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In the central part of the county, between Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, a few thousand acres, called "The Plains", now the solidly built "North Hill" of Akron, formerly presented a marked contrast to the rolling and densely timbered surface of the surrounding area. This is a nearly level district, of which the peculiar features are mostly obliterated by civilization's uses. But when in the state of nature it had the aspect of the praries of the West. It was almost destitute of timber, was covered with grass and scrub oak and in spring was a perfect flower garden; for a much larger number of wild flowers were found here than in any other part of the county. . . . This area forms a triangle between the two branches of the Cuyahoga and the coal hills of Tallmadge."
I have a connection to this piece of land that is now approaching its 84th year. It is where my grandfather, Giacomo Schembri, moved with his wife and three children at the beginning of 1925. The house that "Jack" bought was recently demolished but it sat on the northeast corner of Glenwood Avenue and Bailey Court near Glenwood's intersection with Howard Street. It is where they lived until 1935 and where two of my aunts and an uncle were born. It is where my future godfather grew up. It is where my mother, Elna Moss, came to in May of 1941 when she moved in with her brother and his wife in an apartment that they rented at 723 Elma Avenue. My great aunt and uncle, who lived on the first floor, owned the house. It is where my uncle, that brother, lived for many years afterwards at a house on Robinette Court. It is where my father, Jasper Schember, and his brother opened a Mary Coyle's Restaurant on Cuyahoga Falls Avenue in the buildng that occupies the block between Elma and Thayer. It is where my mother worked as a waitress and met my father. It is where they bought a house at 421 Drexel Avenue in 1954 and where they raised their family. It is where I grew, played, went to school, made friends, graduated, and still live today; at that same house on Drexel. It is where, with great difficulty, I said good-bye to my father when he passed away in 1981. It is where my sister met her husband and where my brother met his wife. It is where the two friends that I went to Europe with in 1983 came from. It is where my home has always been even though I have left on occasion to work here and there. It is "North Hill" and this is an attempt to tell its story through mine, and others, recollections and stories.
The end goal of this project that you see before you is to make available the stories, pictures, statistics, and whatever else I can find that all together would make a history of this small piece of land. Several histories of Akron, Summit County, and the Western Reserve only mention this area briefly. I have put upon myself the responsibility of presenting the history of this approximately 4,300 acres of land up to the 1920's. You are invited to fill in from that point wherever you can. There may be more to it than you might think and that more is probably your story. A true picture can only be presented by taking the small stories from all of us and then mixing them together. This web site is a vehicle for collecting that information.
The items that you see on the left side of the screen will take you to different pages of this site and each of them is explained below:
 | Home - click here to return to this introduction page from anywhere on the site. |
| Hall of Fame - this is a list of former North High students who went on to achieve national or international success in their lives after graduation. |
| Changes on the Hill- over the next few years, the schools on North Hill are scheduled to be replaced with new facilities or closed altogether. Other projects such as the Northside Lofts which although not on North Hill will change the skyline view of downtown from the Hill dramatically. I'll try to post some photos every so often as the project progresses. |
| Military - the names and pertinent information of North Hill residents who gave their life in any branch of the military during any conflict are listed here. At this point I place no restrictions or qualifications on any candidate that may be pointed out to me. The idea for this page was motivated by my own discovery of the story about James Brantley Clark. James, a June 1938 graduate of North High School, was a member of the crew of the USS Reuben James that was sunk by a German U-boat on October 31, 1941. The Reuben James was the first US ship sunk by hostile action in WWII. |
| 1607 - 1922 - this is where I will post information that I have acquired concerning North Hill. The years that are chosen are not just random choices. In April of 1607, English colonists arrived at the mouth of the James River and settled at Jamestown. In 1922, the North Hill Viaduct was completed giving Akronites easy access to the northern plateau called North Hill. The facts and stories on this page will deal with the period between these years. They will be arranged chronologically as best as can be determined. As more gets added, the more complete the story becomes. |
| My Story - this is where you will find the contributed stories of your family, childhood friends, high school sweethearts, teachers, mailmen, etc. My own contribution is here. Feel free to use it as an example. As more and more are collected they will begin to intertwine and create a more complete project. For as long as possible I will keep a complete list of the contributors on this page. At some point I will probably have to remove the actual story. If you see a name on the list and the story isn't there feel free to contact me via e-mail or otherwise and I will try and get it to you. |
| Feature - different items will be posted here as I acquire them. Sometimes it will be a picture, a story, or a short biography. If you visited here before, this will be the place where new material will first appear. If you have something that you would like to include you can mail or e-mail it to me at the addresses listed below. I have the capability of scanning photos and including them in this site. I give you my word that anything sent to me will be cared for and returned as soon as possible. |
| Places - ever wonder where all those names came from: Temple Square, Patterson Park, Waters Park, etc. As I discover why they are called what their called I put that information here. |
| People - the names, pictures, and brief biographies of a variety of individuals will be posted here. This will include local politicians, business people, clergy, teachers, and others that have been influential in the development of the area. The page will include prominent figures past and present. |
| Searching - requests for additional information on either subjects that are submitted by others or that I have stumbled upon myself will be listed here. I encourage you to take a look at this page. There may be something that invokes a memory that would only add to the quality of this project. |
| Sports - similar again to the previous items, this will include the names, teams, coaches, and others that contributed to the broad range of sport on North Hill from Hot Stove Baseball to CYO Football to the high school teams. How many stories are there about Coach White, or those Viking basketball teams of 1935 and 1939, or those wrestling teams under the guise of Coach Brubach in the 1970's, or those Tigers from Findley and the Braves from Jackson and the Pirates from Bettes and the Yankees from Forest Hill and the Indians from Harris and the Dodgers from St. Martha's. Who put the fields at Sammis Park and how many kids did Mr. Patton actually coach and how did those new fields end up in the old Ohio Edison land behind Stonehenge which leads me to bowling but there just isn't enough room on this page to go on. (Take a breath and click to the page which I think will be one of the most interesting of the project) |
| Links - local businesses or organizations that have a presence on the internet are listed here with a link to their website and a brief history of the company or group if known. |
| Thank You - no project of this magnitude can be accomplished by one person. Special thanks and acknowledgements will be due many others. I am deeply indebted to each and every one. |
Comments or questions can be directed to info@northhillakron.org