WKSU News: Howe House connects to Ohio Canal in Akron

Friday, May 11, 2012 Howe House connects to Ohio Canal in Akron Canal engineer's house now available to canal travelers in downtown Akron by WKSU's MARK URYCKI	Senior Reporter Mark Urycki

1832 Howe House at 47 West Exchange St. in downtown Akron.

In The Region:

Summit County this week celebrated the last segment of the Ohio Canal Towpath to be reconstructed in the county. Summit has 41 miles of finished towpath trail.

Today, a short but important connector was opened in downtown Akron. WKSU’s Mark Urycki reports that officials are still a little surprised by how popular the path has become.

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Akron renovated parts of the towpath downtown decades ago. Much of the towpath has red rubber top.

The connector trail is in the background to the left of the Howe House.

The brick and stone connector trail along West Exchange street.

Supporters cut the ribbon on $75,000 connector trail that provides access to the Howe House

Several bridges over the Ohio Canal allow walkers to cross to venues such as Canal Park baseball stadium.

Foundations and donors to the project get thanked on walkway capstones

Canal supporters (from left) Summit Metroparks' Keith Shy, Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic, City Council President Marco Sommerville, County Executive Russ Pry, and Ohio Canalway Exec Dan Rice

Summit County will be celebrating the completion of the towpath trail throughout the year.

Four years ago, one of Akron’s oldest houses was put on rollers and slowly moved down the street to the edge of the Ohio Canal, which runs right through downtown Akron. The 1832 Howe House became the headquarters of the Ohio and Erie Canalway in Akron and now a $75,000 walkway has been built so travelers on the towpath can cross the water to get to the house.

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic says reconstructing the old mule trail for today’s hikers downtown was worth it.

“Most people thought we were crazy. To go back into an area that had been the beginning point of Akron with the commercial district that was along the canal and renovate the old [Mustill] store and then the canal. You see an amazing number of people using that. I just know anytime I drive by there are dozens of cars and people walking that towpath. It’s a wonderful thing to see.“

The connector trail opened today is small but important. It allows towpath travelers in downtown Akron to cross the canal and get to one of Akron's oldest houses: Howe House. Dan Rice of the Ohio and Erie Canalway says it is both an office and a visitors center.

"There are 2.5 million users on the towpath trail and on a day like today, there will be tens of thousands of hikers and bicyclists right here on the towpath trail walking during their lunch hour," Rice says. "It’s almost like an interstate highway here because there are so many people going by."

Rice says that area was a pretty ugly industrial spot until the historic Howe House was moved to the edge of the canal four years ago.

Plans call for reconstructing 101 miles of the the Ohio Canal Towpath from Zoar to Cleveland.

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