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Leadership Lake County ~~ History Day
October 12, 2005
The Class of 2006 began History Day at
the beautiful Mooreland Mansion on the campus of Lakeland Community
College. The mansion revealed a rich history of its own as the summer home
of Edward Moore, a turn-of-the-century Cleveland industrialist. Without
residents to care for the home, it weathered poorly over time and was
destined for the wrecking ball. The Leadership Lake County Class of 1987
was one of the organizations which proposed saving the home for its historic
value and was instrumental in the efforts to restore it to the beautiful
structure we see today.
Kathie Purmal, Executive Director of
the Lake County Historical Society, held a captive audience as she delivered
the infamous “Western Reserve” talk. The class quickly boarded the Laketran
bus for the Lake County Historical Society Center where class members had
the opportunity to experience a sampling of rough pioneer life as they
toured a real log cabin and attended a pioneer school session complete with
a strict school marm. Class members also played the History Center
Township Game, which incorporates all the challenges of community
development.
The next site on the tour was
Historic Kirtland which is maintained and operated by the Church of the
Latter Day Saints. This award-winning restoration of Kirtland during the
1850’s depicts life as it was when the church community’s founder John Smith
lived there. Volunteers graciously guided tours of the village which
included the sawmill, the ashery and Newell K. Whitney Store. Kirtland, the
“City of Faith & Beauty,” as it is known, also home to the Kirtland Temple,
a 150-year-old house of worship that is in pristine condition and offers a
view back in time of the devoted artisans who built the temple.
Class members enjoyed lunch at First
Church Congregational on the square in Painesville City for their midday
respite. Reverend Dr. John Davis spoke to the class about the church’s
involvement in the Underground Railroad and the abolition movement prior to
the Civil War. Refreshed and informed, the class headed to the Village of
Fairport Harbor for a look back into its history, and a brief look forward
to the future plans of this village on the shores of Lake Erie. The final
tour site was a visit to Willoughby City Hall for a presentation on how
Willoughby’s citizens and leaders made the decision to save their historic
downtown rather than lose it to urban renewal.
Returning to Mooreland, the class
members were greeted by General Jack Casement…notably one of Lake County’s
most famous figures. After debriefing the day, members enjoyed fellowship
during a traditional LLC closing Speakeasy. They will have four weeks to
gear up before they reconvene to explore the Public Safety and Justice
Systems within Lake County at their November session.
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