The John Brown Monument in Sherbondy Hill was rededicated for its fourth time Sunday afternoon — first in 1910, then again in 1938 and 1975. 

During the ceremony, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik announced during the rededication that the Akron Zoo, City of Akron, Summit County Historical Society and Summit Metro Parks are working together to allow public access to the monument within the next year or so. The site will then be accessible whenever the zoo is open.

Approximately 100 people attended the event, which was held in the Akron Zoo’s parking lot near the path up to the monument. The ceremony was modeled after the 1938 rededication organized by the Negro 25 Year Club and included speeches from various community leaders and elected officials. 

A choir made up of Akron high school students also performed three songs, including “Blow Ye Trumpet Blow,” which was said to be Brown’s favorite song.

Students from Firestone Community Learning Center, NIHF Stem High School and Archbshop Hoban High School perform songs that were contemporary to John Brown's lifetime during a rededication ceremony for his momument on the property of the Akron Zoo. In the foreground is Director Leslie Barnes from the Arlington Church of God. The monument's central pillar was originally erected in 1910 by the German American Alliance, followed in 1938 by the installation of benches, a memorial plaque and a fountain.
Students from Firestone Community Learning Center, NIHF Stem High School and Archbshop Hoban High School perform songs that were contemporary to John Brown’s lifetime during a rededication ceremony for his momument on the property of the Akron Zoo. In the foreground is Director Leslie Barnes from the Arlington Church of God. The monument’s central pillar was originally erected in 1910 by the German American Alliance, followed in 1938 by the installation of benches, a memorial plaque and a fountain. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

Speeches recounted the history of John Brown and his time working with Col. Simon Perkins, son of Akron’s co-founder, Gen. Simon Perkins. Brown cared for his and Perkins’ 1,300 sheep and lived on Perkins’ property in Sherbondy Hill.

They also recounted the monument’s history, including how it came to be and what it stands for.

“This monument will be rededicated in the future, under what I’m sure will continue to be difficult times, and [the monument] stands here as a reminder of fierce urgency that we all have to move our society forward,” Malik said.

After the program, attendees were invited to walk up to the monument, which sits on a wooded hill above the zoo’s parking lots, and place a carnation at the site.

For many, it was their first time going up to the monument. Don Boyd, of Green, said he knew the history of John Brown and personally knew Emmer Lancaster, the chairman of the Negro 25 Year Club’s John Brown memorial committee in 1938, but it was his first time visiting the monument.

A historical photo shows members of the Negro 25 Year Club posing with a memorial plaque to John Brown they presented to the public in 1938. The plaque was part of an update to the memorial that included benches. The photo was part of a display of historical information at the rededication of the John Brown Monument at the Akron Zoo on Sunday.
A historical photo shows members of the Negro 25 Year Club posing with a memorial plaque to John Brown they presented to the public in 1938. The plaque was part of an update to the memorial that included benches. The photo was part of a display of historical information at the rededication of the John Brown Monument at the Akron Zoo on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of the Dr. Shirla R. McClain Gallery of Akron’s Black History at the University of Akron Archives and Special Collections)

Others, such as Sylvia Ruff, have visited the monument many times. Ruff currently lives in West Akron but grew up close to Perkins Woods Park. She remembered playing in the woods as a child about 50 years ago and running up to the memorial, which was hard to find due to the lack of maintenance around the site.

“I still remember John Brown’s face — I never forgot that,” she said, recalling the round bronze portrait of him on a memorial plaque that was added to the monument when it was rededicated in 1938.

Ruff hadn’t been to the memorial since she was young and was pleased to see the monument cleaned up when she visited during the rededication.

“It’s nice, it’s like it’s not forgotten.”

Carnations laid by visitors sit at the base of the pillar of the John Brown Monument on the property of the Akron Zoo in Sherbondy Hill. Visitors were able to walk around the the monument after a rededication ceremony Sunday. Officials from the zoo, Summit Metro Parks, the City of Akron and the historical society are working on a plan to reopen the monument, which sits on a tree-covered hill above the zoo's parking lots, to the public.
Carnations laid by visitors sit at the base of the pillar of the John Brown Monument on the property of the Akron Zoo in Sherbondy Hill. Visitors were able to walk around the the monument after a rededication ceremony Sunday. Officials from the zoo, Summit Metro Parks, the City of Akron and the historical society are working on a plan to reopen the monument, which sits on a tree-covered hill above the zoo’s parking lots, to the public. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

Who was John Brown, the abolitionist who lived in Akron? 

Brown was a radical abolitionist who advocated for armed rebellion for and by enslaved people. Local historian Dave Lieberth, the president of the Akron History Center, called Brown “the single most consequential person to ever live in Akron and Summit County” during the ceremony. Brown is often credited for sparking the U.S. Civil War after leading the infamous raid on a federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in October of 1859. He was hanged for treason two months later.

Brown and his family lived in Akron between 1844 and 1854, working with Perkins on the sheep farm. 

In 1910, the German-American Alliance of Ohio erected a stone base and pillar topped with a sphere and eagle to commemorate 50 years since Brown’s death. An April 19, 1998, an Akron Beacon Journal article stated that the sandstone pillar came from a column from the old Summit County Courthouse. A tornado in 1943 displaced the eagle, which has never been found.

The original program for a 1938 rededication of the John Brown Monument was on display Sunday at the newest rededication of the monument at the Akron Zoo.
The original program for a 1938 rededication of the John Brown Monument was on display Sunday at the latest rededication of the monument at the Akron Zoo. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

The site of the memorial — today part of a wooded area of the Akron Zoo’s property in Sherbondy Hill — was once part of Perkins’ property and was where Brown cared for sheep. At the time of the original dedication, it was part of Perkins Woods Park.

An Akron Beacon Journal article from Aug. 22, 1910, gave a detailed account of the dedication and reported that 8,000 people attended the event. Bands played, and the crowd sang “John Brown’s Body” during the procession to the monument.

Louis Seybold, president of the German-American Alliance’s local chapter, said during the dedication, “Nothing had been done to preserve the memory of John Brown and we, the Germans, felt it was our duty to take some step, and this is the outcome.”

One of Brown’s sons, Jason, 87 years old at the time of the dedication, was present and said he could die happy now that he had seen his father honored. 

Judi Hill, right, the president of the Akron NAACP, acknowledges the work of Michelle Camou from the Akron Zoo, who Hill said was integral to helping plan the rededication of the John Brown Monumnent Sunday. At left is Doug Piekarz, the president and CEO of the Akron Zoo. Officials from the zoo, Summit Metro Parks, the City of Akron and the Summit County Historical Society are working on a plan to reopen the monument, which sits on a tree-covered hill on zoo property, to the public.
Judi Hill, right, the president of the Akron NAACP, acknowledges the work of Michelle Camou from the Akron Zoo, who Hill said was integral to helping plan the rededication of the John Brown Monumnent Sunday. At left is Doug Piekarz, the president and CEO of the Akron Zoo. Officials from the zoo, Summit Metro Parks, the City of Akron and the Summit County Historical Society are working on a plan to reopen the monument, which sits on a tree-covered hill on zoo property, to the public. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

Original monument sees additions in 1938

In 1938, additions to the monument were added by the Negro 25 Year Club, a social group formed in 1935 by Black residents who moved to Akron during the Great Migration. The group commissioned sculptor Stephen Gladwin of Akron to add an octagonal stone base and platform with bench seating, a fountain and marker with a bronze portrait of Brown surrounding the existing monument’s pillar.

Underneath the portrait of Brown, it reads, “He died to set his brothers free, his soul goes marching on.”

A brief history of the Brown memorial published by the Akron Zoo says that no known statements exist from the Negro 25 Year Club as to why the organization chose to add to the monument, but it notes that the engraving lauds Brown’s sacrifice for the freedom of enslaved peoples.

Visitors pose for photos in front of the memorial plaque to John Brown that was added to his monument in 1938. At left is the base of the pillar, which was part of the original monument put up in 1910. The monument, on the grounds of the Akron Zoo, was rededicated Sunday. Officials from the zoo, Summit Metro Parks, the City of Akron and the historical society are working on a plan to reopen the monument, which sits on a tree-covered hill above the zoo's parking lots, to the public.
Visitors pose for photos in front of the memorial plaque to John Brown that was added to his monument in 1938. At left is the base of the pillar, which was part of the original monument put up in 1910. The monument, on the grounds of the Akron Zoo, was rededicated Sunday. Officials from the zoo, Summit Metro Parks, the City of Akron and the historical society are working on a plan to reopen the monument, which sits on a tree-covered hill above the zoo’s parking lots, to the public. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

Lancaster — the first Black graduate from the Municipal University of Akron and Akron’s first Black lawyer admitted to the bar — was the chair of the Negro 25 Year Club’s John Brown memorial committee. Lancaster was also politically active, and for a period of time served as the adviser on Negro Affairs in the U.S. Department of Commerce under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 

Lancaster returned to Akron in 1974 and soon became involved with restoring the monument, which had been vandalized. The city cleaned up the memorial and the Negro 25 Year Club rededicated it on Labor Day in 1975, to celebrate the city’s 150th anniversary.

A Sept. 2, 1975, Akron Beacon Journal article says that about 100 people attended the rededication. 

The monument continued to be vandalized over time, in large part due to its secluded location. A July 2, 2020, Akron Beacon Journal said that efforts to clean up the monument and talks about moving it to the John Brown house on Diagonal Road, where it would be more accessible and visible, have been discussed over the years, but the monument has remained in its original location. 

In 2000, the zoo purchased the property on which the memorial is located and fenced it in, which has helped protect the monument from further harm.

Currently, the monument is only accessible by requesting a tour through the Akron Zoo or attending one of the Summit County Historical Society’s hikes that are hosted several times a year.

Additional sources
Perkins & Brown Partnership, Summit County Historical Society.

A viisitor takes a photo of the memorial plaque to John Brown that was added in 1938 to his monument on the property of the Akron Zoo following a rededication ceremony Sunday. Officials from the zoo, Summit Metro Parks, the City of Akron and the historical society are working on a plan to reopen the monument, which sits on a tree-covered hill above the zoo's parking lots, to the public.
A viisitor takes a photo of the memorial plaque to John Brown that was added in 1938 to his monument on the property of the Akron Zoo following a rededication ceremony Sunday. Officials from the zoo, Summit Metro Parks, the City of Akron and the historical society are working on a plan to reopen the monument, which sits on a tree-covered hill above the zoo’s parking lots, to the public. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

Melanie Mohler is a writer and editor based in Akron's West Hill neighborhood. She is the current editor of Ohio Genealogy News, a publication of the Ohio Genealogical Society, and she was previously a freelance contributor for The Devil Strip. Melanie has a BA in international relations from Kent State University and an MA in applied history and public humanities from the University of Akron. She is active in several local organizations, including Akron Documenters, Everyday Akron, and Akron Postcard Club.