HGB Ep. 515 - Cleveland Grays Armory

Moment in Oddity - Roland the Farter

Worldwide, current day and old, talents performed by individuals have varied greatly. Surely Roland, Court Minstrel to 12th century King Henry II had multiple talents but today the court jester is most well known for one specific performance every Christmas. One of his monikers was 'Roland the Farter'. It is recorded in history that each Christmas Roland had a single job in the court. He was to perform a dance that culminated with one jump, one whistle and one fart all at the same time! Releasing that basement pressure is always a relief for the frantic person afflicted. However, it is a global distress that can bring on embarrassment and shame regardless of the society one lives in, as well as resulting in odiferous fumes of course. It is a natural process of the human body and even Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer and so may other writers included the humor of flatulence in their recorded pieces. Regardless, being employed for a performance requiring a foul, flying flatulence accompanied by a whistle, certainly is odd.

This Month in History - Liquid Paper (Suggested by: Chelsea Flowers)

In the month of December, on the first, in 1951, Bette Nesmith Graham invented liquid paper. When Bette was hired as a secretary, typing took up a large portion of her job. Unfortunately she was not the best typist. During that same Christmas season at her secretarial job, she noticed a man painting a sign on a bank's storefront. Any time the man made a mistake, he would paint over it to cover the error and proceed with his work. At this time, Graham was attempting to use the new electric typewriter which was, in theory, meant to make typing easier. However, every time she made an error, trying to correct it would leave a smeared mess. Watching the painter across the way inspired Bette. She decided to use white tempura paint to mix a solution in her kitchen blender. She then brought it to the office to test painting it over a mistyped letter, letting it air dry before typing the correction. It worked and she named her invention 'Mistake Out'. When word spread about her invention it blew up. Be that as it may, it took five years for Bette to imagine selling her product. She began working nights and weekends with her son Michael (of The Monkees fame) to fill up the needed bottles. It wasn't until 1956 that she collaborated with her son's chemistry teacher and a paint manufacturer to further develop what would later become Liquid Paper. Once she patented her invention it blew up, but she was fired from her secretarial job due to her poor typing skills. Her business for liquid paper grew rapidly leaving her wealthy and a philanthropist. Bette later created multiple foundations supporting women and female entrepreneurship and artistic endeavors.

Cleveland Grays Armory

Cleveland sits on the opposite side of Lake Erie from Canada. While this proximity is not worrisome to us today, there was a time when Cleveland was worried that Canadians might invade their city. They needed a military group for protection and so they formed one. This group eventually was known as the Cleveland Grays and they built an armory that is today a museum. A haunted one apparently. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of Cleveland Grays Armory!

There was a time in America's history where we didn't have a National Guard and each city was responsible for its own protection. The type of threat posed to a city depended on its location. For Cleveland, the greatest threat would be coming from the North. The War of 1812 had ended in 1815, but this didn't end hostilities between the British and some parts of America. The Canadian Rebellions of 1837 also caused concern with insurgents leading rebellions against the crown in Lower and Upper Canada. The fighting in Lower Canada was more intense, which is why Cleveland grew concerned. French Canadian farmers were struggling economically and many Canadians were calling for responsible government and London ignored the pleas. Patriot Rebels attacked British Regulars, but didn't fare well and many French Canadian settlements were burned. Many of the rebels fled to America. The Upper Canadian rebellion failed as well and the two colonies were formed into the Province of Canada. The rebels did; however, get responsible government.

The city guards not only provided military protection, but they would also participate in ceremonies, assist local police forces and form social clubs. Cleveland formed its own volunteer force made up of 65 men in 1837 and called it the Cleveland City Guards. Sounds like a sports team. Many cities used the term city guard, but others used light guard or simply guard, along with the name of the city. Cleveland decided it would rather take on the name of the color of their uniforms, which were gray, so in 1838 they became the Cleveland Grays. Those uniforms were very distinctive and members topped their look with tall black bearskin caps. Once a man had been a member for 25 years he was considered a "Pioneer" and could wear a leather apron with his uniform and he could carry an axe when on parade. 

Today, the Grays mainly work to preserve the military heritage of Cleveland and promote patriotism, but in the past they served as a military unit during the Spanish-American War, the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916, World War I and during the Civil War, they were the first company to leave Cleveland. This gave them the distinction of being the 1st Ohio Volunteer Infantry and they saw action at Vienna Station and the first Battle of Bull Run. They remained independent through the Civil War, but joined the National Guard during the Spanish-American War. After that ended, they returned to being independent. World War I saw the last active service of the Cleveland Grays as a unit. Individual members have gone on to serve in all wars up to the Persian and Gulf Wars. The men's only group now allows women to be members. 

Many of the city guards would build their own armories and Cleveland did just that in 1893, erecting a gorgeous Richardson Romanesque styled stonework building. But before that, the Grays set themselves up in different locations. They first occupied the fourth floor of the Mechanics Block and they were there for over 30 years. In 1870, they moved into a former fire station on Frankfort Street and in 1880 they moved into the new City Armory on Long Street. Unfortunately, fire destroyed much of that building in 1892.  The Grays managed to recover quickly despite losing much of their equipment and they soon raised enough funds to build their new armory. The cornerstone was laid on May 30, 1893 at a ceremony featuring the Grand Army Band of Canton. This stone was a three-ton Berea sandstone block. Colonel John Frazee was given the honor of laying the stone. When the building was finished, it stood four-stories high with a five-story tower on one corner. The front window lintels were made from solid rough-hewn sandstone. The front entrance had colossal oak doors with a black iron drop-gate in front and the main entry arch was formed from polished granite columns. The building has been described as "a splendid mix of color and texture in materials." It's a massive fortified looking building that seems quite out of place with its surroundings. But it is a wonderful piece of architecture.

The armory hosted more than just the militia group. There were social events like a performance by the Metropolitan Opera Company, military balls and the first performance of the Cleveland Orchestra. This was also the exclusive venue for celebrating Cleveland's Centennial in 1896. The armory had a large banquet hall as well. But it still served its main purpose with housing weapons and providing a drill hall for the militia. There was also a 140-foot shooting range in the basement. For entertainment, there was a billiards room. And in 1970, a 3 manual 17 rank pipe organ from the Warner Theater in Erie, Pennsylvania was installed. Three or four concerts a year were given on the organ. The armory collected many artifacts over the years and so it was a no-brainer to eventually turn the armory into a museum. The Grays Armory Museum preserves not only these artifacts, but also preserves the traditions of the Grays and shares their heritage. Veterans Day is always special here with the museum presenting an educational program honoring those who served. The Grays Armory can also be rented for special events.

One of the most interesting items in the museum is the "secesh cannon," which was the first cannon that was captured by Union forces during the Civil War. This happened during the Battle of Corrick's Ford in July of 1861. Some troops from Indiana seized the cannon from Brig. Gen. Robert Selden Garnett and his men. This Indiana garrison had served with the Cleveland Light Artillery and they decided to give the cannon to them. The Grays brought it back to Cleveland and placed it in Public Square. It was then fired every time the Union had a victory. When General Robert E. Lee surrendered, the cannon was fired through the entire night. It was eventually moved to the armory and put on display.

There are claims that the building is haunted. People experience the normal doors slamming on their own and disembodied footsteps and orbs have been captured in pictures. One thing that should be noted is that there is a cemetery right behind the armory. This is the city's oldest cemetery and called Erie Street Cemetery. It was founded at what had been the edge of town in 1826. Many of Cleveland's early pioneers are buried here like Lorenzo Carter who was the first permanent settler in the city. Carter was a smart man as he became good friends with Chief Seneca when he moved to Cleveland and this helped the settlement make it through years of disease, floods and bad farming. He was a good man who protected a runaway slave and carried an American flag that his father had passed down to him that was made during the Revolutionary War. That flag continued to get passed through the Carter family and today is on display at the Western Reserve Historical Society. It was made from Homespun linen and hand-stitched together. The red stripes were dyed from cranberries and the blue field was dyed from elderberries. There are around 17,000 interments in the cemetery and the Cleveland Grays have worked to maintain the burials.  

The Confederate cannon is believed to have a spirit attached to it. There are stories of a female spirit who has been seen dancing as though she is attending a spectral ball. She is usually wearing a white party dress. And speaking of the ballroom, which is located at the back of the third floor, a ghostly soldier has been seen walking through the wall. Author Chris Woodyard has written books about haunted locations in Ohio and one of the places he has covered is the Armory. Woodyard claims to be psychic and he was sitting on a leather couch in a second floor room when a spirit appeared eight feet in front of him. He described the ghost as being "a handsome young man with light brown hair, parted on one side, sporting a 'crown imperial' goatee" wearing The Cleveland Grays uniform woolen jacket with a very distinctive graduated glockenspiel pattern formed from braids and buttons.

What could be causing the hauntings? There were two known people who died in the building. The first is a construction worker who helped build the Armory in 1893. He died in an accident on the property. The second death involves a former maintenance man named Lou. He lived at the armory and had a massive heart attack one day when he stepped out into the Drill Hall. Later, when it was decided to move Lou's van off the property, the activity started to kick up with more unexplained noises and disembodied footsteps. Lou can be a prankster. He likes to walk right behind the living when they walk across the Drill Hall. Lou seems to still be making the rounds doing his chores. He checks to make sure the building is secure and has been seen in his caretaker’s apartment in the tower. Lou's pretty possessive of his space. Once when the Civil Air Patrol was meeting in the first floor tower room, a large plotted plant in the room began shaking uncontrollably until it fell over.

There are other spirits here too. A spirit who enjoyed cherry-vanilla pipe tobacco has left the scent behind in certain rooms and can be discerned by the living. A crew that had come in to do some restoration work in the lobby took a short break and when they came back, they found a huge mess of their paints. Clearly a ghost wasn't happy with their work. A caretaker once got a scare when he was working behind the Drill Hall. He watched as a gray-green hand pulled the door closed. He jumped up and opened the door to see who was in the Drill Hall. There was no one there. A college student had volunteered to clean up the third floor Ballroom. He was busily cleaning when he was startled by a soldier coming through the wall. The student sat frozen for a moment and then he coughed, which seemed to cause the spirit to dissipate. There was another cleaning moment involving some Civil Air Patrol members. They were in the first floor foyer. One of the members went to make sure that all the doors were locked. He saw a soldier standing on the central staircase wearing a uniform from the past. This soldier was watching him. He made a quick exit and refused to be anywhere in the building alone again.  

Ghost Hunters visited Cleveland Grays Armory during Season 11 on Episode 2 in 2017. At the time, a woman named Kristin was the manager and she wondered if ghostly activity had picked up since she was a woman running a facility that used to be open only to men. She also felt that Lou, the former maintenance man, was still hanging around the place. A man named Dante Lefloria was down in the gun range when he saw a shadow figure walk across it. He at first assumed it had to be a person, so he called out because it is dangerous to have people walking across a shooting range and that is when he realized he was the only person down there. Dante went to Kristin's office and told her what happened. When he finished, all the service flags hanging on the walls in her office, fell to the floor. That had never happened before or since. 

Employee Dan Link had been in the building alone many times and one night when he was working down in the basement, he heard footsteps walking across the Drill Hall above him. About three months before the Ghost Hunters investigated the building, alarms went off in the building and all the motion detectors were going off. Kristin immediately called the police and when they all entered, they found nothing wrong in the building and nothing out of place. They checked security camera footage and saw multiple orbs like it was snowing in the room, zooming across the screen. Then the orbs suddenly stop and go away and that is when the alarms started going off.

Jason and Steve would hear footsteps on the floor above them, run up to see if something was up there and then hear footsteps coming from below them. Then a door closed behind them on its own. They felt like a spirit was messing with them. They tested the door and it wasn't anything they had done. They then heard a loud noise behind them. When Shari went into the same areas that Jason and Steve had investigated, she was grabbed on the shoulder, like a pinch between two fingers. Dustin and K.J. went down to the shooting range and they heard disembodied footsteps. It sounded like a lot of shuffling. 

In 2013, a guide at the Armory told News 5 Cleveland that a caretaker would regularly go down to the basement and play the piano down there and several times when he was doing that, he witnessed a lady in white materialize out of a wall. Sometimes he saw Grays members walk through the wall, apparently to get to the bar on the other side. A tour guide told WKYC Channel 3 in 2018 that one night they were giving a tour and a woman on the tour suddenly froze. The guide asked if she was okay and she said, "Uh huh, but I just saw a man on the stairs." The guide asked what he was doing and the woman said that he was just standing there in a military uniform and then he disappeared. Apparently, the woman saw someone on every floor that evening. In October 2023, Fox 8 visited the Armory and reported that in the basement, an exterminator said he was touched on the shoulder and felt someone breathe on him. That exterminator refused to return for four to five months. They also were told that many people have reported seeing a woman in white on the third floor, looking out to the nearby cemetery.

The interior of the armory still has renovation work that needs to be done, but the wear and tear is actually endearing as it reminds us of its long military history. How many people from the past touched that same spot of wall? How many unseen people are watching you touch that wall? Is the Cleveland Grays Armory haunted? That is for you to decide!