Release Date: April 12,2019
Summit County Historical Society kicks off Akron History Hikes; YWCA Walk starts 10th season on April 23
For more than 100 years, hundreds of thousands of area women experienced the special sisterhood that was the YWCA of Summit County. On April 23, the Summit County Historical Society will celebrate the many contributions to social justice and reform that the YWCA made to the region in this special walk that begins at 11:30 a.m.
The walk begins at the University of Akron’s Archival Services on the lower level of the Polsky Building at 225 S. Main St. in downtown Akron. The archives is the home of the YWCA Collection. Hikers will hear S. Victor Fleischer, Head of Archival Services of University Libraries, and Theodore R. Mallison, library research assistant, speak about the YWCA and see the new exhibits. Next the group goes into the Skywalk to visit the now closed (and seldom accessed) YWCA building on South High Street, where the hikers will see artifacts from the YWCA, many of which have not been seen since the organization was disbanded in 2005. At the YWCA building, documentarian Kathleen Endres and former YWCA members will share their memories.
The YWCA Walk is the first in a series of Summit County Historical Society Akron History Hikes that focus on social justice and reform in the city. All walks are free and open to the public but reservations are required. Make reservations through eventbrite.com or at SCHS@SummitHistory.org. This year’s Akron History Hikes are underwritten by a grant from the Ohio Humanites Council.
Hikers participating in the YWCA Walk should park in the State Street Deck.