A new exhibit at the Akron Zoo will explore the contributions of Black Akronites to Perkins Woods, the former city park where the zoo now stands.
“Celebrating Black History in Perkins Woods” opens Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and will be on display until Friday, March 7.
The exhibit will highlight three important chapters in the history of Perkins Woods: Black residents’ efforts to expand the John Brown Monument, which sits on a hillside on the Akron Zoo’s property; the fight to keep the zoo at Perkins Woods; and the Parkside Dairy Bar, a long-running custard stand that was located at the corner of Perkins Woods Park on Euclid Avenue and Edgewood Boulevard.
The exhibit will include artifacts, photos and recreated artwork, said Elena Bell, the zoo’s senior marketing and public relations manager. She said this is the first exhibit of its kind for the Akron Zoo.
The zoo began developing the exhibit in 2023 and worked with historians and a committee of community members to bring it to fruition.
A 2023 article from the Akron Beacon Journal explored the history of Perkins Woods Park. “The 77-acre park was a gift to the city in 1900 from Col. George T. Perkins, B.F. Goodrich president and grandson of Gen. Simon Perkins, Akron’s founder,” wrote reporter Mark J. Price. “The park had a playground, picnic area, baseball diamonds, volleyball courts and a little zoo that is now the Akron Zoo.”
Guests can view “Celebrating Black History” during the Akron Zoo’s regular operating hours (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily). The exhibit is included with zoo admission. The zoo will offer five free admission days during the exhibit’s run: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 20), Presidents Day (Feb. 17) and Inclusion Days (March 1-3). In honor of National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in March, guests who wear orange on Inclusion Days receive free admission.