Dunham Tavern Museum, Cleveland

The Dunham Tavern Museum, originally built in 1824, stands as the oldest building in Cleveland. Located on Euclid Avenue, it offers a unique glimpse into the city’s early history. The Massachusetts-born couple, Rufus and Jane Pratt Dunham built the first home on the site and later expanded it into a stagecoach stop and tavern by adding a taproom in 1842. This unassuming structure is believed to be the first frame house constructed on Euclid Avenue east of East 55th Street, making it a significant historical landmark.

The tavern was once a political and social hub, hosting Whig meetings and turkey shoots. As Cleveland grew, the Dunhams sold it in 1857, and it changed owners before becoming a single-family home. Many historic structures on Euclid Avenue were demolished during the Great Depression, but landscape architect A. Donald Gray saved the tavern in 1932. He restored its 19th-century architecture, replanted the orchard, and even turned it into a studio for WPA artists. To preserve it long-term, Gray founded the Society of Collectors to maintain the building and its historical artifacts.

The Dunham Tavern opened to the public as a museum in 1941. Since then, it has operated as a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of Cleveland’s early days. In 1982, the Society of Collectors merged with another organization, forming the Corporation of Dunham Tavern Museum. Throughout its history, the museum has hosted semi-annual "Trinkets and Treasures" antique fairs, which helped fund maintenance and operations.

The Dunham Tavern was designated a Cleveland Landmark in 1973 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Despite industrial growth around it, the museum stands as a symbol of Cleveland’s history. Today, the Dunham Tavern Museum remains a key cultural site, offering a glimpse into Cleveland’s pioneer past.