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That Summit County was among the first counties in the Western
Reserve to build towns and start the wheels of progress?
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That Ohio's great public school plan had its birth in Akron?
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That the Cuyahoga River, between. Akron and Cleveland, was
once a part of the western boundary of the 'United States?
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That Dr. Eliakim Crosby, one of the pioneer builders of Summit
County, once had plans for a great manufacturing city on North
Hill? To get power for his project, he built a dam across the
Cuyahoga River, at Cuyahoga Falls, and a canal to carry water down
through the gorge valley and around to the bluffs overlooking the
Little Cuyahoga valley. Ruins of that canal are yet to be seen
from High Level Bridge.
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That the oldest, yet traveled, road in Ohio is Portage Trail,
extending from the Cuyahoga to the Tuscarawas River? Over it
tramped the buffalo, and over it the Indians carried their canoes.
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That High Level Bridge, connecting Akron with Cuyahoga Falls,
was once the highest concrete bridge in the world?
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That Abraham Lincoln once visited Summit County? That was when
he was on his way from Illinois to Washington to be inaugurated
President of the United States. His train stopped at Hudson,
where, from the rear of his car, he spoke to hundreds of people
from all over the county.
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That it was on March 17, 1856 that the
world's greatest sleigh ride ended at Akron? In that historic
winter parade were 182 four and six horse teams, and scores of
smaller turn-outs.
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That one of the first horseless vehicles in Ohio was made in
Akron? It appeared on the streets in 1890, and was operated by
steam, with coal as fuel. It was the forerunner of the present
automobile.
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That Akron was the first city in the world to build a.
gigantic electric light mast for lighting purposes? People back on
the farms were told they would no longer have any use for
lanterns.
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That the world's first long distance electric street railway
was built here? It extended from Akron to Cleveland, and was built
in 1895.
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That the first brass band in northern Ohio was organized in
Cuyahoga Falls and often went. to Cleveland by canal boat to help
Cleveland celebrate?
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That Akron built the first electric police patrol wagon in
1899 ?
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That the first coal ever used on Lake Erie steamers came from
coal mines in Tallmadge Township and was shipped from Cuyahoga
Falls to Cleveland on canal boats?
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That it was while he was living in Hudson that John Brown
conceived the idea and made plans for freeing the slaves of the
south? His mother is buried in the old Hudson cemetery, close to
the graves of Deacon David Hudson, founder of Hudson, and his
family.
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That the picturesque and historic old Congregational Church at
Tallmadge was built largely by men who fought in the Revolutionary
War and were friends of George Washington? It is the oldest house
of worship in Ohio in which services are yet being held.
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That Summit County has the greatest organization, of its kind,
in the world? It is the child of memories. It recognizes all
religious creeds. The poorest man or woman is the equal of the
richest. That organization is the Fifty Year Club.
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That the first newspaper in Summit County was the "Ohio
Review"? It was published at Cuyahoga Falls by Horace Canfield in
1833.
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That the first newspaper in Akron was "The Buzzard," published
in 1838 by S. A. Lane?
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That the first automobile show in Akron was held in 1907?
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That the town pump was the principal meeting place when Akron
was getting started down around Exchange and Main Streets?
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First settler in Akron was Major Miner Spicer, who came from
Connecticut and built a log cabin in 1811.
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First fraternal organization here was started by the Masons in
Middlebury (now East Akron) in 1815.
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General Simon Perkins founded the town of Akron in 1825.
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First canal completed in 1827. First passenger boat out of
Akron to Cleveland July 3, 1827.
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First church organization in Akron was First Presbyterian
Church, started in Middlebury (now East Akron) in 1831.
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First flour mill was known as "Old Stone Mill" and completed
in 1833.
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First charter election held on second Tuesday of June, 1836.
First Mayor was Seth Irede11, a Quaker.
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First boat arrived here from Pennsylvania on the second canal,
August 6, 1840.
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First news of the creation of Summit County came from Columbus
by stagecoach in 1840.
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First water company was organized in 1840, by people living on
West Market Street. Was a private enterprise, water being piped
from a spring.
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Akron's first band was known as "Akron Brass Band," organized
in 1840 by Henry S. Abbey.
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First President of the United States to visit Akron was John
Quincy Adams. Arrived here in 1843 on a canal boat and helped
dedicate first Court House.
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First bank in Akron was known as "Bank of Akron," a branch of
the Ohio Safety Fund System, and was started in 1845.
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First matches here were made in 1845 in a shed in Middlebury
by George Barber, father of 0. C. Barber, who became the world's
"Match King."
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In 1846, Akron's Public School plan was born and adopted
throughout the state.
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First telegraph line in Akron was in 1847. All messages were
in shape of "dots and dashes."
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First County Fair held on old Court House grounds in 1850.
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First railroad train to arrive in Akron was on July 4, 1852.
The road extended from Hudson to Akron, and is yet in operation.
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First High School in Akron was "Old Jennings," opened in 1853.
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First musical organization here, outside of the early brass
bands, was the Liedertafel, organized in 1853 by 13 German
singers.
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Greatest sleigh ride in history was held here in March of
1856.
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All church bells in Akron tolled on December 2, 1859, when
John Brown was being hanged for his attack on Harper's Ferry.
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Ferdinand Schumacher, who became the world's "Oat Meal King,"
made his first oatmeal here in 1860 and peddled it around in a
push cart.
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In 1864, Lewis Miller started the Buckeye Mower and Reaper
Works, once Akron's greatest industry. The following year, J. F.
Seiberling started the Empire Mower and Reaper Works.
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Early Akron's historic rolling mill was built. in 1866.
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Dr. B. F. Goodrich came here in 1870 and built the first
rubber plant.
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On July 4, 1871, Horace Greeley, famous New York editor, laid
cornerstone of Buchtel College.
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In 1872, Middlebury was annexed to Akron and became the Sixth
Ward.
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First balloon flight in Akron was on Old Hall Fair Grounds in
1873. The balloonist was John Johnson, Northampton Town-
! ship farmer.
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In 1875, the late Paul E. Werner started the once great Werner
Printing and Lithographing Plant. For years, it was the largest
printing establishment in the country.
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General Lucius V. Bierce, Akron's first historian, was buried
here in 1876.
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First typewriter in Akron was used by Nathan A. Means in the
office of the Buckeye Mower and Reaper Works in 1876.
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First telephone line in Akron extended from residence of Dr.
B. F. Goodrich, on Water Street, out to his little rubber plant,
in 1877.
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First free mail delivery here came in 1879.
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First attempt to regulate traffic in Akron came in 1880, when
council passed an ordinance limiting the speed of horse-drawn
street cars to four miles an hour.
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In 1886, fire destroyed nearly all of Ferdinand Schumacher's
great cereal mill.
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The year 1888 marked the coming of electric street cars and
the passing of horse and mule-drawn cars.
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In 1889, Michael O'Neil and Isaac Dyas, progressive young
merchants, pioneered the way for mercantile life into Main Street.
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First horseless vehicle was built and operated by Achille
Philion in 1890. Was operated by steam and went four miles an
hour. It was the forerunner of the automobile.
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It was in 1897 that Akron's famous playhouse, The Academy of
Music, burned.
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In 1898, Frank A. Seiberling was the guiding spirit in
building the Goodyear Rubber Plant.
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The night of December 20, 1899, all of Akron witnessed the
burning of Buchtel College.
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First electric police patrol wagon was made here in 1899 by
Frank Loomis.
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The great Firestone Rubber Plants got their start in 1900.
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Akron City Hospital, first in the city, was dedicated in 1904.
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First wireless message received in Akron came from Cleveland
in 1905.
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Ground was broken in 1905 for the present Court House.
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First radio outfit was brought to Akron by Jack J. Gritton in
1912. First Broadcasting Station was WOE in 1921.
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Greatest flood in Akron's history was in the spring of 1913.
It meant the death of the canal.
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During the first World War, and continuing two years after the
Armistice in 1918, Akron was the busiest and fastest growing city
in the world.
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On October 12, 1922, Akron celebrated the opening of Main
Street Viaduct.
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In 1925, Akron celebrated her centennial anniversary.
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Akron's greatest thrill came on September 23, 1931, when the
U. S. S. Akron — "Queen of the Skies" — made her maiden trip.
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First Post Office in Akron was located in a dwelling house,
corner of Water and Exchange, following building of Ohio canal.
First Postmaster was Woolsey Wells.
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First society in Akron for fighting fires was known as "Akron
Fire Company" in the early forties. Had 25 charter members.
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There's old. And then there's old. Much of
Main Street went up between 1910 and 1930. But the red-brick
Kaiser Building (325 S. Main) predates that building boom by half
a century. The ornate Victorian Gothic structure was built in 1871
as a hardware store, just six years after the Civil War ended.
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For a decade, the entrance to the Akron Civic
Theatre (182 S. Main) was the gateway to nowhere. It was built for
the Hippodrome, a theater that never happened. Construction ended
at the double doors to the grand lobby when the owners ran out of
money.
