On Portage Path at Merriman Road, on the right when traveling north on Portage Path.
This series of flat stones has been laid on the ground to mark the actual trail of the Portage Path as it was surveyed by Moses Warren in 1797. From here, the trail winds southwest and then southerly and up the hill through the park. Then North . . . — — Map (db m48754) HM
On Mill Street near High Street (Ohio Route 261), on the left when traveling east.
Five Depression-era strikes against many of Akron's rubber companies culminated in a giant "sit-down" strike against Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the industry's leader, in February and March of 1936. The fledgling United Rubber Workers (URW), . . . — — Map (db m43625) HM
On Copley Road (Ohio Route 162) at Diagonal Road, on the right when traveling east on Copley Road.
Side A
Born in Torrington, Connecticut, John Brown moved with his family to Hudson, Ohio, in 1805 and lived many years in Portage and Summit Counties. His expert knowledge of sheep and wool led to a business partnership with Colonel Simon . . . — — Map (db m221947) HM
On Triplett Boulevard (Ohio Route 241), on the right when traveling east.
A colossus of engineering acumen and structural steel, the Airdock was built in 1929 as the construction facility for the U.S. Navy's rigid airships, the USS Akron (1931) and USS Macon (1933). The airships, or dirigibles, served as . . . — — Map (db m43475) HM
On East Market Street (Ohio Route 18) at South College Sreet, on the right when traveling east on East Market Street.
On May 1, 1950, the Akron Community Service Center
and Urban League building opened to the public.
The Center was a gathering place for African
Americans of the community, where they addressed
workplace, education, and other issues dividing . . . — — Map (db m142804) HM
On Triplett Boulevard (Ohio Route 241) at Masillon Road, on the right when traveling east on Triplett Boulevard.
In 1951, several pioneer drag racers opened one
of the Midwest’s first drag strips known by local
racing enthusiasts as the “Fulton Airport
Champions Raceway.” For the next eight years
half-brothers Art and Walt Arfons, Otis . . . — — Map (db m142783) HM
Presented to the
All-American Soap Box Derby
by the Juneau, Alaska,
Rotary Club
Original of this pole stands at Wrangell, Alaska, where since 1890 it has served as a memorial to the Kiksadi chief, Kolteen
...the monument consists . . . — — Map (db m48713) HM
On Fairfax Road at Rampart Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Fairfax Road.
"The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future and we'll continue to follow..."
President Ronald Reagan
As the second American woman . . . — — Map (db m43539) HM
On East Mill Street at South Mill Street, on the right when traveling west on East Mill Street.
During the 20th century heyday of the rubber and tire industry in Akron, approximately 4,000 African-American men and women were employed at jobs in the big companies. World War I brought about a marked increase in opportunities and in the number . . . — — Map (db m202414) HM
On East Mill Street at South Main Street, on the right when traveling west on East Mill Street.
Prior to 1900, there were few positions for women at Akron factories that produced cereal, clay products, and farm machinery. Akron's first rubber factory, B.F. Goodrich, which opened in 1870, relied on women workers who made hundreds of products . . . — — Map (db m202413) HM
On Main Street at Market Street (Ohio Route 18/162), on the right when traveling south on Main Street.
You are near "Hall's Corners," the center of Akron's first business district, named after the general store that once stood at the corner of Market and Howard streets. Across Market Street from where you are standing, was the Empire House, the most . . . — — Map (db m48848) HM
On Ardmore Avenue at Everett Avenue, on the left when traveling east on Ardmore Avenue.
The home of
Dr. Bob & Anne Smith
from 1916 to 1950
Co-founder of
Alcoholics Anonymous
—————
The birthplace of
Alcoholics Anonymous
June 10, 1935 Akron, Ohio
This property is listed in the . . . — — Map (db m48847) HM
Side A: Elm Court
Arthur Hudson Marks (1874-1939)
Elm Court, designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw of Illinois, was built in 1912 for Arthur Hudson Marks. The original mansion exemplifies the Italian Renaissance Revival style. Elm Court . . . — — Map (db m43505) HM
On Market Street (Ohio Route 18), on the right when traveling east.
Industrialist and entrepreneur Franklin Augustus Seiberling (1859-1955) named his fledgling rubber goods manufacturing company "Goodyear" to honor Charles Goodyear, the man who invented the vulcanization process for curing rubber. Seiberling . . . — — Map (db m43451) HM
On East Mill Street at South High Street (Ohio Route 261), on the right when traveling west on East Mill Street.
In 2009, on a cool September evening in Cologne, Germany, our local delegation
eagerly awaited the announcement if Akron and Cleveland had been chosen to host the
2014 Gay Games.
Our anticipation - which had grown increasingly intense over . . . — — Map (db m202411) HM
On Glendale Avenue (Ohio Route 162), on the right when traveling west.
Built over a two-year period, from 1936-1937, by the Federal Works Progress Administration, the Glendale Steps survive as a monument to the work of stone craftsmen during the Great Depression. Spanning a 200-foot slope, the purpose of the Glendale . . . — — Map (db m43554) HM
On Oakdale Avenue at Woodland Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Oakdale Avenue.
Akron, an industrial boomtown in the early twentieth century, grew in population nearly fivefold between 1900 and 1920. As the city industrialized, middle class residents sought homes on West Hill, away from the smoke and soot of heavy industry on . . . — — Map (db m142835) HM
On Howard Street at Martin Luther King Jr Blvd (Ohio Route 59), on the right when traveling north on Howard Street.
Side A:
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 . . . — — Map (db m43566) HM
On University Avenue west of Broadway, on the right when traveling west.
Chief Prosecutor
City of Akron
1940 - 1945
Chief Assistant Prosecutor
Summit County
1965 - 1939
A dedicated public official
devoted to
Justice - Law - Equality
in Summit County — — Map (db m213950) HM
On Triplett Boulevard (Ohio Route 241), on the right when traveling east.
The innovations of Dr. Karl Arnstein (1887-1974), an aerospace industry pioneer, form the foundation for lighter-than-air technology in use today. His mathematical proof and application of modern stress analysis allowed the construction of larger, . . . — — Map (db m43454) HM
On Newton Street at Barder Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Newton Street.
This burying ground was the first public cemetery located within Akron's boundaries. It was also known as the "Old Cemetery" and the "Newton Street Cemetery." Deacon Titus Chapman donated this land in 1808 as a burying ground, and he was probably . . . — — Map (db m43444) HM
On Market Street at Exchange Street, on the right when traveling east on Market Street.
On December 21, 1818, The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ohio granted a Charter to Middlebury Lodge No. 34 marking the beginning of Freemasonry in Summit County. The Lodge was located on Case Avenue, then known as Water Street. Two . . . — — Map (db m43446) HM
On Triplett Boulevard (Ohio Route 241) at Massillon Road, on the right when traveling east on Triplett Boulevard.
To honor the pioneering spirit and enthusiam of the citizens
of Akron who supported the significant advances to
motorless flight from 1929 to 1936.
A commemorative flight today re-enacts the
first towed glider flight 50 years ago
from Akron . . . — — Map (db m156383) HM
On Portage Path / Diagonal Road at Copley Road, on the right when traveling south on Portage Path / Diagonal Road.
You are standing on the famous portage, carrying-place between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers. The two streams and the portage across the watershed formed an early route between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. First the Indians, then French and . . . — — Map (db m43550) HM
The North Terminus canoe landing of the Portage Path was located here along the Cuyahoga River. The 1797 survey of the trail began at a black cherry tree on the south bank of the river. If standing today, that tree would be in the middle of the . . . — — Map (db m48846) HM
On High Street (Ohio Route 261), on the left when traveling south.
On this site on May 29, 1851, Sojourner Truth, a former slave, gave her world famous "And Ain't I a Woman?" speech, recalling the hardships she had endured. Active in both the Abolitionist and Women's Rights Movements, she electrified an audience . . . — — Map (db m43726) HM
On South Broadway Street (Ohio Route 261) north of East State Street, on the left when traveling north.
This sacred structure, completed in 1905, has been recognized as a significant landmark in the history of both the State of Ohio and the United States of America
Placed on the
National Register of
Historic Places
by the U.S. . . . — — Map (db m202409) HM
On Portage Path at Garman Road, on the left when traveling north on Portage Path. Reported missing.
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 . . . — — Map (db m223866) HM
On University Avenue west of South Broadway Street (Ohio Route 261), on the right when traveling west.
Walter J. Nerad, Jr. •
Ted Neura •
Paul Haltsley, III •
George H. Frazee •
Frank Wilson •
Gene T. Davis •
La Valle E. Carlton •
Michael M. Medley •
Ronald M. Cantor •
Billy O. Deweese I •
Wilbur G. Wise •
Stanley K. Semler • . . . — — Map (db m202406) WM
On West North Street at Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, on the right when traveling west on West North Street.
The Ohio & Erie Canal was completed from
Cleveland to Akron in 1827. From the Mustill
Site, the canal rose 15 locks to the summit in
Akron. The “Cascade Mill Race,” built by
Dr. Eliakim Crosby in 1832, paralleled the canal,
creating a large . . . — — Map (db m142834) HM
Side A: The Gate Lodge, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
Completed in 1915, the Gate Lodge is one of several service buildings located at Stan Hywet Hall dedicated to the operations of the estate. Located at the front entrance gates, this two-story . . . — — Map (db m43509) HM
On Portage Path at Merriman Road, on the right when traveling north on Portage Path.
The Old Portage, an eight-mile overland connection between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers, was the longer of two portages used by prehistoric peoples and early settlers. This was just one link in the water route between Lake Erie and the Ohio . . . — — Map (db m48845) HM
On Portage Path at Merriman Road, on the right when traveling north on Portage Path.
The First Americans
You are standing at the North Terminus of the renewed Portage Path, which formed the vital link in the shortest and best water route between the great lake to the north and the rivers flowing south. The trail was created . . . — — Map (db m48755) HM
On Chuckery Trail, 0.1 miles west of Peck Road, on the right when traveling west.
Trees with unusual shapes were often, used by Indians as
landmarks to identify important trails. This 300 year
old Bur Oak (Guercus Macrocarpa) marked the northernmost
point of the Portage Trail, which connected the Cuyahoga
(whose course was . . . — — Map (db m161199) HM
An annual summer tradition for American youth since the 1930s, the All-American Soap Box Derby was the concept of journalist Myron E. ("Scottie") Scott, who covered an impromptu homebuilt gravity-car race in Dayton in 1933. Scott conceived and . . . — — Map (db m43477) HM
In 1785, American Indian tribal leaders from the Chippewa, Delaware, Ottawa, and Wyandot met with representatives sent by the United States Congress to sign the controversial Treaty of Fort McIntosh. The treaty surrendered control of Native . . . — — Map (db m43512) HM
In downtown Akron at the Portage Hotel, 12 September 1935, a national convention of rubber workers met and organized the United Rubber Workers of America. Convention delegates elected Sherman Dalrymple president and dedicated the URW international . . . — — Map (db m43731) HM
On University Avenue, 0 miles east of Hill Street.
Top plaque:
When the natural rubber supply from Southeast Asia was cut off at the beginning of World War II, the United States and its allies faced the loss of a strategic material. With U.S. government sponsorship, a consortium of companies . . . — — Map (db m44733) HM
On Martin Luther King Jr Blvd / Perkins Street (Ohio Route 59) at Prospect Street, on the right when traveling west on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd / Perkins Street.
This church, founded in 1866, is the oldest Black congregation in Akron. After worshipping 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 . . . — — Map (db m43501) HM
On Portage Path at Merriman Road, on the right when traveling north on Portage Path.
The Portage Path is now marked for all time in bronze to honor and memorialize the American Indian who for untold centuries preserved and cared for this land and its waterways.
During the 1990's, the Yeck Family initiated a program to research, . . . — — Map (db m48751) HM
On North Cleveland Massillon Road, on the left when traveling north.
The Yellow Crook Watershed provides visitors with 31 square miles of scenic vistas and varied terrain. Early Bath settlers harnessed the power of Yellow Creek, building more than 20 mills to spin wool and mill grain and wood. A tributary of the . . . — — Map (db m229091) HM
On West Bath Road (County Route 48) at North Cleveland-Massillon Road, on the left when traveling east on West Bath Road.
Bath Township Hall. A log meeting house, which also served both the Presbyterians and Congregationalists, was constructed here circa 1818. In 1839, a frame structure replaced the log house and served the community and the congregations until . . . — — Map (db m137210) HM
On North Cleveland Massillon Road, on the left when traveling north.
The Jonathan Hale and Jason Hammond families settled here in 1810, having purchased property from the Connecticut Land Company. Founded in 1818, Bath included three hamlets established along the "Center" road as it was called. Hammond's . . . — — Map (db m229086) HM
Near Beech Street, on the left when traveling east.
In 1888, the coal-fired Beech Street Powerhouse was built to supply power for Akron's new electric trolleys, which replaced the city's horse-drawn streetcars. Soon the plant was selling electricity to new businesses in downtown Akron, fueling rapid . . . — — Map (db m228871) HM
On North Howard Street at Martin Luther King Boulevard (Ohio Route 59), on the right when traveling north on North Howard Street.
An entrepreneur who owned and operated
the Matthews Hotel
"A business with a soul"
at 77 North Howard Street
from 1925 to 1978
Enthralled by the vitality he witnessed as a visitor to Akron in 1920, George Mathews put his . . . — — Map (db m228806) HM
The Beech Street Steam Plant was a classic example of the industrial boom in Akron. The plant originally had a two-boiler system with one smokestack, and it forced steam through pipes to downtown Akron. Steam heat was an advanced technology at the . . . — — Map (db m228870) HM