Local History

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History & Genealogy Programs

World at War Forum - The Road to Pearl Harbor

Tue, Dec 03, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Porter Room

Ed Chuhna, an expert in International Relations, will discuss the economic and diplomatic path that led up to the Japanese decision to attack the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941.

"Love and Loss: The Short Life of Ray Chapman" - Author Visit With Scott Longert

Tue, Dec 17, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Porter Room

Join us as baseball historian Scott Longert talks about the career, short life, and tragic death of Indians short stop Ray Chapman.

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Dover Township Trustees and City Council Minutes and Legislation

Denise Rosenbaum, Clerk of Council for the City of Westlake, digitized all the existing copies of the Dover Township Trustees minutes and City Council minutes and legislation and made them available online through the city’s website. The Dover Township minutes date from the years 1831-1893 and the City Council minutes and legislation date from 1910 to the present.

The minutes and legislation can be found by going to the portion of the city’s website that houses its documents.

Under the dropdown list under Select Search Type choose “CNL - Legislation/Minutes - Web Access.”
Next, scroll down until you find the box labeled Meeting Type. There you will type either “Dover Township Trustees” or "Council."
Finally, click Search and all the digitized minutes and/or legislation documents will be available for you to read.

You can view the transcriptions here as PDFs in four volumes, plus a record of Dover Township officials.

These documents provide a unique view of the city’s history.

History of the Library

Leonard G. Porter's signature photo of Leonard G. Porter In 1884, Leonard Porter, a school teacher and a leader in the Dover Literary Society, bequeathed $1,000 and his collection of personal books to form a library for the citizens of Dover Township (now Westlake).

The first building to house the newly established library was a former saloon bought by the library trustees in 1886. It was located on Center Ridge Road next to the town hall. This building served as the home of the library for over 60 years until the size of the building could no longer keep up with the growing demands and population of the City of Westlake.

5 photos of the library building through the years

In 1952 the library relocated to the former Ohio Bell Trinity Exchange at 27059 Center Ridge Road. An addition was completed in 1961. This location served as home to the library throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and the early 1980s.

In August 1985 the library moved into its new (and current) home at 27333 Center Ridge Road. The library moved into a temporary facility in 1999 as the building underwent a needed renovation and expansion. In 2002 the library moved back into its newly renovated home.