Program

Ohio History Connection

Subject

Arts & Culture

Location

16980 South Park Boulevard, Shaker Heights, OH, USA

Lat/Long

41.4811727, -81.5606282

Grant Recipient

Ohio History Connection

Historic Marker

THE VILLAGE GARDEN CLUB

Inscription

THE VILLAGE GARDEN CLUB

In 1930, nine women from Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights formally organized The Village Garden Club and set as its goal the beautification of Shaker Parklands with trees. At a time when women were excluded from environmental activism, the club’s careful planning allowed members to lead civic improvements. Since its establishment, the club has planted and maintained flowering trees at Horseshoe Lake Park, pausing only during World War II. In the 1960s, The Village Garden Club and 34 other local organizations successfully fought the construction of the Clark-Lee Freeway. Club member Mary Elizabeth Croxton chaired the Park Conservation Committee that won the battle and established the Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center. The Village Garden Club continues its stewardship over the flowering grove with “civic and environmental responsibility” as its focus.

WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION
THE VILLAGE GARDEN CLUB
THE SHAKER HISTORICAL SOCIETY
THE OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION
2022