For the Birds
Halstead is on the western end of the historic Birdtown neighborhood in Lakewood. According to clevelandhistorical.org, in 1892 the National Carbon Company (located at the corner of W 117th and Madison) purchased 155 acres west of their factory for their employees. Many were immigrants, primarily from Slovakia and other Easter European countries. They developed 400 residential parcels and by 1910 2,200 residents called this area home.
Unlike traditional company towns, where the company owned everything, Birdtown was unique. It was fostered by the company but built and owned by the residents themselves. The neighborhood’s streets were named after birds indigenous to the area, including robin, plover, lark, and thrush.
Walking through the neighborhood over 100 years later, you can still feel a sense of Birdtown pride. I took a pic of one home at the intersection of Halstead and Athens that had a wooden mural of birds on the front of their porch. The City of Lakewood also has Historical Neighborhood signs displayed throughout the area.
Towards the end of my walk, I came across a Little Free Library. I was immediately drawn to a vintage looking book entitled “Gobble Growl Grunt”. It was a first edition children’s book printed around the time I was born. I opened the book to find a page filled with 9 blackbirds squawking on a branch. I snapped a shot to finish up by Birdtown adventure and then returned the book to the shelf for someone else to discover.
