Description: Dated ca. 1930-1939, this photograph shows an Art Deco mural, painted by an unknown artist, in the "Rubber Room" at the Portage Hotel in Akron, Ohio. The mural depicts the manufacture of mechanical goods. The photograph's caption reads "... All lighting of murals is indirect from light troughs overhead which adds to the striking effect of the picture." This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F09_011_001
Subjects: Mural painting and decoration--Ohio--Akron; Hotels--Ohio--Akron--Decoration; Art deco--United States--History--20th century.; Rubber industry
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of two employees of the B.F. Goodrich Company at work, Akron, Ohio, ca. 1930-1950. Founded by Benjamin Franklin Goodrich in 1871, the company helped make Akron the "Rubber Capital of the World" during the late 1800s. The original plant in Akron made numerous items but focused on fire hoses that would not burst under pressure. With the development of the automobile and the pneumatic tire, demands for tires skyrocketed and the business flourished. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02693
Subjects: Manufacturing industries--Ohio; B.F. Goodrich Company, Akron, Ohio; Rubber industry workers--Ohio
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Charles Goodyear portrait from "Trials of an Inventor, Life and Discoveries of Charles Goodyear," by Rev. Bradford K. Peirce, 1866. Charles Goodyear (1800-1860) was an inventor who patented a process to vulcanize rubber in 1839. Although not directly involved with the company, he was the namesake of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, founded in 1898 by Frank and C. W. Seiberling. The firm quickly emerged as a leader in the production of rubber items, including bicycle tires, pneumatic carriage and automobile tires, horseshoes, and hoses. By 1926, Goodyear was the largest rubber company in the world, and it is still one of the major players in the industry today. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04242
Subjects: Rubber industry and trade--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Science and Technology
 

Description: This photograph shows a large machine holding a form which is used to make rubber tires. This is most likely the B.F. Goodrich Rubber Company Plant or the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Plant, both in Akron, Ohio. More information needed. The B.F. Goodrich Rubber Company Plant was located at 500 South Main Street was Akron’s oldest rubber factory and one of the world’s largest, producing more than 30,000 kinds of rubber articles beside automobile tires. Occupying 275 acres, the plant had 116 buildings with 165 acres of floor space. In addition, the Goodrich company operated the Miller rubbery factory on South High Street and several regional plants. The Goodrich plant had its own utilities, waterworks, service departments, hospital, electric transportation system, and a subway. The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Plant was located on 1278 South Main Street and covered 10 city blocks, including its subsidiaries: Xylos Rubber Plant, the Firestone Battery Company Plant and the Firestone Steel Products Plant. It was founded in 1900 by Harvey S. Firestone. In addition to tires, this group of factories produces batteries, spark plugs, brake linings, steel wheel drums and rims and a variety of articles requiring adhesion of steel and rubber. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F02_021_001
Subjects: Industries--Ohio--Akron; Rubber industry and trade--Ohio--Equipment and supplies; Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio; Firestone Tire & Rubber Company
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows a length of rubber moving down a conveyor belt and being fed into a machine with two large rollers, which appear to be grinding or mashing the rubber into a thinner strip. The shift workers names K. C. Dixon and E. Soderstrom appear at the top of the Davis machine in the background. This is most likely the B.F. Goodrich Rubber Company Plant or the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Plant, both in Akron, Ohio. More information needed. The B.F. Goodrich Rubber Company Plant was located at 500 South Main Street was Akron’s oldest rubber factory and one of the world’s largest, producing more than 30,000 kinds of rubber articles beside automobile tires. Occupying 275 acres, the plant had 116 buildings with 165 acres of floor space. In addition, the Goodrich company operated the Miller rubbery factory on South High Street and several regional plants. The Goodrich plant had its own utilities, waterworks, service departments, hospital, electric transportation system, and a subway. The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Plant was located on 1278 South Main Street and covered 10 city blocks, including its subsidiaries: Xylos Rubber Plant, the Firestone Battery Company Plant and the Firestone Steel Products Plant. It was founded in 1900 by Harvey S. Firestone. In addition to tires, this group of factories produces batteries, spark plugs, brake linings, steel wheel drums and rims and a variety of articles requiring adhesion of steel and rubber. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F02_022_001
Subjects: Industries--Ohio--Akron; Rubber industry and trade--Ohio--Equipment and supplies; Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio; Firestone Tire & Rubber Company
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: This aerial photograph shows the Akron, Ohio, industrial district, including views of East Akron, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company plants 1, 2, and 3, and the Zeppelin Hangar (later known as the Goodyear Airdock) in the background. To the left of the Airdock in the upper left corner is Akron Municipal Airport. Akron Municipal Airport began operating in 1929 on property belonging to Bain Ecarius "Shorty" Fulton, and the airport terminal opened its doors for commercial travel on June 15, 1931. Fulton worked for the airport as manager for 34 before retiring in 1962; it was later renamed Akron Fulton International Airport in his honor. The B.F. Goodrich Rubber Company Plant, located at 500 South Main Street, was Akron’s oldest rubber factory and one of the world’s largest, producing more than 30,000 kinds of rubber articles besides automobile tires. Occupying 275 acres, the plant had 116 buildings with 165 acres of floor space. In addition, the Goodrich Company operated the Miller rubbery factory on South High Street and several regional plants. The Goodrich plant had its own utilities, waterworks, service departments, hospital, electric transportation system, and a subway. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F02_028_001
Subjects: Akron (Ohio); Rubber industry and trade--Ohio--Akron; Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; Airports; Aerial photography
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Akron police clash with strikers from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Summit County, 1938. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00626
Subjects: Rubber industry and trade--Ohio; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Trolley conveyor made by the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus, Ohio, in use at the Pharis Tire and Rubber Company in Newark, Ohio, 1929. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01519
Subjects: Rubber industry and trade -- Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Business; Jeffrey Manufacturing Company (Columbus, Ohio)
Places: Newark (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)