NORTH CANTON, OHIO
The community that would later be called North Canton got
its start in February of 1831 when Samuel Bachtel laid out 23 lots at an angular
intersection of Market Street (now Main Street) and Portage Street. New Berlin,
as it was called until January of 1918, was the first village to be platted
in Plain Township, one of the original townships created when Stark County
was organized in 1809.
According to E.T. Heald’s The Stark County Story, many of the first
settlers were Pennsylvania Dutch and were of the Lutheran or German Reform
faiths. In 1814, land was donated to both German congregations for the First
Zion Church and School located at the present site of the North Canton Cemetery
on Pittsburg Road. When the congregations split in 1880, the Zion Reformed
Church moved into the village of New Berlin. Other early churches included
the Union Church, begun in 1838 with nine different denominations, later called
the Community Christian Church; and St. Paul's Catholic Parish, formed in
1845. By this time, New Berlin had a population of 221 and was surrounded
by progressive wheat farms.
By 1873, William H. “Boss” Hoover moved his tannery business from
the family farm east of town into the village itself. The company made horse
collars at the tannery, which was located near the present Hoover Company
factory building. Later, the business expanded to include the production of
leather harnesses and saddles and eventually a variety of other leather goods.
The tannery closed in 1919 when the decision was made to devote full effort
to the manufacturing of a new invention, the electric suction sweeper. Production
began in the corner of the leather shop in 1908. With U.S. entry into World
War I, New Berlin was one of many communities to change its name. In a show
of wartime patriotism that permeated America, it became North Canton in 1918.
By 1922, the newly organized Hoover Company was the world's largest manufacturer
of vacuum cleaners. Hoover salesmen worldwide came to North Canton for annual
conventions, staying in tents as they were trained and inspired on the grounds
now called Hoover Park. In 1930, the Hoover Company employed 1,432, and the
population of North Canton reached 2,648. In 1950, the town’s population
exceeded 4,000, while the number of Hoover Company employees grew to 2,400.
Growth in the community clearly was tied to the growth of The Hoover Company.
The Hoovers helped to shape the community of North Canton in a variety of
other ways. The Community Building, built in 1923, was a gift to the residents
of North Canton by William H. “Boss” Hoover. The first library
was also a gift from Hoover, who later began a campaign to raise funds for
the current library. The Hoover Company also assisted with the financing of
North Canton's Memorial Stadium, which was dedicated in 1946, and subsequently
established a company museum (the Hoover Historical Center) in the Hoover
farmhouse.
After World War II, the popularity of the automobile made Americans more mobile
than ever. This fact along with the nationwide migration to the suburbs and
the birth of the baby boomers produced significant changes in American demographics
during the mid and late 20th century. North Canton typified these trends.
The rapid pace of home building and population growth locally bore out the
changes taking place all over America. According to U.S. census figures, between
1950 and 1960, North Canton's population increased 91 percent to 7,727. During
the next decade, the population jumped to nearly 15,000. In 1946, North Canton
gained the convenience of a new airport. The Akron-Canton Regional Airport
was built practically in the community's back yard. Later, to solve transportation
problems on State Route 8 (Main Street through North Canton), construction
of Interstate 77 began. By 1966, the new interstate highway so close to North
Canton directly connected Canton and Akron.
Meanwhile, the local schools underwent changes as well. In September of 1957,
a new high school was built on Fair Oaks Avenue to replace the overcrowded
high school on Charlotte Street. The Greentown schools joined the North
Canton school district
that year as well. North Canton High (NoCaHi) became Hoover High School. The
Charlotte Street building that had been the high school since 1929 became
the North Canton Junior High. In the 1970s, the facility on Fair Oaks was
referred to as Hoover High School South Campus when a vocational facility,
called the North Campus, was constructed on Seventh Street. In 1997 a new
high school facility was opened adjacent to the Hoover High School North Campus,
and the Middle School students were moved from the Charlotte Street Building
to the renovated South Campus site. Building renovations were also made at
the four elementary schools in the district. Thanks to an agreement with the
North Canton City Schools, the Heritage Society is currently located in part
of the former school on Charlotte Street.
Employment in various local businesses, as well as quality
schools, and easy access to Canton, Akron, and Cleveland via Interstate 77,
continue to foster growth in our community as we enter the 21st century.
North Canton Students in early 20th century