[PRCo] Re: CVSR--Quaker Square

[Dwight Long]

Derrick

Ah, yes, J. Gary Dillon.  Is he still extant?  

Back in the 50s he was known as "the World's Most Traveled Trolley Fan."  

If you--or Herb--or anyone--is in contact with him, please tell him I said Hello.  He has moved since I last saw him and I do not have his address and I suppose he does not have email--did not then.

Dwight

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Derrick Brashear 
  To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
  Cc: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, 27 April, 2011 20:47
  Subject: [PRCo] Re: CVSR--Quaker Square





  On Apr 27, 2011, at 7:30 PM, Dwight Long <dwightlong at verizon.net> wrote:

  >   Herb   Maybe they could add the former NOTL terminal building to the tour
  > lis= t.  Do you know if the subways are still there?  Last I heard the= y
  > were but were filled up with old records.   Dwight

  I was just thinking of that. Gary Dillon took me to see it in like 1991. 

  > 
  > Apr 27, 2011 02:04:38 AM, pittsburgh-railways at dement= ia.org wrote:
  > Quacker Squar= e was bought out (like everything in East/Central Akron) by
  > Akron State = University (ASU). The hotel (formerly Quaker Oat Company grain
  > elevators= ) is now a large dormitory, the old Railway Express Agency
  > buildings are= now ASU facility maintenance offices, a couple restaurants
  > remain but m= ore for the enjoyment of ASU faculty, staff and students and
  > much of the= area is (what else) a parking lot, albeit a good looking
  > parking
  > lot. W= hen I used to walk the one mile from home to Spicer Elementary
  > Demonstra= tion School every weekday in the 1950s I never dreamed that today
  > that t= he one square block Akron University and it's supporting
  > businesses woul= d some day take up all the land from that one square
  > block, past my elem= entary school, to just a block short of where my old
  > house used to stand= . Even more melancholy is that I never thought that the
  > wonderful smell = of Quaker Oats being toasted in the Howard Street plant
  > (after being rel= eased from the elevators up the Mill St hill to travel, by
  > gravity, thro= ugh large pipes under the street) would also disappear.
  > Cuyahoga Valley = Railroad (CVR), of course, uses the old B &O North Howard
  > Street st= ation. There are several moderate and high priced restaurants
  > within wal= king distance along North Main Street. Also, the public transit
  > provider= in Akron (Akron Metro) operates a free bus from the train station
  > runni= ng in a very large loop and hitting some of the points of interest in
  > Ak= ron. Namely, the Mustill Store &Mill, Akron Zoo, the Restaurant &= Bar
  > area (like a very small Carson Street) around South Main &Excha= nge
  > Streets,
  > the Spaghetti Warehouse in Goodrich Commons, the Akron Metr= o Downtown Bus
  > Station (focal point of all Metro bus routes, Cantons' St= ark Area Regional
  > Transit Authority , Portage Area Regional Transit Auth= ority
  > and Greyhound Lines), the Civic Theatre, Lock 3 area and then back= to the
  > train station. Akron always seems to have plenty of things going= on any
  > time
  > of the year and the people returning from the attractions s= eem to be
  > happy.
  > During the Summer months, upon request, a stop can be m= ade at what is
  > called
  > the "Big Bend Metro Park Area" where a small bus w= ill take passengers to
  > Stan Hywet Hall, the mansion built by Frank A. Si= eberling, Sr around 1915
  > (+-). The manor house and gardens are a real ge= m in Akron and are worth
  > seeing.
  > 
  > During the Summer when CVR runs = Canton service the same thing is
  > available there. A Stark Area Transit b= us runs a route stopping at local
  > Canton points of interest such as the = Pro Football Hall of Fame, the First
  > Ladies Museum, President McKinley's= house and gardens and a couple other
  > things.
  > 
  > Like I said, there = is always something going on here and the railroad has,
  > fortunately, cha= nged with the times and has become a part of the character
  > of this regio= n.
  > 
  > On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 20:52, Dwight Long wrote:
  > 
  >> 
  >> Herb I just learned that Quaker Square in Akro= n has closed and that all
  >> the railway memorabilia are being auction= ed off this Saturday. A few
  >> years
  >> ago I spent a pleasant af= ternoon there between the inbound and outbound
  >> trains of your railw= ay. What will it now use as an attraction in the
  > Akron
  >> area? Do you= know what caused the demise of the Quaker Square? Dwight
  >> 
  >>> 
  >> 
  > 
  > 
  > -- 
  > Herb Brannon
  > In Cuyahoga Valley Nationa= l Park
  > 
  > 
  > 
  > 
  >