Akron, Ohio

Visiting Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio

Video Transcript

Hi this is Amanda from found in Ohio, and I’m here today at Stan Hywet Hall to take a look at old bassinet, and some very interesting history.

John F Seiberling jr.

John F Seiberling Jr. was the first grandchild of FA Seiberling, the founder of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron. He was born right here at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens on September 8th, 1918. After his birth in the infirmary, John Jr. and his mother, Henrietta, who would later be a member of a local Oxford group and would introduce Dr. Bob, and Bill W, what would become the first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, removed to the colonial room to recover, which is situated directly across the hall from the head housekeeper’s room.

The Boys’ wing

At one point, his father, John Frederick, also known as Fred, who lived in the house as a boy, had asked to be moved to his brother’s room, which is also just down the hall, but was told that he could not uproot his younger brother. This led to the creation of what would be called the boys’ wing in the house.

Later on, John Jr, had been a corporate attorney for Goodyear Tire and Rubber for seventeen years when he decided to run for congress in 1970, despite his family’s misgivings. He was elected to the House of Representatives. John would spend the next 16 years leading a subcommittee on public lands and National Parks.

cuyahoga valley national park

That subcommittee preserved 129 million acres of land, including that which would become the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. On May 16, 1974, Sieberling presented to Congress his first arguments for Cuyahoga Valley to be a recreational park, the first of its kind for a national park.

the bassinet

This right here is the bassinet that John was laid in right after he was born in 1918. Back in 2020, it was determined that the original fabric needed to be reproduced to further conserve the object. The Stan Hywet Needlework Guild were brought in to evaluate the original fabric and identify new fabrics to be used to recreate the skirt canopy and mattress lining. This included Batiste cotton, polished cotton, and lace. Over the course of 18 months, the needlework guild worked to complete this project. And now the bassinet is on permanent display in the colonial room.