Akron at 200: A rude proposition, Naughty Nina and Dairy Mart
As Akron celebrates its bicentennial in 2025, we're looking back at two centuries of headlines.
Visit BeaconJournal.com every Sunday morning throughout the bicentennial year for a look back at the week in Akron history.
Here's what happened April 27 through May 3 in local history:
1825: Ohio residents William Campbell, Christian Deardorff, William Henderson, Abraham Shane, Elias Wade, Jacob Waltz and John Williams donated to the construction fund for the Ohio & Erie Canal, which would pass through the future village of Akron. Bonds ranged from $25 to $50 (roughly $704 to $1,400 today).
1875: As passengers waited to catch an Akron train, Sill Larkins entered the ladies room of the Hudson Depot and made an insulting proposition to a woman seated there. She called the ticket agent, who happened to be Mayor R. Bosworth. He had Larkins arrested and then sentenced him to 10 days at Summit County Jail in Akron with only bread and water for food.
1925: Four men played feminine roles in 'Naughty Nina,' a musical comedy at Central High School in Akron. University of Akron athletes Joe Schoch, Kenneth Mason, Herbert Shinn and Fred Moshovitz donned dresses for the Laughing Mask Club production. Eight other men played chorus girls. A silver cup was presented to the sorority that sold the most tickets.
1975: Members of the Odd Fellows collected 5,000 signatures in their fight to save their historic temple at 277 E. Mill St. from being torn down. The Akron Board of Education acquired the 1870s building with a plan to demolish it for parking for Central-Hower High School. The building was spared destruction. Today, the historic Andrew Jackson House ishome of the GAR Foundation and Knight Foundation.
2000: Dairy Mart, based in Hudson, announced plans to sell off 246 of its 601 convenience stores — most of which were in Ohio. Ten years earlier, the company had 1,400 stores. It also planned to cut about 70 of its 4,000 positions. Most would come from headquarters, where 200 worked. The retailer had lost $4.3 million dollars in the previous quarter.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
Vintage photos: 100 years of Akron spelling bee
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: This week in Akron history for April 27, 2025
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