Welcome
Women have contributed much to Akron and Summit County. Unfortunately, their names and the roles they played have seldom been included in city and county histories. This website is an attempt to tell some of the stories of Akron and Summit County women whose stories have been lost.
The women profiled on this site made important contributions to the city and the county through the jobs they held, the business they ran, the reforms they led or the volunteer work they did. They come from different time periods — from the antebellum (pre-Civil War) time period to today. They represent different religions, races, political parties, nationalities, socio-economic classes and sexual orientations. But they all share one thing – they helped change the face of Akron and Summit County.
One ally in telling the story of Akron Women’s History has been the Women’s History Project of the Akron Area. Since its founding in 1983, WHP, now a program of the Summit County Historical Society, has sponsored the woman of the year awards, to acknowledge the contributions of area women.
This website was created by a class of the School of Communication at the University of Akron. Over time, faculty, staff and students at the University of Akron have updated and changed this website.
If you would like additional information about this website or if you wish to contribute to the blog and/or suggest ideas for the blog, contact Kathleen Endres from the University of Akron (endres@uakron.edu).