Akron at 200: Polygamy, a purse snatcher and singing dogs
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 20-26 in local history:
1825: Locally produced goods traveled far. The schooner Prudence left Cleveland for Buffalo with a Northeast Ohio cargo of flour, ashes, whiskey, pork, butter and cheese. Meanwhile, the schooner Lake Serpent also arrived in Buffalo from Cleveland, carrying ashes, hams and ginseng. The construction of a canal would soon allow such products to be shipped south to the Ohio River.
1875: Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young, spoke at the Academy of Music at Main and Market streets in downtown Akron. The Illinois native had recently separated from the Mormon church leader and was on a national tour to tell her story and lecture against polygamy in the United States. The Utah-centered church had excommunicated her in 1874.
1925: Hundreds of citizens joined Akron police in chasing a man who had allegedly stolen money from a purse. The crowd circled the Masonic Temple at High and Mill streets to thwart the suspect's escape. Officer Frank J. Bucher found Edgar Gargar, 19, hiding behind a car and holding a crumpled $10 bill. 'Here it is: Take it,' he told the arresting officer.
1975: Fifteen dogs took part in a howling contest at Chapel Hill Mall. Northeastern Ohio Dog Services sponsored the 'singing dog show' to raise money for a shelter. Pooh, a German shepherd sponsored by Summit County Children's Home, won first prize for his rendition of 'oorf, oorf, oorf.' Runner-up Henry, a miniature schnauzer, wailed at a high pitch as owners Sue and Beth Kartarius sang 'How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?'
2000: Akron health inspectors entered a North Hill home and found 333 rats, 146 mice, 16 gerbils, eight birds, six cats, four rabbits, three dogs, one hamster, one turtle, one boa constrictor and one iguana. Thayer Street neighbors had complained of odors. The animals were sent to the Humane Society of Greater Akron, which hoped to find new homes for them.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
Quaker Square revisited: Vintage photos of Akron shops and hotel
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: This week in Akron history for April 20, 2025
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