akron stuff

 

foto from Aaron Turner 2008 flickr, before demolition of Portage Path Elementary

In the early decades of the 20th century, before Hoover's Depression, Akron built many handsome brick schools. Many had friezes, and stone ornaments, Some were repeated. Ferdinand Schumacher (oatmeal), and George Barber (matches) elementaries were a pair. In the 21st century, many of these schools were demolished. Some were replaced with new buildings bearing the same names. Before they were called schools, now jargon identifies them community learning centers.

The old Portage Path Elementary had three Indian heads, the new school has a few more.

These are two of them. One is pictured in the shade, and the other in full sunlight.

John Carmen Comunale. Zippy, University of Akron mascot. 2005. foto 2021.

John Heisman. 2015. Randolph Rose Co. 

Heisman coached Buchtel (now Akron) in 1893. The next year they played at the Ohio State Fair and beat Ohio State. Buchtel's only game that year. Heisman went back to coach Oberlin, where in his first season coaching (1892) they beat Ohio State twice.

Heisman would start each season with this speech:

"What is this? It is a prolate spheroid, an elongated sphere in which the outer leather casing is drawn tightly over a somewhat smaller rubber tubing. Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football."

left horse

Burkhardt Brewing was the big brewer in Akron. They had several brick buildings on Grant from 1902 to 1956. Before that they were on Sherman. One building had a horse head over the two tall doors. In the early part of the century, horses pulled beer wagons.

two views of right horse

M was for Margaretha