OCR Text |
Show Cleveland Claims First Community Christmas Tree The community Christmas tree idea was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1912. The community raised funds to defray the cost of the tree and celebrations through the sale of preferred stock in "Cleveland, "Cleve-land, the city of good will (unlimited), (unlim-ited), incorporated under the laws of the commonweath of good cheer." Holders of preferred stock were entitled to 'dividends payable daily in the form of happy voices of robust ro-bust children, the contented faces of fellow citizens and the advancement advance-ment of the city of good will.' Sale of stock was pushed everywhere, every-where, the most unique place being be-ing the Cleveland stock exchanjH, where the stock was listed at the head of other securities. The sale brought $12,000, which purchased Christmas cheer for 13,000 citizens, citi-zens, as well as the first community commun-ity Christmas for the city. |