Town of the Week: Barberton, Ohio
June 5, 1999

In 1890, a millionaire industrialist by the name of Ohio Columbus Barber, purchased 550 acres of farmland southwest of Akron. He'd made his fortune through the Diamond Match Factory, which he then moved to this area. Barber built a new town that took shape so fast it became known as the Magic City. He called it Barberton. Soon, the largest manufacturer of sewer pipe was attracted to build a new factory; and was joined by Stirling Boiler, which became Babcock and Wilcox, still the city's leading employer ith 25 hundred workers.

The centerpiece of the new community was a glacial lake, which Barber named for his daughter, Anna. Lake Anna is fronted on three sides by turn-of-the-century homes, built for the community's most prominent residents. The lake is the setting for the annual Tulip Display and Cherry Blossom Fest in spring, an Arts Festival in July, and Mum Fest in September. One of Barberton's most significant cultural assets is the Magical Theater Company, located in the old Park Theatre which was restored a few years ago. Across the street, which is Tuscawaras Avenue, is a series of old red brick buildings which have also been restored as a theatre complex.

While the community has restaurants for every taste, it is considered the "Chicken Capitol of the World", since nearly 7,500 tons of chicken are devoured every week by the town's 28 thousand residents. Once the home of the Delaware Indians of the Algonquin Nation, it's our Town of the Week, Barberton, Ohio.