Cascade Valley in Akron in Summit County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

When Flour was Power

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 24, 2025

1. When Flour was Power Marker

Inscription. The completion of the Ohio & Erie Canal triggered Akron's first economic boom in the 1830s. Paralleling the canal, the Cascade Race supplied water power to many mills, including Ferdinand Schumacher's Cascade Mills, which ground wheat into flour. Canal boats transported flour and other agricultural products north to Cleveland and south to Portsmouth. From there, other boats completed the journey to hungry markets in New York or as far south as New Orleans.

Did you know here at Lock 14, the millstones in Schumacher's Cascade Mills were turned by a giant waterwheel 35 feet in diameter? As big as a Ferris wheel, its iron buckets were filled from the top by water flowing from a dam high on the Cascade Race.

Erected by Summit Metro Parks.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 41° 5.449′ N, 81° 31.078′ W. Marker is in Akron, Ohio, in Summit County. It is in Cascade Valley. It is on East North Street. The marker is in Cascade Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address:

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60 E North St, Akron OH 44304, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dynamics of Change in Cascade Locks Park (a few steps from this marker); The Canal Basin (within shouting distance of this marker); How Can Water Going Down Make A Boat Go Up? (within shouting distance of this marker); Ferdinand Schumacher's Cascade Mills Stood Here (within shouting distance of this marker); Wheel Power (within shouting distance of this marker); The Cascade Race (within shouting distance of this marker); Generations of Power (within shouting distance of this marker); The Oatmeal King (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Akron.

Cascade Locks Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 24, 2025

2. Cascade Locks Park

The centerpiece of Cascade Locks Park is a waterwheel figure based upon the waterwheel that once stood at this site.

Cascade Mills image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cascade Locks Park Association

3. Cascade Mills

This location is the former site of the Schumacher Mill. Ferdinand Schumacher would become known as "The Oatmeal King."

Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 107 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 16, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.