuyahoga County Archives, East Cleveland Public Library.

1) Images: Search Cleveland Memory Project, American Memory (Library of Congress), Cleveland Press Collection (CSU Sp. Coll.), and images at Cleveland Public Library or elsewhere. Try searching under "Euclid Avenue" first, but be prepared with lists of addresses and buildings of interest because sometimes images may be catalogued in unexpected ways. This requires a bit of "detective work," so do not assume that you can find all your sources at the last minute AND write a good timeline essay.

2) City directories: Decide on 4 years as moments in time that you would like to see a "snapshot" of what is located on and around your site(s). I strongly recommend spacing these at somewhat even intervals throughout the 20th century (prior to about 1910 the directories are less conducive to finding your area easily, so concentrate post-1910). You might choose 1910, 1940, 1970, and 2000, or you may choose to vary it. Then consult the Cleveland City Directory for each of those years (found in CSU Special Collections). Find the section that is arranged by STREET ADDRESS. Notice that each intersection is marked. For example, when looking at EUCLID AVE., you'll note lines that read, for instance, "E. 9 intersects." Using these and your addresses, you can quickly locate your chosen area(s). Examine the directory listings (which you must photocopy for your project). Be prepared to compare changes over time in the landscape surrounding your site(s), in some cases changes on the site itself. If you are studying a topic like Lakeview Cemetery or Rockefeller Park for which you will not find specific addresses using the directories, SEE ME for instructions. I will make special recommendations about ways of using the city directory in ways relevant to your project. For instance, Rockefeller Park is lined by neigbhorhoods, but you'd need to look at a cross street (or perhaps nearby E. 105) rather than MLK Drive to get a sense of what has changed around the park.

3) Sanborn maps: Available by doing a keyword search in OhioLink (on the CSU Library website) for "sanborn map." Then choose Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. In the database, select "Keyword" and Sort By "City." In the search space, type the following (for example), using the quotation marks: "euclid avenue." Now you will need to look through the several pages until you see the range of addresses applicable to your topic. Note that some addresses are in other cities, so be sure you're only looking at the ones in Cleveland! Also, note the YEAR of the map. Generally you should find TWO different years to look at: 1912 and 1951. Next, select VIEW MAP under the appropriate entry. This will retrieve a map that may be difficult to read because of its small size. To zoom in a little, select ZOOM TO 25% and then click on the map where you want to see more detail. The map will resize. Depending on the resulting map, you may choose to zoom in closer. You should PRINT any maps (zooms or full blocks) that are useful to you. I would like to see a MINIMUM of 5 printed maps from 1912 AND 5 from 1951, but you should feel free to go beyond this. Also, you may want to print out the Map Key, which lists the different kinds of information the maps reveal about the physical buildings themselves. THESE MAPS WILL OFTEN BE A BIT BLURRED - use them primarily to see the density of buildings in a given block (downtown will have many buildings, while other areas may have more widely spaced buildings, etc.). CSU Special Collections has some actual Sanborn maps in their collection, so you may want to look at them for details as well.

4) Annotated Bibliography: You should first look in Special Collections' reference shelf area and see what books may pertain to your topic; use the Scholar catalog too. Ask a librarian for help while you're there. You should also identify a theme that seems to correspond to your project topic and find books or articles that shed light on it. This means finding some scholarly sources that speak to the broader topic of which your specific project is a local case study. For instance, if looking at Beacon Place, an example of "New Urbanism," you'd want to consult sources that speak to the larger development of "New Urbanism" nationally. If looking at University Circle, you might find books about elite culture in cities. For Public Square, books on city planning, downtown development, skyscrapers, and public art and monuments and memorials, etc., would certainly be appropriate. ANNOTATING a bibliography means writing a line or two explaining what the source offers in terms of your project. This is ultimately for your use, but I want to see that you've looked at the materials.