Online Resources

The Summit Memory Project, our online “scrapbook” of Summit County history includes thousands of historic images of buildings and homes in our county. You can browse the exhibits, or search by building name, location, or address.

Our Local History Database includes information about many of the valuable resources available in our archival and local history collections. You can search for information about buildings and houses by keyword , subject (name of building), or people associated with a building.

Trace the history of a building or house, including its residents or owners with our online Akron City Directories

View the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps to see how houses and other buildings changed over time.

Visit the Summit County Fiscal Office website to research tax information about properties, and to learn more about their resources for researching houses and property.

Your Old House: Researching the History of Your Home is a how-to guide for researching the history of homes.

Visit our Online Books page to see historic images of Akron in: A Selection of Photographs Illustrating the Work of Good & Wagner; Views of Akron, Ohio and Environs; Akron, The City of Opportunity; West Hill Sketchbook.

Other Resources in Special Collections:

Vertical files include many news clippings about local buildings and architecture.

Books:  Be sure to check our catalog for the many books in our collections about Akron’s history, landmarks, and buildings.  Following are some sample titles:

Akron Historic Landmark Survey by the City of Akron Department of Planning and Urban Development

Guide to the Building Stones and Cultural Geology of Akron by Joseph Hannibal

Akron and Summit County by Karl H. Grismer

The Architecture of Education : Public Schools in Akron, 1890-1920  by Petra C. Knapp.

Lesson Plans:

Exploring Community Through Local History: Oral Stories, Landmarks and Traditions  / Library of Congress

Teaching with Historic Places  / National Park Service

Creative Teaching With Historic Places /  National Park Service

Ordinary Landscapes / Environmental Literacy Council

Investigating Historic Buildings / Council for British Archaeology