Forty-four locks allowed boats on the Ohio & Erie Canal to stair-step up from Lake Erie to the Portage Summit in Akron. Families and businesses clustered at these locks. Charles and Susan Carter lived near Lock 26.

Canal, farm, railroad – all played a part in the lives of the Carters. Charles served as a canal boat captain and locktender. The family raised corn and hay on their 56-acre farm to feed their dairy cows. A short walk would take them to the former community of Ira, located near today’s Ira and Riverview roads. Though the community did not have any stores, taverns, or churches, it was a distribution point for dairy products. The Carters and other local farmers brought milk to the Hawkins Cheese Factory for processing. It was one of many in the region, which became known as ‘Cheesedom.’ From the community’s railroad depot, farmers shipped their cheese and fresh milk to urban areas.

While at Lock 26, view the exhibit to explore an early “selfie” by Edwin Bell Howe. He was taking the image of himself with his new safety bicycle. Yet note in the background the number of wooden cheese hoops, full of cheese, waiting to be shipped out this spring morning.