American Toy Marble Museum Akron Ohio

The success of dyke s akron toy company spurred other entrepreneurs to start up their own marble works in the akron area.

American toy marble museum akron ohio.

In the mid 1890s. In order to keep the engineering arts and games of american marbles alive the museum promotes quality playtime activities for children of all ages. Most of the below jugs pots boots and other miniature items might be difficult to recognize as toys today but childhood has changed remarkably in the past 120 years in part due to the mass production of children s products including toys. The first five and last eight marbles are made of common clay making them known as commies also found on the former site of the american marble and.

It is a partner in akron after school and is working closely with the akron history exhibit the summit county historical society the university of akron archives the akron summit county public library. The american toy marble museum is located in akron ohio where some of the earliest american marbles were produced. The museum enjoyed more than 40 000 visitors a year but staffing was voluntary and funding was limited. It was manufactured on the site by the american marble toy manufacturing co.

To showcase its marble industry history for many years akron was home to the american toy marble museum since 1990 closing some years and then reopening at a different location in 2002 2015 at loch 3 park. In 2005 the akron district marbles tournament had roughly 5 000 children participating in its yearly marbles tournament programs. Many of the museum s exhibits were dug out of the ground during its construction. A few years later in 1891 sam dyke founded the american marble toy manufacturing company and it was this factory that became the largest toy company to operate in the united states during the nineteenth century.

American toy marble museum. American toy marble museum closed the museum stood on the site formerly occupied by samuel c. Dyke s 1884 clay marble factory. The first mass produced toy.

Dyke in 1891 in akron. The american toy marble museum is a chartered non profit organization of ohio but it does not compete for non profit foundation grants. The american toy marble museum preserves and disseminates through multimedia exhibitions and displays the history of the american toy industry in the city where it all started. The museum displays a wide range of marbles and other toys and tools from the industry.

The original blue santa pictured here was found at lock 3 park in akron ohio during an archeological dig by the american toy marble museum.