Honoring the past; shaping the future
What kind of place inspires oatmeal and punk rock? Tires and canals? AA and POTUS? Akron-Canton has deep roots that require respect. Without roots, there is no tree.
The Akron History Center in downtown Akron is now under construction to open before the City’s bicentennial celebration in 2025. Framed by Locks 2, 3 and 4 of the old Ohio & Erie Canal, the building on South Main Street—itself historic— will have three fl oors of exhibits highlighting the growth of the city on the hill. Indigenous artifacts found on the Portage Path, hardware from the canal’s construction, music from our place in punk rock history—no part of the city’s evolution will be overlooked. The $2 million cost is being covered by private and public grants and gifts.
Hale Farm and Village in Bath Township is an outdoor living history museum that was once the homestead of one of the area’s fi rst white settlers. It has 32 historic buildings, farm animals, handcrafting demonstrations and heritage gardens.
COOL THING: Tap in at the Maple Sugaring Festival, complete with pancake breakfast. wrhs.org
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, built by the founding family of Goodyear, is a 65-room example of the American Country Estate period set on 70 acres of green space and historic gardens in Akron. USA Today called the guided tour the best historic home tour in America. The Manor House, constructed in 1912-15, is in the Tudor Revival style. The English garden was done by pioneering female architect Ellen Biddle Shipman and is one of the only Shipman gardens open to the public. The Gate Lodge is the site of the fi rst meeting of Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson, founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.
MUST GO: Ohio Mart, an outdoor market with Elizabethan fl air and Deck the Hall, one of the largest lights displays in Ohio. stanhywet.org
Colonel Simon Perkins, Jr, the son of Akron’s founder, built a Greek Revival home in west Akron in 1837 that is known today as the Perkins Stone Mansion. It is open for self-guided and guided tours. Across the street is the 1830 home of abolitionist John Brown. Perkins farmed 1,300 head of sheep with Brown’s assistance, thus earning the name of Mutton Hill. Tickets include both homes.
DON’T MISS: a sheep herding demonstration with border collies. summithistory.org
A 96-foot-high dome of pink granite in Canton marks the final resting place of William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States. The bodies of McKinley and his wife lie side by side in two green granite sarcophagi. The William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum is adjacent to the tomb.
TRY THIS: Kids can slide down a firepole at the museum’s Street of Shops, a replica of a historic town that includes a fire station. mckinleymuseum.org
The First Ladies National Historic Site consists of two properties in downtown Canton, the home of First Lady Ida Saxton-McKinley and a visitor center. Visitors learn about how the position of First Lady has evolved over time. Tours start at the visitor center where you’ll find The National First Ladies Library, the foremost repository of scholarly research about the First Ladies of the United States.
DON’T MISS: An exhibit on the life of the elegant Jackie O runs through April 2024. firstladies.org
The Akron Civic Theatre on South Main Street was built in 1929 by Marcus Loew and designed by famed theater architect John Eberson. The interior structure was fashioned after a Moorish castle. The Civic is one of only five remaining atmospheric theaters in the country where patrons experience a twinkling star-lit sky on the ceiling inside the auditorium. The Grand Lobby has been restored to its former glory and an additional performance space called the Knight Stage allows intimate shows. A deck overlooking Lock 3 Park and spectacular murals bring the theater experience outside and into the 21st century better than ever.
CHECK OUT: Wild Oscar’s, a new 60- seat venue underneath the Civic and open to Lock 4. akroncivic.com
The Rubber Worker in the center of downtown is a 12-foot high cast bronze statue of a man wrapping a tire with rubber. Rubber built Akron, and we never forget it. Across from the statue is a plaza paved with bricks dedicated to Akron’s rubber workers. It includes a kiosk to view and listen to archival footage and oral histories.
FOR MORE: Read about Akron and rubber in Wheels of Fortune by Steve Love and David Giffels. Available on Amazon.
