Steps in Time: Ninety Years of Metro Parks, Serving Summit County

by Sarah Vradenburg

What started in 1921 in an effort to encourage forestry, conserve natural resources, and protect the comfort and welfare of the citizens of Summit County has, in ninety years, grown into one of the largest and most popular metropolitan park districts in Ohio. Today, Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, manages 10,000 acres, including 13 developed parks, six conservation areas, and more than 120 miles of trails, with 21.5 miles of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Annual attendance averages 4.5 million visitors. Since 2007, author Sarah Vradenburg, a former editorial writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, has studied archives, interviewed park visitors ,and hiked with current and former staff to help share a people-oriented history of the park district. The book contains historic and current photos, including a signature photograph of each open park at the time of publication. A review of the park district's directors and commissioners, from 1921 to the present, is also included.

146 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction>history, local Summit county OH
I have been bitten by the Park Bug! I can't believe how lucky I am to have this whole system of parks available to me and I am really floored that I haven't had more reason to visit them in my 40 years. I am certainly looking forward to making up for lost time, now, though!
The stories for the various land plots that are now a part of the Summit County Metro Parks are interesting. Also, seeing a lot of names in here that put stories and real people to the various place-names I've grown up hearing about--streets, buildings, areas, etc.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who will be visiting or lives anywhere near the SCMP. Anyone travelling to the area to visit the Cuyahoga Valley National Park should also take a look at the beautiful, historical, stunning, preserved, and well-maintained SCMP that are literally intertwined with the National Park.

[John Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

great history of metroparks if you have local interest

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the history and development of the Summit Country (Ohio) Metro park System. I learned a lot about how many of the parks / trails got their names.