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History Trails highlights all 21 neighborhoods
By Carl Chancellor
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Jul 03, 2008
As Dorothy once observed — ''There's no place like home.''
For the third consecutive summer, Akron residents are being urged to cinch up their hiking boots, lace up their sneakers, and if applicable, slip on their ruby slippers and explore the wonders of the city's 21 neighborhoods.
At his weekly press conference Wednesday, Mayor Don Plusquellic announced the kickoff of the Akron History Trails program, which gives participants the opportunity to examine the city's colorful history, neighborhood by neighborhood.
''Our 21 neighborhoods didn't happen by accident,'' Plusquellic said. ''Each one has a distinct flavor based on when it was founded, who its earliest residents were and how it developed over the last 183 years.''
The family-friendly history project features a 32-page booklet highlighting the unique stories of each of Akron's neighborhoods — such as Goodyear
Heights, where the mayor held Wednesday's press conference at Reservoir Park Community Center.
On Page 16, the history booklet notes that Goodyear Heights was the brainchild of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. co-founder F.A. Seiberling, who in 1913 broke ground on the development to provide housing for company employees.
The project, which allowed Goodyear workers to buy houses at cost, was so successful that by 1920 the neighborhood had more than 4,000 residents.
That is just a sampling of the fun facts featured in the free booklet, which also contains a ''passport'' with 21 separate spaces for travelers to imprint the name of each neighborhood they visit.
Mark Williamson, city spokesman, said that when the passport is completed, travelers will be eligible for a variety of history-related prizes.
More than 200 individuals have completed each of the passport destination stops, Williamson said.
''In the two years of the program, we have distributed more than 250,000 history booklets,'' Plusquellic said.
The booklets are available at branches of the Akron-Summit County Public Library and at several other locations, including the Akron History Exhibit at Lock 3 Park. The booklet can also be downloaded online at http://www.ci.akron.oh.us/AkronHistoryTrails/pdf/2008%20AHT%20Brochure.pdf.
The library, the Summit County Historical Society, the University of Akron and a dozen other civic organizations collaborated on the project.
''We have discovered a tremendous interest among families who enjoy exploring our local history,'' the mayor said.
Carl Chancellor can be reached at 330-996-3725 or cchancellor@thebeaconjournal.com.
As Dorothy once observed — ''There's no place like home.''
Get the full article here.
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