Creating Crossroads of Commerce
Ohio & Erie Canalway
You are near "Hall's Corners," the center of Akron's first business district, named after the general store that once stood at the corner of Market and Howard streets. Across Market Street from where you are standing, was the Empire House, the most modern hotel in northern Ohio at the time. Right next to the Empire House, the Pennsylvania & Ohio (P&O) Canal ran down the middle of Main Street, providing a direct water link to Pittsburgh. The Ohio & Erie Canal flowed two blocks to the west. Together, these canals helped the "city at the summit" become a frontier boomtown.
Did You Know...
For decades Hall's Corners merchants controlled the P&O Canal and enjoyed a monopoly on Akron's commerce. Once the canal closed in 1884, business waned as new stores, hotels and attractions opened along the newly paved Main Street.
Marker is at the intersection of Main Street and Market Street (Ohio Route 18/162), on the right when traveling south on Main Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
