East Cleveland Leader Archive 

East Cleveland is a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, first established in 1847. It was formed from many surrounding townships, and its borders changed frequently and arbitrarily as newer townships incorporated nearby. Situated northeast of Cleveland, East Cleveland was home to many who commuted into the city for work. Many newspapers in the area sprang up and lasted for only a short period before merging. The East Cleveland Signal began around the turn of the century and lasted until February 1942, when it changed its name to East Cleveland Leader. It was published by the Collinwood Publishing Company, which simultaneously published the Euclid News-Journal and the Scoop. The East Cleveland Leader eventually folded into its siblings in 1970, and they then merged in 1979 to form the Sun Scoop Journal, which still publishes today.

The East Cleveland Leader published 9 columns across 12-16 pages on Thursdays, and it strongly prioritized advertisements. The back half of the paper was more often than not filled with real estate and automobile advertisements, business directories, and help wanted notices. As was common in the 1950s, advertising flourishes followed seasonal trends by decorating their blocks with hearts in February, turkeys in November, and other holiday-themed graphics. Local news articles ran toward the front of the issue, followed by social notices for churches and clubs. The East Cleveland Leader included birth announcements and obituaries, and the "Weddings and Engagements" section often featured photo portraits of the brides. A portion of the content came from East Cleveland residents, who were encouraged to report on their personal events. Families of college students contributed to the "campus news" section, which reported on scholarly achievements all across the state. Editorials with catchy names like "The Y's Old Owl" and "Six Sixes" filled the remainder of the pages.