Our Mission Statement

The Western Reserve Historical Society, a non-profit, cultural institution, serves as the primary center for the study and presentation of northeastern Ohio's human history. The Society exists to collect, preserve, interpret and exhibit the possessions and to collect and make available for scholarly research the documentation of the diverse peoples who have made the Western Reserve and northeastern Ohio their home. In addition, the Society acts to preserve and interpret historic properties within the same region. Included within the scope of the Society's interest are all the residents of the area, ordinary people as well as those of special distinction, beginning with the advent of written history to the present.

Collections and exhibitions focus on the Western Reserve. Both permanent, and especially changing, exhibitions place the region in its larger historical context. The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum collections illustrate the history of the automotive industry in the Western Reserve as well as nationally and internationally.

The Society's collections and exhibits serve as a major educational resource for library and museum users, including school children, the general public, and scholars. In order to communicate effectively with these audiences, exhibits, whenever appropriate, employ modern interactive technologies and techniques. The Society seeks to make its research materials, exhibits, and programs accessible to a diverse and inclusive audience, including the handicapped.