History of Summit County

10/10/2026

Ferdinand Schumacher Family Plot, Glendale Cemetery, Akron. Section 16, Lot 16.

Known as the “Oatmeal King,” Ferdinand Schumacher (1822–1908) helped make Akron a major name in the cereal industry. His work with rolled oats helped pave the way for what eventually became Quaker Oats.

His family plot includes his wife, Hermine Schumacher, and other relatives, including Dora Schumacher and members of the Schwandt family.

Pretty cool to think about how much of Akron’s history is tied to something as simple as a bowl of oatmeal!

And speaking of oatmeal, there’s no better time to celebrate this part of Akron’s history than tomorrow at the 2nd Annual Akron Oatmeal Festival at Cascade Locks Park!

There will be live music, local vendors, history, oatmeal tastings and plenty more. Who knew oatmeal had such a story behind it?

If you’ve never been to an oatmeal festival, here’s your chance to change that!

Come check it out tomorrow, Saturday, October 10, from noon to 5 PM. Akron history lovers, unite!

10/09/2026

Remembering the Original East Hight Part 3
49 N Martha Ave, Akron, OH 44305

•East High School from 1919 to 1931

•Goodyear Junior High School from 1955 to 1983

•Goodyear Middle School from 1983 to 2008

•Seiberling Elementary School from 2011 to 2014

For over 90 years, the old school building on Martha Avenue was a cornerstone of East Akron. Opened in 1919, it originally served as East High School, educating students during the booming industrial era when Akron was known as the "Rubber Capital of the World." The building's grand stone entryways and classic design reflected the pride the community had in public education and its future.

In 1955, East High moved to a new campus on Brittain Road. The original building was then renamed Goodyear Junior High, serving students in grades 7–9, many of whom were the children of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. workers who lived just blocks away. Then, in 1983, it transitioned once again, becoming Goodyear Middle School and educating thousands of Akron youth in grades 7 and 8 until its closure in 2011.

During those decades, the halls of this school saw it all science fairs and talent shows, basketball games and band practice, snow days and graduation dreams. The school played a pivotal role in the lives of generations, shaping friendships, careers, and community identity. Whether you knew it as East High, Goodyear Junior, or Goodyear Middle, chances are, if you grew up in East Akron, this building was part of your story.

In 2008, Goodyear Middle School closed its doors for good after decades of serving the community. The 159,000-square-foot building was left behind when Akron Public Schools merged Goodyear with East High to create the new East Community Learning Center, which officially opened on Brittain Road in 2010.

But the old building wasn’t done just yet.

From 2011 to 2014, Seiberling Elementary’s 500 students temporarily filled its halls while waiting for their brand-new school to be built just down the road at 400 Brittain. This was all part of Akron’s massive $800 million school modernization project—a bold effort to rebuild or renovate nearly every public school in the city

2023 East end allowed my friend and I to tour the building and document and even salvage a few books of sheet music. I'm lucky to have visited this building and experienced it for myself.

Now, after years of neglect, June 9th 2025 demolition commenced. In 2024, the state approved $1.4 million for asbestos removal and location cleanup. The site will become part of a broader redevelopment plan tied to the former Goodyear corporate campus, which already features new apartments, retail, a hotel, and the Goodyear Theater. The school site itself will soon be home to 160 units of mixed-income housing a new chapter for the community.

Still, for many of us, it's hard to watch a place filled with so much history and memory disappear. That building wasn’t just bricks and mortar, it was a place of first friendships, favorite teachers, awkward school dances, and personal milestones. The echoes of students past still live in its empty halls.

Let’s take a moment to honor this space not just as a building, but as a foundation for thousands of lives. Share your memories below: what did this school mean to you? 💬👇



Thank you for all your ongoing support, as always ❤️
If you enjoy my historical adventures, feel free to give me a like and share

10/07/2026

10/07/2026

The 2nd Annual Akron Oatmeal Festival is happening October 10 at Cascade Locks Park!

Akron history lovers, unite! Before rubber, Akron’s canals and the cereal industry helped put the city on the map, there’s a lot of history behind the story of oatmeal in Akron.

From 12–5 PM, there’ll be live music, food, local artists and vendors, history, goats, magic, activities, an oatmeal tasting bar, and even a Ferdinand Schumaker look-alike contest and parade. I’m so excited for this one!

Basically, a little bit of everything packed into one afternoon.

Come hang out, support local businesses and enjoy one of Akron’s coolest historic parks.

October 10 | 12–5 PM | Cascade Locks Park

🔗 Event details: https://facebook.com/events/s/akron-oatmeal-festival/2161859734601309/

More info: cascade-locks.org

10/07/2026

10/01/2026

🏭 Akron, Ohio | The Mohawk Rubber Company

When we think of Akron's rubber industry, we usually think of Firestone, B.F. Goodrich, and Goodyear. You know, the companies that literally helped build this city. But there were so many other rubber companies here that were also part of Akron's history, and Mohawk Rubber was one of them.

Mohawk was incorporated in 1913 after a group of local investors purchased the former Stein Double Cushion Tire & Rubber Company plant in East Akron. They started out producing around 50 tires a day, but business grew quickly. By 1924, the factory was producing around 1,500 tires and 2,200 inner tubes daily. That's a pretty big jump from where they started!

The company continued to grow over the years, eventually expanding beyond Akron. In 1973, Mohawk moved its headquarters to Hudson, Ohio.

I love finding pieces of Akron's industrial history like this because there's so much more to the story than just the big names we all know. So many companies, factories, and workers helped shape this city, and I think their stories deserve to be remembered, too.

Akron-Summit County Public Library, Past Pursuits: Along the Mohawk Trail: Akron's Mohawk Rubber Company

10/01/2026

Huntington Tower, Downtown Akron

Built in 1931, Huntington Tower has been part of Akron’s skyline for generations. Originally the First National Bank Building, this 27-story Art Deco building is still the tallest in Akron.

My research hub is the main library downtown, so every time I head out for one of my walks, I always make sure to stop and take a picture of this beauty. I never get tired of looking at it!

The details on this building are so cool, especially the terra cotta work and the eagle above the entrance. I’d love to see the inside of this place someday. I can only imagine what the old banking spaces look like, and I would LOVE to get up to the top and see Akron from that bird’s-eye view. Imagine looking out over the city and seeing all the places we know from up there!

The building has gone by several names over the years, including First National, First Central, and FirstMerit, before becoming Huntington Tower. It even has a little broadcasting history, with WAKR radio studios on the ground floor from 1940 to 1953.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Definitely one of those Akron buildings I’d love to explore more!

Has anyone ever been inside or gotten to see the view from the top? I ever so badly want to document the inside!

09/30/2026

🏛️ Akron, Ohio | The Hamilton Building

I was working on my Huntington Tower post when I stumbled across this old postcard. I had no idea this building used to stand there! One thing I love about researching Akron's history is that I always end up finding something new.

This is the Hamilton Building on South Main Street in downtown Akron.

In 1918, the building became home to Central Savings & Trust Company and also housed other businesses, including J. Koch & Co.

Can you imagine walking down Main Street back then, with all these beautiful old buildings and streetcars traveling through downtown? I would have loved to see Akron during this time. I've always been told that you could smell rubber, fresh bread, and oats around Akron. Can you imagine what downtown smelled like back then?

Sadly, the Hamilton Building was eventually demolished to make way for a new skyscraper. Construction on the First Central Trust Building began in 1929, and it was completed in 1931. Over the years, the tower became known by several names, including First National Bank Tower and FirstMerit Tower. Today, it's known as Huntington Tower.

I LOVE finding old photos and postcards like this. It's fascinating to see what once stood in places we pass by today and realize just how much the city has changed over the years. There's always another piece of Akron's history waiting to be discovered.

📸 Akron postcards . com

09/29/2026

Before I post anything else, I just want to say this. I was reading through all the comments on my Polsky’s post, and I kept thinking, wow, I would have loved to experience the magic of Christmas in old downtown Akron.

I think one of my favorite things about doing all the Akron history stuff is getting to see Akron through other people's eyes. I take pictures of these buildings, make memories with my friends, do my research, and then I get to hear all the amazing stories and memories people have of when these places were bright and full of life.

I absolutely love that part of it. It gives me so much more respect for these buildings and the history they hold. Hearing how much they mean to people makes the fight to save them feel that much more important. It pushes me to keep going with my advocacy because these buildings aren't just bricks and mortar. They're a part of people's lives, their memories, our cultural landscape, and, when done right, they can be an economic asset to the community, too.

And I think that's something worth fighting for.