The founding of the Akron Fire Department dates all the way back to 1839 when Akron Council provided for the creation of volunteer companies to replace the Fire Warden. The “North Akron Fire Company” was formed on December 11, 1839. The first fire engine house was erected in 1841.
Busy day at Akron’s Central Fire Station. A crowd gathers to watch firemen practice their skills.
This five-story apartment building (built 1901), stood on Park Street across from Grace Park and overlooked the city’s Union Station. Amelia Flats was one of Akron’s earliest apartment houses. Constructed by Horace B. Camp as upscale apartments in a neighborhood where Akron’s elite families lived. Neighbors would have included names like Barber, Buchtel, Firestone, Hower, and…
Founded in 1907 by S. E. Duff, Star Rubber Goods was one of Akron’s earliest rubber manufacturers. In 1916 the company entered the tire manufacturing business, having previously made druggists’ rubber sundries. The company was reported to have a capacity for 750 tubes and 600 tires a day.
Akron Fire Department has a long and proud history dating all the way back to 1839 when Akron Council provided for the creation of volunteer companies to replace the Fire Warden. The “North Akron Fire Company” was formed on December 11, 1839. The first fire engine house was erected in 1841.
Mill Street looking west was a busy place. The five-story Hotel Buchtel was opened in 1884 on the southeast corner of Main and Mill Streets. It featured a hydraulic-powered elevator, electric lights in every room and bathrooms on every floor. – S.A. Freedlander Optician, Hotel Buchtel European Rooms
In 1904, the Akron-based Central Savings Bank merged with the Akron Trust Company to form Central Savings & Trust Company. In 1947, the First National Bank of Akron took control of the Central Savings and converted to a commercial bank. At that time the tower took on the name “First National Tower”.
This is Akron’s first YMCA building. The organization would outgrow this building by the 1920’s and replace it with a 16-story Art Deco building in 1931. The Young Men’s Christian Association, commonly known as simply the Y, is an organization founded on putting Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy “body, mind, and spirit”.
Started in 1894 under the name Sherbondy Rubber Company, In 1896 the company changed its name to the Diamond Rubber Company. Diamond Rubber was founded by famed industrialist Ohio C. Barber, president of the Diamond Match Company.
Looking down on Akron’s Main Street gives a picture of how vibrant and busy this city was in its heyday.
Vintage Postcard view c.1909 of Street Car Barns in Akron, Ohio
In the six years after its 1921 founding, The Seiberling Rubber Company grew to be the world’s 7th largest tire producer. During World War II, the company supplied tires for heavy artillery pieces. The company was eventually acquired by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. While Seiberling tires are no longer sold in the US…
Spicer street bears the name of a true Akron pioneer. Miner Spicer, born in 1776, came to Portage Township (Akron) with his family in 1811. Along with his wife, Cynthia, and their children Avery, 11, Lucinda, 10, Cynthia, 8, Phoebe, 6, Temperance, 3, Emily, 2, and Lydia, 4 months,the Spicers became the Portage Township’s first white settlers.…
Main Street, Akron, Ohio.
The High Bridge Glens and Caves Park, located along the Cuyahoga River in Cuyahoga Falls, was a popular tourist destination in the late 1800s. The park attracted as many as 8,000 visitors per day. The entire area is currently submerged behind the NOT&L “Edison” Dam.
A crowded parking lot at Akron’s popular amusement park, Summit Beach Park on the shores of Summit Lake.
The North Hill Viaduct was an impressive structure. At 2810 feet long, 72 feet wide and 135 feet high at the river, it made a lasting impression on anyone viewing it. This longtime iconic symbol of Akron was destroyed and replaced by the All American Y Bridge.
“The Toboggan at Silver Lake (six miles north of Akron) is one of the most attractive features of this popular resort. During the summer season, thousands of visitors are whirled through the air on these cars at a breathtaking rate of speed. In addition to the Toboggan, the Silver Lake Company provides swimming, boating, and…
A gift from Colonel Simon Perkins to the people of Akron, Grace Park (named for his wife) was one of two parks provided by Perkins. The other was Union Park.
With a history dating back to 1890, Grace School served the community for nearly 90 years. The school was named for Grace Perkins. The elementary school was located at West Exchange Street and South Maple Street in Akron. The school closed in 1977 and was demolished in 2002.
In 1912, after several years of success, the Diamond Rubber Company was merged into competitor B. F. Goodrich.
Camp Ledgewood was established in 1931 with 350 acres near Akron, Ohio in Peninsula. The camp boundaries are within the modern day Cuyahoga Valley National Park.