Center Family House (Southeast View), 1870
Baus caption: S.E. view of Center Family House. Lee Rd. in 1870
Name/Title
Center Family House (Southeast View), 1870Entry/Object ID
082.1931 Bau.13Tags
19th Century, North Union Shakers, Warrensville Township, 1870s, Boulevard Neighborhood, Shaker Heights, ArchitectureDescription
Plate 13 from from Shakers & Kirtland by Louis Baus showing a southeast view of the Center Family house on Lee Road. Louis Baus was born in 1875, so photograph must be from another source. Baus description: "On the west side of Lee Rd. between the present South Park Blvd. and Shaker Blvd., stood the Center Family house. This was built in 1826, on the site of the log cabin owned by Ralph Russell, the first convert to Shakerism in this section. It was through his efforts that the colony was organized in the locality. The dwelling when built was 30 x 40 ft and two stories high. In 1840 a two story kitchen, 20 x 60 ft. was added, and a bell weighing 326 lbs. costing $130 was purchased in Cincinnati. The kitchen consisted also of a dining room with two long tables, seating twenty five at each. The sisters sat on the south and the brethren on the north side. Over the dining room was a chapel, used three evenings a week for family worship, also on Sunday. West of the cook room was the bake room and over these were two living rooms and two shops for the sisters. At this time, 1840 there were a hundred members at the middle family, including children. Lower photo [plate 14], shows it ten years after the colony left. After it was used by various tenants and torn down in the early 1900s. A large brick mansion now stands on the old sight [sic]."Photograph Details
Subject Place
Township
Warrensville TownshipCounty
Cuyahoga CountyState/Province
OhioCountry
United StatesCategory
Photographs
Archives