The UA Department of Biology has an antique collection of birds with hang tags reading, University of Akron Museum of Zoology. 500 specimens from this collection were collected, taxidermied, and donated to Buchtel College (now The University of Akron) by Thomas R. and Sarah Rhodes in the early 1900s, prior to the enactment of the US Fish and Wildlife Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. The valuable collection, which included North American and exotic species, was accumulated by Mr. Rhodes during his many travels and mounted by his wife, Sarah.
When donated to the college, the birds were displayed in cases in Buchtel Hall for students, faculty, and the public to enjoy. Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes requested that the collection be kept in Summit County since it was amassed in the county. Sadly, only a fraction of the Museum of Zoology collection has survived, with specimens being lost to faculty attrition, multiple building moves, or the Buchtel Hall fires of 1899 and 1971. Paperwork that would have accompanied the collection was also lost or destroyed.
Image of the Natural History Room in Old Buchtel Hall from The Buchtel (1882). Courtesy of University Archives and Special Collections at the University of Akron.
In 2021, faculty from the Department of Biology unlocked an unmarked closet in the Auburn Science Center and stumbled upon the long-forgotten Museum of Zoology specimens. This fateful discovery led the EX[L] Center, Department of Biology, LeBron James Family Foundation of Education, and Myers School of Art to offer an [Un]Class around the bird collection. In Spring 2022, students in the [Un]Class engaged in a combination of detective work, biology, archives, art, and education/outreach to prepare the bird collection for exhibit and preservation. This established a framework of documentation, digitization, and display for any UA natural history collections. The students’ conservation of the Museum of Zoology birds can be admired in this exhibit and online in a digital collection.
Dr. Lara Roketenetz, center, assists [Un]Class students with cleaning the birds. Spring 2022. Photograph by Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal.
Thomas R. Rhodes was a prominent landowner and farmer in Medina and Summit counties, especially famous for his cattle and sheep. Rhodes was active in the abolitionist movement prior to the Civil War, then served in the Union Army under General Ulysses S. Grant from 1862-1863 before being honorably discharged. After a successful agricultural business career, Rhodes moved to Akron in 1867 and married Sarah B. Garside in 1876. They bought property on West Hill in Akron and built a large residence at 610 West Market St. The current Rhodes Ave near downtown Akron was named for Thomas and runs through their original property.
In their free time, Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes collected and studied birds, with Sarah accomplishing much of the mounting of the specimens. Mr. Rhodes was also a member and board member of the Akron Scientific Club and the Summit County Horticultural Society, hosting several meetings at the Rhodes residence. Several of his presentations were printed in various journals around the country. Mr. Rhodes passed away in 1910 with Mrs. Rhodes dying several months prior to him.
(Left) Image of Thomas R. Rhodes from W.B. Doyle's Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative Citizens (1908).
(Right) Image of Sarah B. Garside Rhodes from Find a Grave [website].