Dunham Tavern Museum & Gardens

“The form 990 is prepared by an independent cpa and reviewed by the board's treasurer. The form 990 is then submitted to the board of directors prior to electronic filing.”

“During the meetings of the board of directors, all directors are required to indicate any conflicts of interest that they may have and recuse themselves from participation in any decision wherein a conflict exists.”

“The museum does not have a paid executive director.”

“Documents are available to the public upon request”

“To preserve, develop and share historic dunham tavern and its campus as an educational and cultural resource. We aspire for dunham tavern as an institution to provide an urban green space in midtown cleveland, and to return the tavern to its roots by serving as a place for urban history, education, nature, and community.”

“The tavern rufus and jane pratt dunham came to the western reserve in 1819. The young couple from massachusetts acquired 13.75 acres of land, which they began to farm. A log cabin served as their home until the north portion of the present structure was built in 1824. Later, the main block of the home was added in front of the original wing and, as late as 1832, the west wing was built. Capitalizing on the homes position along a well-traveled stagecoach route, rufus dunham soon became a tavernkeeper as well as farmer. The dunham tavern became a social and political center for parties, turkey shoots and meetings of the whig party. The dunhams sold the tavern in 1853, but it continued to serve as a tavern until 1857 when a banker bought it for his home. Amazingly, this residence stood through euclid avenues rise and fall. Stagecoach stops to car dealerships, millionaires row to urban renewal - dunham tavern has remained. In the 1930s the tavern served as studio space for a group of wpa artists and printmakers. The society of collectors, organized in the early 1930s, became interested in the historic site and eventually took responsibility for the structure, opening it to the public in 1941. Dunham tavern is now a nonprofit museum supported by donations, members, grants, and monies raised from tours and outreach events. The gardens weather permitting, a stroll along our heritage trail adds another dimension to your visit. Surrounded by industrial and commercial development, the museum is a reminder of the western reserve as it once was. Our 900 ft. Path features depictions of early settler life along with a stagecoach, log cabin, and community gardens featuring 1800s landscaping and local vegetables. The barn there were stables to the west side of the tavern with ample room for 15 horses. The barn was a large structure used for storing harvested crops and fodder for oxen and horses. The original dunham barn was built in the 1840s with hand-hewn timbers, cut nails, and simple stone-on-ground foundations. With a few variations, like gable-entry doors, features of the barn were representative of traditional english construction. The original barn burnt down in 1963, and a replica barn was built to replace it in 2000. Whenever possible, original construction methods were used. The barn now serves as a rental and education center for nonprofit organizations, corporations, school groups, scouts, and individuals. Educational at dunham tavern museum, we are offer a variety of educational programs for all ages of students and scouts. A typical program with us includes a museum tour with a brief history of the dunham family and explanation of life in the early 1800s, along with an educational activity held in the dunham barn. Groups are more than welcome to bring lunches and both outside and inside seating is available. We can accommodate a variety of group sizes with each program being able to hold up to 60 students. All tours are led by trained docents to provide you with the most accurate and positive learning experience.”