History · Akron

Akron’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Akron. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Akron Township was organized in 1881. It was named after Akron, Ohio, the former hometown of first settlers.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Akron’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Akron’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from AkronWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Akron.Meet them →
By decade

Akron, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Akron is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Akron has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Louisburg School in Louisburg, 6.6 miles away.

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Louisburg School’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Akron?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Akron’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Akron, MNBig Stone CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01