Akrons Growth By Canal

Akron's Growth by Canal:

From Shantytown to City

Jason Jennings

Ohio History: Dr. Kern

November 19, 2011

The city of Akron was known for being the Rubber capital of the world and a leader in polymer technology, but Akron got its start as a tiny canal town that developed into a major shipping port starting in the mid to late 1820's. Akron developed into major shipping and receiving port of goods and services that the canal allowed to be shipped to the Gulf of Mexico and to the Atlantic Ocean. The construction of the Ohio Canal gave birth to small canal towns throughout the state as European immigrants and colonial settlers flooded to these places for the opportunity of employment, new lands, and a new way of making a living thanks to the canal. The canal gave Akron its beginnings and allowed Akron to grow and flourish as a main port for shipping to the Gulf of Mexico and to New York City. Akron became a major shipping port and city due to the canal. The city was able to flourish and grow, as farmers were able to get their produce to new markets, it also became an attractive place to settle as the growth in population shows, and growth of profitable commerce, with these new markets farmers were able to charge more for their product, all contributing to Akron's growth.

The building of the canal was a major financial investment to the state and to the country. The fact that the canal could be built in a time of economic uncertainty is remarkable. Ohio like many states did not have the economic means to afford the projected cost of the canal. Just the beginning stretch of canal from Summit Lake to Lake Erie cost $442,130, the majority of that money went to contractors for their labor and supplies, and that was just for that stretch of canal. The canal was a risky and expensive project that would benefit the state for a short period. The building of the canal meant that many of the undeveloped Ohio lands had to be cleared, and one of those areas was what was to become Akron. Akron was a prime location due to its elevation on the 41st parallel, which held a large supply of water in the Portage Lakes . Located at such a high elevation made Akron an ideal location for the canal due to the areas endless water supply.

During the building of the canal, the area that would become later known as Akron had many Irish and German immigrants establishing shanty villages along the canal route, as they were the main source of employment in the construction of the canal. The Irish immigrants set up a community in the lowlands under North Hill, which they called "Dublin". The working conditions and pay were horrible, as the going rate of pay was 30 cents and a jigger of whiskey per day. Many of the workers suffered from numerous diseases as conditions were dirty and the workers had been exposed to the elements that aided in their poor health.

The completion of the first part of the canal connected Akron to Cleveland and was completed on June 27, 1827. The opening of the canal allowed Akron to grow in population, with the canal now operating more people would be traveling, causing more foot traffic in the port city of Akron, allowing consumers to buy goods as they waited for their boat to go through the various locks in the canal. In the early 1820's Akron had a population that was around 300 and it doubled to 700 in 1830, and reached 4,000 by 1857. Land sales were not in demand like many had thought, until the completion of the Pennsylvania and Ohio canal. Called the "cross-cut" canal this gave easy access to the Atlantic, and in turn, Akron started to see settlers come to this new land in hopes of settling. This canal made lot prices jump as demand was growing with the influx of easterners to Akron. Akron did have a slow start as far as settlers went as many found the land unsuitable for cultivation, and in the west, the Copley swamps made settlement almost impossible. . The canal made lot prices jump as demand was growing with the influx of easterners to Akron. Many settlers saw the opportunities for exporting to cash markets, to the Gulf and to the Atlantic. Court records show that $46,00 of lots were sold up to August 1835, and eventually lot sales exceeded $100,000 as settlers began to set up hotels, businesses, taverns and stores to supply the new settlers of Akron . Akron saw its population grow to 1,500 by the 1840's and in 1857, Akron's population was 4,000. Settlers were coming to these newly settled lands in Ohio to purchase land and to start a way of life for themselves, and the new city known as Akron was becoming a prime location. Akron was starting to become a destination place for settlers as the possibility of opportunity existed.

With the increase in settlers coming to Akron, it started to develop its own identity as buildings, stores, hotels, and taverns were built to fill the needs of people coming to Akron. With the influx of people to Akron, the developing city needed to be able to supply them with places to buy basic needs, sleep, and relax. Henry Clark built a two-story hotel on the northeast corner Main and Exchange Street to provide lodging for the workers, but also get his share of the of money to be made. Stores needed to be built to supply the laborers with supplies. A man named Benedict built a 2-story building across from the hotel called The Mammoth Store, to supply clothing and supplies to the laborers and to the boat captains and crew that were stopping in Akron. With the influx of settlers to Akron, the city started to develop as settlers built up the area around the canal and the surrounding areas out of necessity due to the population growth.

Akron was growing and developing as the canal changed the way people got around and did business. Akron now had a way to ship and receive goods and services in three directions. It could ship and receive from Cleveland in the north, it could ship and receive from the Atlantic to the east, and it could now ship to the Gulf of Mexico to the south thanks to the canal. Farmers could now get all their produce to market and not have to worry about waste of unsold produce. By using the canal, the farmers saved lots of time and money in shipping their goods, not to mention that this method was much safer than by foot and horse. Farmers in turn were able to get higher prices for their commodities, such as wheat and flour, as demand was high in these new markets. Farmers began to produce wheat commercially. In 1827, farmers were getting 20-30 cents per bushel but by 1835, they were able to get 75 cents per bushel. Flour doubled in price: in 1825, it fetched