photo courtesy of Summit Memory/Akron-Summit County Public Library
Beginning in about 1847, canal workers and travelers frequented the Mustill Store, which is located on the Ohio & Erie Canal at Lock 15, is pictured here to the right and is one of the oldest buildings in Akron. The Mustill Store and neighboring Greek Revival-style Mustill House were owned by English immigrants Joseph and Sarah Mustill, and until the late 1880s, three additional Mustill generations stayed there. With signs reading “Groceries & Provisions” and “Meat Market,” the store sold goods to about 75 boats daily passing through the high-traffic staircase lock at its peak. Commerce ceased and preservation started on the lock area in 1989. Today, the restored store is a seasonal museum and visitor center run by the Cascade Locks Park Association where people can learn about the canal’s history and shop for souvenirs, snacks and locally made goods in an old-timey setting with historical photographs from back when the lock bustled.
