During the project, a selection of fascinating historic images from the 9AFA Archives were digitized and made available online.  These include historic World War II-era photographs of Ninth Air Force personnel and bomb strikes in addition to a complete run (1991-2012) of the association’s newsletter, The Ninth Flyer.  The digital materials can be accessed at contentDM.  Funding for the project was generously provided by the 9AFA.   

Archival Services is one of the largest repositories in the world of historical information on the Ninth Air Force Association and the related B-26 Marauder, one of the most successful medium range bombers in World War II.  These resources and others that document the history of World War II may be viewed by visiting Archival Services located in the Polsky Building in downtown Akron.  Business hours are Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Additional information about Archival Services and its collections can be accessed on the department’s website at www.uakron.edu/libraries/archives.

The AC&Y Railroad was a 171-mile single track railroad running east-to-west from Mogadore to Delphos, Ohio.  Organized in 1907, the railroad grew during the rubber boom of the 1910s and by the 1920s was recognized as the most profitable Class I railroad in the nation.  It merged with other railroads throughout its history and existed as an independent operation until 1981. 

The AC&Y Historical Society Collection consists of approximately 60 cubic feet of materials that document the history of this small, yet important local railroad.  The collection includes authorizations for expenditures, accident files and reports, land records, legal documents, maps, drawings, waybills, timetables, station records, correspondence, annual reports, publications, photographs, and a few small artifacts.  The collection, which dates from 1915-1998, will be of use to a wide variety of researchers including students, historians, hobbyists, scholars, and anyone with an interest in local railroads and the history of transportation. 

The AC&Y Railroad Historical Society Collection and other resources on local railroads are available by visiting Archival Services located in Room LL10 of the Polsky Building in downtown Akron.  Business hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Additional information about Archival Services and its collections can be accessed on the department’s website at http://www.uakron.edu/libraries/archives.

The exhibit, which is titled “This is Akron with Opie Evans: The Rubber City as Seen through the Lens of One of Its Earliest African-American Photographers,” features 58 photographs from Mr. Evans’ catalogue that capture the work and leisure of Akronites—particularly African-Americans—from every walk of life from the end of the Second World War through the civil rights era.  This includes leaders, politicians, and professionals in addition to the indigent and working class.  The images are from Evans’ collection that is part of the extensive holdings of Archival Services. 

The exhibit, which was guest curated by S. Victor Fleischer, University Archivist, Head of Archival Services, and Associate Professor of Bibliography, was a collaboration between the McClain Gallery, the Pan-African Center for Community Studies, and Archival Services of University Libraries.  According to Fleischer, “the photographs are incredibly significant as they visually document an important and transitional time in the city’s and the nation’s history and capture a segment of the local population that is seldom documented elsewhere.” He adds: “We are pleased that the exhibit is being extended so that more people will have the opportunity to see it and learn something new about African-American history and Akron’s past.” 

The Opie Evans Papers and other historical resources on local African-American history and the history of the region are available by visiting Archival Services located in Room LL10 of the Polsky Building in downtown Akron.  Business hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Additional information about Archival Services and its collections can be accessed on the department’s website at http://www.uakron.edu/libraries/archives.

Four one-of-a-kind films were chosen for this initial project, all of which document the history of the USS Akron (ZR-4), a helium-filled U.S. Navy rigid-airship and one of the largest flying objects in the world.  Its crash in a thunderstorm off the coast of New Jersey in April 1933 was the largest loss of life for any known airship crash and spelled the beginning of the end for the rigid airship in the United States Navy.  Although its career was short-lived the USS Akron was one of the most significant airships in the history of lighter-than-air flight, and its construction, christening, maiden flight, test trials, and operations are captured in these rare films. 

These and other films on the history of Goodyear and the rubber and polymer industry are available by visiting Archival Services located in Room LL10 of the Polsky Building in downtown Akron.  Business hours are Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Additional information about Archival Services and its collections can be found on the department’s website at http://www.uakron.edu/libraries/archives.

Some of the more important historic events captured in the collection include the maiden flight of the USS Akron, the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, one of the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parades, the unveiling of Admiral Richard Byrd’s snow cruiser, the 1960 breaking of the land speed record, the building of the Alaska Pipeline, and the Akron Rubber Strike of 1936.  Also included is blimp footage of numerous sporting events such as Super Bowls, Olympics, and NASCAR and Grand Prix races. 

The films, which are now inventoried and available to the public, are of use to students, historians, scholars, and documentary film makers.  These and other resources on the history of Goodyear and the rubber and polymer industry are available by visiting Archival Services located in Room LL10 of the Polsky Building in downtown Akron.  Public hours are Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Additional information about Archival Services and its collections can be found on the department’s website at http://www.uakron.edu/libraries/archives.

The letters represent four distinctly different collections held in Archival Services:  The William McCollam Papers, the John J. Polsley Papers, the Joseph Sailor Letters, and the Alvin Coe Voris Letters.  The collections document the profound effects the war had on the people of Ohio and the region.  They cover military and camp life of both soldiers and officers, battles and skirmishes, and soldiers’ and citizens’ thoughts on the war as it unfolded.   

These collections and other resources on the history of the Civil War can be viewed by visiting Archival Services located in Room LL10 of the Polsky Building in downtown Akron.  Public hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday.  Additional information about Archival Services and its collections can be found on the department’s website at www.uakron.edu/libraries/archives.