Akron Borough
One of the earliest buildings in our area was a log cabin built in 1724, eight years before George Washington was born. It was located at the foot of North Eleventh Street on the land which is now the Loyd Roland Memorial Park. The cabin was built by Philadelphia fur traders who met Indians each spring as they came to drink the medicinal waters and trade their furs. The building had wooden shutters on the north and east sides. The shutters had holes five inches in diameter, which are thought to have been used to look out for unfriendly Indians who were living in the area at the time. Many arrowheads have been found in the fields surrounding the cabin. A farmhouse and barn were added later. In modern times, the farm was owned by Clayton Wenger, Sr., who operated a bottled water business which was famous for its spring water. It was known as the Bond Spring Farm. Clayton Wenger, Jr., sold the farm to the Borough in 1951. The log cabin burned down in the early 1940s, and the Borough dismantled the barn after purchasing the property, but the original farmhouse still stands and is being lived in today.
Early records do not state from whom the original land grants were made in the Borough, or what year, but there are early land grants recorded in Harrisburg from Thomas, John and Richard Penn, all sons of William Penn. There was a grant dated December 7, 1739, to Henry Miler, another dated November 30, 1748, to Mathias Beckley, and another dated June 13, 1749 to William Shearer. The new owners paid the Penns 19 cents an acre. Vincens and Anna Mayer owned 68 acres and 71 perches on what is believed to be part of these original grants. They built a farmhouse near the intersection of what are today Diamond Street and Tobacco Road.
The following is quoted from a book called The Pennsylvania Citizen, which records William Penn's instructions about local government. "Whenever a village has a population so large that it needs separate schools, lighted streets, improved sidewalks, etc., it may set up a government of its own, for the township has no power to grant these things to a village, nor would it be inclined to grant them if it could. A town that has a government of its own is a borough. To organize itself into a borough, a village must petition the court through a majority of its voters, and give notice thereof in one newspaper of the county for at least thirty days. If the judge approves the petition, the borough is incorporated." A petition was prepared for the court in November, 1894, and the grand jury certified the incorporation of Akron as a borough in 1895.
During this period the chief industry was the manufacture of handmade cigars. At one time, more than 50 cigar "factories" were located in Akron. Many of these factories consisted of back rooms in private residences, but several were quite large and employed many people.
Early in the 20th century, the Miller Hess Shoe Company became the dominant factor in the Borough's economy, a rol
Early records do not state from whom the original land grants were made in the Borough, or what year, but there are early land grants recorded in Harrisburg from Thomas, John and Richard Penn, all sons of William Penn. There was a grant dated December 7, 1739, to Henry Miler, another dated November 30, 1748, to Mathias Beckley, and another dated June 13, 1749 to William Shearer. The new owners paid the Penns 19 cents an acre. Vincens and Anna Mayer owned 68 acres and 71 perches on what is believed to be part of these original grants. They built a farmhouse near the intersection of what are today Diamond Street and Tobacco Road.
The following is quoted from a book called The Pennsylvania Citizen, which records William Penn's instructions about local government. "Whenever a village has a population so large that it needs separate schools, lighted streets, improved sidewalks, etc., it may set up a government of its own, for the township has no power to grant these things to a village, nor would it be inclined to grant them if it could. A town that has a government of its own is a borough. To organize itself into a borough, a village must petition the court through a majority of its voters, and give notice thereof in one newspaper of the county for at least thirty days. If the judge approves the petition, the borough is incorporated." A petition was prepared for the court in November, 1894, and the grand jury certified the incorporation of Akron as a borough in 1895.
During this period the chief industry was the manufacture of handmade cigars. At one time, more than 50 cigar "factories" were located in Akron. Many of these factories consisted of back rooms in private residences, but several were quite large and employed many people.
Early in the 20th century, the Miller Hess Shoe Company became the dominant factor in the Borough's economy, a rol
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