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20-77 Silver Lake / Silver Lake Amusement Park
Silver Lake was previously known as Wetmore’s Pond, named for Judge William Wetmore, an agent for the Connecticut Land Company. In 1808, Wetmore built a cabin overlooking the spring-fed lake, which was then a part of Portage County. Local lore records his friendship and conscientious dealings with the Native Americans, likely Seneca, who inhabited a […]
19-77 Stan Hywet Hall
The former “country estate” of the Frank A. Seiberling family, Stan Hywet Hall is one of the finest examples of Tudor Revival architecture in the United States. “F.A.” Seiberling (1859-1955) co-founded the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in 1898 and later the Seiberling Rubber Company, thus greatly contributing to Akron’s distinction as “The Rubber Capital […]
18-77 Ghent Woolen Mill
The Ghent Woolen Mill was one of at least thirteen mills built in the Yellow Creek Valley to take advantage of the water power available in the creek’s 400-foot fall across Bath Township. Erected by Messrs. Allen and Bloom in 1832, it was a marginal commercial success and changed hands several times during the 1800s […]
17-77 Howard Street District
The center of African-American culture in Akron during the mid-20th century, Howard Street was home to many of the city’s black-owned business and entertainment establishments, and provided an atmosphere in which minority-owned businesses could thrive. Attracted to the vitality of the neighborhood, entrepreneur George Mathews (1887-1982) established a barbershop here in 1920 and in 1925 […]
16-77 PPG Industries in Barberton, 1900-2000
Attracted by the availability of raw materials and railroad transportation, the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (PPG) built a plant here in 1899 to make soda ash for the company’s glassmaking operations. This plant began production in 1900 as the Columbia Chemical Company and represents the beginning of PPG’s diversified chemical manufacturing operations. During the 20th […]
15-77 The Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal
Officially opening on August 4, 1840, the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal followed the route of present railroad tracks through Munroe Falls approximately one thousand feet south of this marker. This 82-mile long "feeder canal" connected the Beaver Valley canal system at New Castle, Pennsylvania with the Ohio and Erie Canal in Akron, thereby linking Pittsburgh […]
14-77 Colt Barn – Anna Dean Farm
Ohio Columbus Barber, a wealthy Ohio businessman and founder of Barberton, retired in 1905 to develop his Anna Dean Farm. Built in 1910, the colt barn was a part of this 3000-acre estate. Although originally intended for bulls, the building was converted in 1912 to a stable for colts. Akron architects Harpster and Bliss designed […]
13-77 Locust Grove Cemetery Vault
Cemetery vaults were used to store bodies in winter when the ground was too frozen to break manually. Locust Grove’s vault was constructed of locally quarried sandstone in 1872. The interior showcases the mason’s skills: the walls are smooth and the ceiling is arched. Tools, markers, and cemetery supplies replaced bodies after it became possible […]
12-77 Johnson’s Corners
Thomas Johnson first came to Norton Township in 1814, and within three years he had established the township’s first sawmill along the fast-moving waters of Wolf Creek. The enterprising Johnson also erected a tavern, store, and post office, all on the northeast corner of this town square. In 1830 a grist mill was added to […]
11-77 Wesley Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
This church, founded in 1866, is the oldest Black congregation in Akron. After worshiping in several locations, the congregation held a fund-raiser to help finance the construction of a permanent home. The person collecting the most money had the privilege of renaming the church. That honor went to Mrs. Belle (Smith) Wesley. Completed in 1928, […]