The Bicentennial Commission of the City of Akron presented the first copy of a new 427-page publication, “Akron at 200: A Bicentennial History,” to Mayor Shammas Malik today.
“As we continue to celebrate Akron’s Bicentennial, this anthology adds important new context to our rich history,” said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik. “The City of Akron is proud to sponsor this collection, and I want to thank Dave Lieberth, the University of Akron Press, and all of the authors who have made this possible.”
The 27-chapter anthology is published by the University of Akron Press and sponsored by the City of Akron. There are 26 authors, recruited for the project by Dave Lieberth, Executive Secretary of the Akron Bicentennial Commission, who served as an editor of the compilation along with Dr. Jon Miller, Director of the University of Akron Press.
“In 2022, I convened a meeting with potential authors, all of whom had previous history publication credits,” said Lieberth. “By joining with the University of Akron Press, we expected a high-level of new research and writing. The goal was to assemble new accounts of topics that have never been published in previous histories, and to revisit topics that did not have the advantages we have today in researching historical people and events.”
“’Akron At 200’ consolidates new writing about the history of our city,” according to Dr. Jon Miller, Director of the University of Akron Press. “It does not pretend to be a comprehensive history. Instead, it goes in depth on subjects that have not been written about so much, so far. The book tells a wide variety of stories. We think there is something for everyone to read and enjoy.”
The tradition of publishing new history books of Akron was established during Akron’s prior anniversaries in 1925, 1950, and 1975.
University professor Oscar Olin led the publication of a Centennial history for the Summit County Historical Society in 1925, a 666-page anthology written by thirty-seven authors.
Twenty-five years later, for the city’s 125th anniversary, the Historical Society employed former Akron Times reporter-turned-author Karl Grismer to research and write what is now regarded as Akron’s most comprehensive history. The 800-page book is indexed and has been a principal resource for anyone writing Akron history in the last seventy years.
In 1975, for Akron’s sesquicentennial, the Historical Society commissioned Akron’s premier historian Dr. George W. Knepper to create a “coffee table book” about the city, superbly illustrated with new and archival photographs assembled by Jack Gieck. “City at The Summit” reached the public in 1981.
“The need for a new history is driven by the need to utilize the tools of science that we have today that were unavailable to previous authors: namely, the digitization of historical materials, and the work in recent decades of archaeologists and anthropologists who have sharpened our understanding of populations of Native Americans,” said Lieberth.
“Akron at 200” also includes the first written history of Akron’s LGBTQ+ community and corrects many of the myths and legends that marked previous accounts of Indigenous people. “The hope and expectation of this anthology is that the reader will find something new they had not known before about Akron’s rich history,” said Lieberth.
Dr. Miller expressed his hope that the book will inspire readers to contact The University of Akron Press for possible publication of new historical writing by advancing the understanding of our histories, ourselves, and our communities.
Anthology authors: Eric Olson, Jon Miller, Donald R. Hicks, Philathia Bolton, Charlotte Gintert, Jane Gramlich, Christi Blythin, Christopher C. Esker, Sharon Moreland Myers, Clair Dickinson, Jeffrey Smith, Bill Hauser, Jody Miller Konstand, Tim Carroll, Steve Love, Mark J. Price, Rose Vance-Grom, Karla Tipton, Seyma Bayram, David Lieberth, Shaneen Harris, Stephen H. Paschen, David Giffels, Fran Wilson, Megan Shaeffer, Melanie Mohler
The official publication date is September 9, 2025. The book is now available for pre-order and will be only be available for in-person purchase at select events this summer, and during the city’s week-long Bicentennial celebration at the Akron History Center, 172 South Main St. just north of Lock 3 and the Civic Theatre.
Hours for sale are as follows:
Wednesday, July 2, 10am – 2pm
Thursday, July 3, 10am – 2pm
Friday, July 4, 10am – 2pm
Saturday, July 5, 10am – 2pm
The hard cover book is listed at $50 but will be available for purchase during Akron’s Bicentennial week at a discounted price of $35.
The book may also be pre-ordered through the University of Akron Press website, HERE. The book will be 30% off with the code “bicentennial30” now until the end of the year. Please note: The discount code does not work on mobile devices.
Copies of “Akron at 200” will also be available to reserve at library branches throughout Akron in the near future.
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Media Note: Members of the press, if you would like to get a digital copy of the anthology, please reach out to Brittany LaPointe with the University of Akron Press at blapointe@uakron.edu or 330-972-4732.
