Barberton, Ohio, has a rich history dating back to the early 1900s. Despite our practice being located here for almost 30 years, many of our Team Members were unfamiliar with the great history of the city of Barberton. To better educate ourselves, recently, some of us attended the annual Barberton Historical Society Anna Dean Farm Walking Tour. Here are some of the highlights… Founded by O.C. Barber, Barberton was constructed as an industrial city close to Akron and on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Diamond Match, owned and operated by O.C. Barber was located in the city and was the largest producer of matches in the United States producing 250 million matches a day. On the heels of the success of Diamond Match, O.C. Barber constructed one of the largest and most successful “super-farms” of its time. He mastered the principals of mass production, mechanization, innovation, and long-term planning. The 3,500 acre estate, with a daily operating expense of nearly $1,000, consisted of 12 acres of greenhouses, herds of top-quality livestock, several large barns, a piggery, poultry house, flour mill, concrete factory, brick works, creamery and a 40 acre park. On the highest part of the farm overlooking Barberton laid the 52 room, 50,000 square foot French Renaissance Revival mansion, reportedly described by the New York Times as the “finest mansion between New York and Chicago.” Fully completed in 1910, the mansion alone cost over $400,000 and required 18 months to finish.
Unfortunately the Barber Mansion was torn down in 1965 but many of the Barber Farm buildings have been restored and some are being used by local businesses. There is a wonderful historical society working hard to preserve the history of Barberton and Barnett Orthodontics is proud to be a business in the Barberton community.
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