Summit County Historical Society

With all the events we’ve been having at the Summit County Historical Society, we need some extra hands to keep the grounds looking nice.  The United Way organizes the Day of Action every year to connect local businesses with volunteer opportunities.  We’ve been blessed to have the wonderful folks from FirstEnergy Corp. come to our properties every year.  This year they helped organize the Carriage House and prepare the grounds for the Bobby Horton Concert.  Thank you everyone!

Of course, we are always looking for volunteers to lend a hand throughout the year for various projects and programs.  If you are interested in volunteering at the Summit County Historical Society please send an email to our Volunteer Coordinator at melinda@summithistory.org

Thanks to all our volunteers at SCHS!  You make history within reach!

Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of hosting Bobby Horton, a multi-instrumentalist, composer and music historian from Alabama.  He performed a selection of Civil War music on the Perkins Stone Mansion front porch from 2:00pm - 4:00pm.  The concert was a huge success and drew at least 400 visitors to the grounds!  Other attractions included free tours of the Perkins Stone Mansion and John Brown House, a General Store, games and crafts for children, and encampments from the 29th O.V.I, Ladies Auxillary, the 28th Alabama regiment, and a Texas Regiment, Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and the James A. Garfield Camp No. 142 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW).

Thanks to everyone that visited and supported SCHS on Saturday!  Please visit our Facebook page for more pictures of the event.  If you missed the event on Saturday, mark your calendar for August 27.  The 29th O.V.I. will return for a reenactment on the lawn from 11:00am-3:00pm.  Once again, this event is free!

May 6th was the 2011 Green & Clean in downtown Akron, organized by Downtown Akron Partnership.  SCHS had the pleasure of participating in the afternoon and helped to pick of trash in the parking lots.  We started in the lot behind Lock 3 Park (apparently where all the fireworks from the Aeros games land) and hiked down to Exchange Street, back up Broadway, and around to High St. Despite all the rain, our Green & Clean volunteers Lydia Bozeman, Laurie Gillis, Melinda Sedelmeyer, Leianne Neff Heppner, and Charlotte Gintert had a great time sprucing up downtown.

We also had the pleasure of chatting with Mayor Don Plusquellic.

Also, a big thank you goes out to the anonymous citizen that left a $20 donation to SCHS in the Greystone Hall parking lot!

At the 2011 Annual Meeting held on April 27, it was announced by Board President Rich Comstock that the Summit County Historical Society will be hosting a new awards ceremony on October 8, 2011 at Greystone Hall.

The Summit Awards will honor those individuals from Akron and Summit County whose  inspirational accomplishments touched the nation and the world.  The honorary chair of the event is Dr. W. Gerald Austen.

The 2011 Recipients are as follows:

Shirley Fry Irvin - In the 1950’s, she was the #1 womens tennis player in the world and one of only twelve to win all five major Opens.  Her father owned a shop on Exchange St. where he strung tennis rackets.

James Polshek - As an architect, Polshek is well known for designing the John S. Knight Center. National Inventors Hall of Fame, Clinton Presidential Center and most recently the Newseum, news museum in Washington, D.C.  He grew up in Akron and was inspired from local influences.

Ara Parsegain - A native of Akron who is being recognized for his humanitarianism efforts in funding research on Neimann-Pic disease that has been the cause of death for three of his grandchildren.  Others will know him as the coach of Northwestern University and head coach at Notre Dame.

Dolores Parker Morgan - She was one of Duke Ellington’s early vocalists.  She performed in theaters across the United States.  Her husband, Dr. Gates Morgan, became the medical director at Firestone Tire & Rubber Company.  She still lives in Akron.

John S. and James L. Knight - The Knight brothers are being honored for their philanthropic efforts on a national scale. (Deceased)

Fritz Pollard - the first African American to be a head coach of a professional football team.  He was a trailblazer earning a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. (Deceased)

Lewis Miller - this local inventor had a number of patents and businesses but he’s most well known as the father-in-law of Thomas Edison. Miller founded the Chautauqua Institution and the Akron Sunday School plan.

Please join us October 8 for this special celebration!

From the Barberton Historical Society:

Saturday, April 23, 2011 - Have Gun Will Travel

On Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 9:00am, the Barberton HIstorical Society will take possession and move the Lake Anna Cannon which has been stored, for the last three years, at the Barberton Street Garage at 677 Brady Ave., Barberton.  The cannon will be transported by crane to the O.C. Barber Piggery at 248 E. Robinson Ave.

The cannon is a 1917 - 155mm GPF gun that was used by the U.S. in both World War I and World War II.  The cannon was then given to the City of Barberton in 1946 where it was displayed at Lake Anna Park and used for the next 60 years as a playground by every child in Barberton.

After the Lake Anna Cannon is moved we will be removing a 1000# bronze bell from the former U.B. Church in Barberton.  This historic 1892 church located at 185 Third Street NW, has been restored and adaptively reused as Faith Gym, a high tech Christian exercise facility, that has garnered attention all over the U.S, and even landed an article in the current issue of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

The solid bronze bell has been donated to the Barberton Historical Society by Al Horvath, owner of Faith Gym.  The historical society intends to restore the bell and permanently mount it on a trailer so that it can be used at the Barberton Mum Fest each September.

Both the cannon and the bell will first be displayed at the Pig Barn at our 21st annual free Anna Dean Farm Walking Tour on May 22, 2011.

For more information call 330-830-1444 or email Barbertonhistsoc@aol.com.

Staff member Charlotte Gintert and her husband and SCHS volunteer Michael Gintert attended the Ohio Wheelmen Memorabilia Meet at the Bicycle Museum of America in New Bremen on Saturday, March 19.

They brought three bicycles from SCHS’s collection and a table top exhibit about this history of cycling in Akron.

All three of the bicycles were the hits of the show and the experts at the Bicycle Museum were able to share a great deal more about them.  The oldest bicycle in the collection is a Velocipede or “Boneshaker” that dates from about 1865-1870.  It is made of hand forged iron and wood.  The wheels are wrapped with thin metal “tires.”  This style is the first type of velocipede to have pedals.  Previously, they were propelled by “walking” along while straddling the vehicle.  These were commonly known as the “dandy horse.” When the pedals where developed, the boneshaker replaced the Dandy Horse.  It received its nickname because of the bone shaking ride the early cyclists had on the rigid wooden machine on the bumpy roads.   The experts at the Bicycle Museum believe our boneshaker was built by a local blacksmith for a child since it is smaller than the other surviving models.  They were very impressing with its condition.

The second bicycle is what is called an Oridinary, Penny Farthing, or High Wheel Bicycle.  These are the most recognizable of the antique bicycles because of the large front wheel and the smaller rear wheel.  This is the first two wheeled vehicle to be called a bicycle.  The Ordinary expert at the museum knew all about SCHS’s bike.  It is a Royal Mail that was built in either 1885 or 1886 in Birmingham, England.  The Royal Mails were imported to the United States by William Reed & Sons.  According to our records, it was purchased in 1889 for $135 (over $3, 200.00 today!).  At the time, the Royal Mail was considered to be the top of the line bicycle.  It was one of the first to have tangent spokes and what is known as a ball head, cutting edge advancements in cycling technology.  According to the experts, with a few adjustments, this bicycle would be rideable today!

The third bicycle brought to the meet was a “Quad” or four person bicycle.  It was hand built in Akron by Leonard Grismer in 1950 and hung in his North Hill Bicycle Shop for many years.   They had quite the time getting this bicycle in and out of SCHS’s cargo van and up the stairs at the Bicycle Museum, but everyone enjoyed seeing this unique Akron piece, especially the children.

The table top exhibit focused on the history of cycling in Akron, especially the original Akron Bicycle Club and its members.  The 1885 team roster highlights the elite membership of the renowned team that raced at Akron’s Fountain Park and traveled to Cleveland and Canton for regional competitions.  Some of the members included Charles W. Seiberling, Charles and Clarence Howland, Kenyon Conger, William T. Sawyer, Bertram Work, and Jay Steese.

The Bicycle Museum of America is home to hundreds of historic, rare, and unique bicycles dating from time of the Dandy Horse to today.  There are also many other bicycle related items on display on the three floors of the museum.  For more information on the Bicycle Museum of America, please visit their website.

It is located on the historic Main Street in New Bremen, Ohio just beside the Miami and Erie Canal, a perfect place to take a bike ride.  For more information on the Ohio Wheelmen and their events, please visit visit ohiowheelmen.org and for information on the national organization, The Wheelmen, please visit thewheelmen.org.

SCHS’s bicycles and the exhibit will be featured at the Akron History Exhibit at Lock 3 this season, so please stop by to learn more about Akron’s rich cycling history.

Also, beginning in June, The Summit County Historical Society is partnering with Metro Parks Serving Summit County  for Akron History Walks in downtown Akron and History Bicycle Rides along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.  Visit our events page for more information.

Members of the Board and staff of The Summit County Historical Society attended the 2001 Women of the Year Awards dinner last night, March 15, to honor Ruth Wright Clinefelter who had been given the Posthumous Award.

Ruth was passionate about history and worked in both her professional and volunteer life to encourage the community to value history.

Ruth was a bibliographer at the University of Akron’s Bierce Library for many years.  She also served on the board of the Women’s History Project.  She assisted with Chuck Ayers and Russ Musarra in their recent publication, Walks Around Akron, and personally compiled the materials for Greetings From Akron:  Celebrating Akron’s History in Picture Postcards.  Ruth was recognized for her work on Women of Summit County:  A Self-Guided Tour by the Ohio Association for Historical Societies and Museums (OAHSM) along with Faye Dambrot and Elaine Young.  In 2009, she was received an Individual Achievement Award from OAHSM.

Ruth had long been a fixture at SCHS.  She began serving on the Board of Trustees in 1980 and was awarded Emeritus status in 2008.  She and fellow volunteer Betty Rolenz worked tirelessly for years to organize and research SCHS’s extensive clothing collection.  Ruth passed away last year.  She is loved and missed by all at SCHS.

SCHS Executive Director Leianne Neff Heppner accepted the award along with Ruth’s sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Michael Koly.  The dinner was held at the University of Akron’s Martin Center.   The other recipients of the 2011 Awards were Patricia A. Wyatt of the North Hill Community House, Linda Lowe Fry of Downtown Akron Partnership, Kathy Taylor of The Summa Foundation, Susan Hunt of Safe Landing Youth Shelter, Jody Miller Konstand of NewsNite Akron, Paula Davis of Keep Akron Beautiful, Joan Dorow of the Williard Church Food Pantry, and Amani Abraham, a student at the University of Akron.  Judith A. Read was awarded the Elizabeth Butchel Award for philanthropy.  For more information of the Women’s History Project visit their website.

Clip of Leianne’s Acceptance Speech on behalf of Ruth Wright Clinefelter’s Women of the Year Award

The new KeyBank building recently opened at the corner of University and Main Streets this past month and held its grand opening on February 24th.  The new 21,000-square-foot, three-story glass and metal construction replaces KeyBank’s branch that was located at Bowery St.

The lot faces Lock 3 park and has been vacant for at least twenty years.   Prior to the demolition of the previous structure, this lot housed a number of business, most notably a Zimmerly Bros. Store.  The new building is located in the South Main Street Historic district, which includes such structures as the Civic Theater, The Mayflower building, the Polsky Building and the O’Neil building.  To touch on this fact, the bank decided to highlight the history of the area inside the lobby.  Visitors and customers can view a permanent exhibit located just inside the Main Street entrance that features an historic map and photographs of Main Street.  It covers the history of the area from Akron’s Canal age to the present day.  The exhibit also discusses how Main St. became the commercial center of the city after the closing of the P & O Canal which had flowed down its center.  The Summit County Historical Society performed the research and selection of the photographs and the exhibit was designed and constructed by George Laurence and Jon Conklin of Musacrylics.

George Laurence, Leianne Neff Heppner, and Jon Conklin

The Grand Opening celebration was well attended and featured a ribbon cutting by KeyBank and City of Akron representatives.

Free brochures with the text and images from the exhibit are available at the bank for a limited time.  Please stop by to view it, even if you aren’t a KeyBank customer!

To commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, SCHS is partnering with Cuyahoga Valley National Park to host Bobby Horton, a multi-instrumentalist, composer and music historian from Alabama. Mr. Horton has produced and performed music scores for 13 PBS films by Ken Burns, including The Civil War and The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. He has recorded fourteen volumes of authentic Civil War tunes in his home studio – playing all of the period era instruments and singing all the parts himself.  His series of recordings has been acclaimed by historical organizations and publications throughout the United States and Europe, and he is widely recognized as one the country’s leading authorities of music from the Civil War period.

CVNP will host Bobby Horton as part of the Lyceum Lecture Series Friday, June 24 at the Happy Days Lodge where he will perform a repertoire of Civil War music. For ticket information and time, visit the events page of The Conservancy for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Saturday, June 25 at 2:00 pm, SCHS will be hosting a free Bobby Horton encore performance, Authentic Civil War Music: A Vocal and Instrumental History Lesson, on the front porch of the Perkins Stone Mansion. Bring along your lawn chair or pack a picnic blanket, then sit back and experience inspirational Civil War music and stories performed by Bobby Horton.

Plan to arrive early to meet soldiers and civilians at a Civil War encampment located on the Perkins Mansion grounds. Tour the stately Perkins Stone Mansion and visit the home once occupied by the famous abolitionist John Brown and his family. There will be games and crafts for children as well.

Time of the events:

11:00-2:00 and 3:00-5:00 - Perkins Stone Mansion and John Brown House Tours, games and crafts

2:00-3:00 Bobby Horton (all other activities cease)

Volunteers Lydia Bozeman and Michael Gintert show visitors how to construct an origami heart to honor renowned heart surgeon Dr. Gerald Austen

Once again, The Summit County Historical Society participated as an artist at First Night Akron.  This year, we were located in the National Inventors Hall of Fame School: Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  We had the pleasure of sharing our crafts with at least 300 children this year and had a wonderful time.

This year our theme was “The Art of Legacies: People That Put Us On The Map”.  The crafts honored famous Akron and Summit County residents that left a mark in national history.  One of the craft options was to construct a microphone to honor jazz singer Dolores Parker Morgan and have a picture taken in front of a historic photograph of her and her band at the Apollo Theater (provided by Dr. Roberta Chapman).  If performing wasn’t their style, children could learn how to fold a paper football in recognition of Ara Parseghian, former Notre Dame football coach, or attempt the more challenging origami heart in honor of world renowned heart surgeon Dr. Gerald Austen.

If you had your picture taken at the event, they are available at www.summithistory.org.  Click on the slideshow to access the Picasa Album and download your photograph.

A big thank you to volunteers Carole Stark, Lydia Bozeman, Rob Sedelmeyer, and Michael Gintert for all that folding!  We wouldn’t have been able to get through without you!

One of our many performers at First Night Akron. The album can be viewed at summithistory.org