Bill and Cynthia VerDuin have planned a fun Sunday afternoon combining car people, Cleveland automotive history, and beautiful scenery at the historic Lake View Cemetery followed by fine dining at Washington Place (the former Baracelli Inn).
We will meet at 2:30 in Lake View Cemetery, just east of downtown Cleveland. From the entrance to the cemetery at 12316 Euclid, Cleveland 44106, follow signs to the Garfield Monument and parking area.
Our tour will start at the Garfield Monument where a docent will meet us and bring history alive, as we learn about the Cleveland natives that helped create the first automobiles and the automobile industry. We will see Wade Chapel and the Garfield Monument (inside and out), both outstanding examples of turn of the century architecture. We will also see the beautiful grounds of the Lakeview Cemetery. Lake View Cemetery is known as Cleveland’s “Outdoor Museum and Arboretum.” It’s Cleveland’s historical, horticultural, architectural, sculptural and geological gem. The magnificent collection of trees, shrubs and plants make for an exceptional green space in an urban area. This “green space” provides a wonderful refuge for birds and small animals, as well as a showplace of extraordinary architectural and sculptural treasures. To learn more, click here.
Among the automotive pioneers we will “meet”:
- John D. Rockefeller became the first billionaire in the United States by founding the Standard Oil Company of Ohio.
- Alexander Winton demonstrated the safety and dependability of his cars by driving one from Cleveland to New York in 1899, decades before even gravel roads were available.
- Walter C. Baker built electric cars advertised as “The Most Elegant Automobile Made”
- We’ll also visit the grave of President James A. Garfield
Note: The tour is expected to last about two hours and portions will include walking on uneven terrain. Please come with open minds and questions for the docents.
We will then drive “down the hill” into Little Italy for a luscious dinner at Washington Place (2203 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH 44106) where we will have complimentary onsite valet parking. We will order off the menu and pay individually for dinner.
Advanced registration and prepayments of $15 per person are required and must be received by September 18.
Complete registration information is available here: Lake_View_Cemetery_Tour_2011