Historic Dugway Brook tour to be held Sept. 22

On Saturday, Sept. 22, Mark Souther, associate professor of history at Cleveland State University and member of the Cleveland Heights Landmark Commission, will lead an app-enhanced biking tour of the historic Dugway Brook watershed of Cleveland Heights. The tour will start at the main entrance to Cain Park at Lee and Superior roads, at 9 a.m.

The tour is one of four neighborhood tours that will be created by FutureHeights in 2012, with the help of the Cleveland Heights Historical Society, the Cleveland Heights Landmark Commission and the Center for Public History and Digital Humanities at Cleveland State University. The others are Coventry Village, Noble/Monticello and Euclid Golf/Cedar Fairmount.

Souther will guide cyclists along the path of Dugway Brook, which winds its way beneath Cleveland Heights streets, parking lots and parks. The tour will include stops in the Cedar Lee business district, Cain Park, Forest Hill, Park Synagogue and the surrounding neighborhoods. To help bring history to life, Souther will use the Cleveland Historical mobile phone app, which was developed by his team at CSU.

Participants can download the free app prior to the tour at the App Store (for iPhone), the Android Market or at www.clevelandhistorical.org.

“You don’t need to own a smart phone or be an expert cyclist to enjoy Saturday’s tour,” said Souther. “We’ll take a leisurely pace and use the app to enhance the tour with historic photos and audio clips of people telling the history of their neighborhood. If you have a smart phone, bring it, and we’ll show you how to download and navigate through the Cleveland Historical app.

The free tour goes from 9 to 11 a.m., and will take place rain or shine.

“Many people don’t realize that Dugway Brook is there and played such a central role in Cleveland Heights history,” said Souther. “It’s one of the bluestone brooks that flow into Lake Erie, but today it is almost invisible—buried beneath streets, parking lots and parks. Today we are rediscovering it.”

Through the Cleveland Historical app, tour-goers can explore the Heights at their own pace by using their smart phones. Tours of Coventry Village were held in June and August. A tour of Noble Road is planned for Oct. 20, and one of Euclid Golf/Cedar Fairmount for Nov. 3.

The project is generously funded by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, and with support from Coventry Village Special Improvement District, Cleveland Heights Mayor Ed Kelley, the City of Cleveland Heights, the Cedar Fairmount Special Improvement District, Nighttown Restaurant, Council Member Dennis Wilcox and others.

For more information, visit www.clevelandhistorical.org or call FutureHeights at 216-320-1423.