Unless you are family, you probably are not going to be too excited about this blog. I was born and lived in Akron, Ohio until age 7. When I realized how close we would be on this trip, we had decided to try to venture out to see what I could find. Mom was a tremendous help! As all of us know, what we remember as children is usually not very close to how or what it really was. Mom was kind enough to get me the addresses for all of the places.
Last night after mom emailed the addresses, I set out to map them so I could see the order we needed to do. The map below shows all my stops but my childhood church.
The first stop was at my elementary school I went to in the 1st grade and half of the 2nd grade before moving to Brandon, Florida. While Van and I were taking pictures, a lady that lived right across the street came out and I was telling her what we were doing. She said she started here the same year I did. I should have gotten her name because mom probably would have remembered the family.
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| Roosevelt School, 3110 Farmdale Road, Akron |
Next we headed to the graves of my dad's parents, Kire and Marie Carter. I loved these grandparents an awful lot. Most of my childhood memories are with them. We lived several years with them. There was family property with 3 homes located on it. There was my grandparents house and then on either side was an aunts, uncles and cousins. My sweetest childhood memories are playing with my dad's sister and their children. It seemed as I did most everything with Aunt Katy, Uncle Bob and their kids. I don't know what year (it was after we left for Florida) the state came in an bought the family property and their homes because they were adding the interstate. Now there is a Quality Inn and Subway on most of the land. I wanted so bad to take a picture but it just didn't look like "home." I will say that when I was a child I thought we lived on a mountain because we would roll down the front yard. I understand that there wasn't any "mountain" there and the elevation that's there now is about the same as it was when we lived there.
My grandparents, Kire and Marie Carter.
Some other family members
Mom tells me the story how we would go to Stricklands for ice cream after church on Sunday night so I had to go there. I do remember getting the ice cream but I would not have remembered where. While Van and I were taking pictures, I went to the window to talk to the kids working the window about what we were doing there and about the Goodyear Blimp Hanger that was across the street. I was hoping that we could go see the Hanger but they said that because of the security there they didn't allow people to come much closer than where we at the ice cream place. I must say that the ice cream was yummy!
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| 1809 Triplett Blvd, Akron Ohio |
Then on to a little house we lived in. What I remember about this place is it was Aqua and had a barn behind it. With all the changes around the house, I couldn't see a barn but there were a lot of woods behind the house so I could have missed it. This house had a fireplace right in the middle of a room that you could see through. I remember going to the barn area and playing and I don't think I was allowed to. Can you imagine? The house and property looked really good considering how old it is. 
Then it was time to find the "ole" church. Boy do I have memories of this. Of course, the church didn't have this enclosed front section or the add on to the right but the basic sanctuary size was about the same. Us kids have many, many pictures in front of this church. The front of the church had a lot of steps going up to the entrance doors to the sanctuary. Behind the glass windows and doors you see now still are steps but they've basically made that section into a foyer and/or gathering area. I couldn't go in but I did peek through the doors.
That is so neat that you were able to visit such sentimental places. I know that was a special day for you.
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