The WESTERN RESERVE CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE (WRCWRT) was founded in 1965 by Dr. William Mahoney of Olmsted Falls, OH. Mahoney, who attended meetings of the Cleveland Civil War Round Table, saw the need to form an additional Round Table in the southwestern suburbs of Cleveland because of the growing interest in Civil War history which had been nurtured by the observance of the Civil War Centennial throughout the country between 1961 and 1965.
The first meetings of the WRCWRT were held at the Baldwin Wallace Student Union in Berea, OH, in Mar. 1966. Later the organization met at a variety of locations. From 1965 through Nov. 1982, only male membership was allowed, with one "ladies night" each year when members brought wives or female guests. Regular membership was opened to women effective 1 Jan. 1983. Meetings consist of a cocktail hour, dinner, short business meeting, and a presentation by a featured speaker followed by a short question and answer period. Presentations usually center around battles and leaders of the Civil War, a favored topic. The WRCWRT is governed by an elected body of officers who serve 1-year terms. The WRCWRT has made donations to several Civil War preservation groups, including the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Memorial Foundation Museum, Sheffield Lake, OH; the restored home of Jefferson Davis in Biloxi, MS; the restoration project for the Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock tomb in Norristown, PA; and the Civil War Sites Fund, Washington, DC.