Postmarked Akron Format: other

Uncovers the forgotten stories of a city through the lens of early 20th-century postcards, capturing people, places, and lost landmarks.

In the early 1900s, nearly a million postcards were sent from Akron and the surrounding areas to recipients across the world. Hidden in these postcards are the stories of people and places that have been lost to time. Buildings have been abandoned. Families have faded away. Even the landmarks, amusement parks, hotels, bridges, and stadiums that were expected to last forever have disappeared.

The stories of these places and people go beyond the expected. Akron always amazes with the odd, imaginative, and engaging. The stories here are about unique personalities, diverse backgrounds, businesses founded, and loves lost.
The names are legendary: Benjamin Goodrich, Harvey Firestone, John Brown, Judith Resnik and more. This is, after all, the city that gave birth to Lebron James, The Black Keys, and Devo. The unknown names, however, are equally intriguing.
This is Akron.

This inspiring book uses the art and perspective of postcards, the senders, and the recipients. Just a few words say so much about their circumstances, accomplishments, families, and obstacles. In every case, you’ll get a glimpse of both then and now.

Kenneth J. Weiss has spent the last several decades working, traveling, and writing in a place he calls the Midrust―that often-overlooked part of the county that is part Midwest and part Rust Belt. With his family, he has visited antique stores, estate sales, thrift shops, and flea markets to find and collect postcards. Each day, thousands of followers read his Instagram posts to enjoy the history and stories that Kenneth has rediscovered in vintage postcards. In addition to developing content for social media, Kenneth writes historical fiction as both short stories and novels.