Rev. Linus Austin's Large Stone Grave Slab And How It Got There. Plus The Austin Powder Co.

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Rev. Austin;s family plot at Glendale Cemetery in Akron, Ohio. The day that the massive stone slab was installed was an exciting day for the people of Akron.

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Hello! I'm Mr. Ed

Blog Created: 9-4-2022

Last Updated: 8-17-2023

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Rev. Linus Austin was a Baptist Missionary in Vermont. He married Temperance Parmelee and later settled in Cleveland, Ohio. He soon moved to Akron where he spent the remainder of his life.

Rev. Austin was the last to be buried in the grave plot. He was buried in 1854. The cover on their plot is a solid, single piece of stone. How the heavy slab was delivered to the gravesite is a strange story.

Once the Austin's were resting in the family plot, The Austin family members was left with the task of covering the plot with the slab. But how on earth would they get it to the graves and put it in place? It weighed several tons. It was the 1850s and horses were the main transportation. But it would take well over 100 horses to pull the wagon with the slab on it. If the idea failed, they would be stuck with this stone sitting on a city street. They had to get it there and had to have it pulled up a short hill to do it.

Just by chance, the Wringling Brothers Circus was coming to Akron. An idea came to the Austins. But would it work? The family talked to the owners of the circus and a plan was put in order. They hired several members of the circus who used two elephants to pull the wagon hauling the stone slab. Crowds gathered to watch the massive animals pull the cumbersome wagon through the streets and to the cemetery.

The elephants seemed to have no problems pulling the wagon. Once at the family plot, the elephants were used to move the slab around and put it in place. It was a site to see for sure.

The Family ~

Cyrus Austin was the son of Rev. Linus Austin and Temperance Parmelee. He died at the age of 33 yrs, 1 mo, 4 days.

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM J.D.R. ~

I have done a bit more research on Cyrus' death and he drowned at the powder mill site while trying to draw water off from the dam they had. He was one of the original brothers and was age 33 at the time of his death. He was pulled into the current, had his leg/foot caught and the swift current held him down before they could rescue him. This was reported in the Beacon Journal on July 9th, 1842. It is possible he is our company's first fatality. Too bad as his reputation was solid as a businessman and neighbor.

The original site of the Austin Powder Company, This is where Cyrus Austin drowned.

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM Kathie Weigel ~

The dam where he drowned at was at Old Forge.

Alven Austin. Glendale Cemetery.

Abigail Austin. Glendale Cemetery.

Lorenzo Burchard Austin. Glendale Cemetery.

The Austin plot at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

Linus Austin. Born 1817.

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From the Austin Powder Website ~

For nearly 190 years, Austin Powder has been in the business of helping customers break rock safely and efficiently.

Our Early History ~

Austin Powder Company is the oldest manufacturing enterprise in the State of Ohio and one of the oldest manufacturers of explosives in the world.

The company began in 1833 in Akron, Ohio by the 5 Austin brothers of Vermont to produce black powder which was used in blasting rock and the sporting arms of the day.

The company acquired the Cleveland Powder Co. in 1867, at the 5 Mile Lock of the Ohio & Erie Canal. The facility later was lost when an explosion occurred in 1907.

Fortunately prior to that in 1891, Austin Powder moved the production 13 miles into the country and carved out a parcel of Solon Township southeast of downtown Cleveland, and built the company town of GLENWILLOW (external link), a rural community in 1892 that included production facilities as well as employee homes, a town hall, a school, and a general store.

In 1930, the company recognized the need to add to its product offering and decided to build a dynamite plant in Vinton County, OH near the small town of McArthur, OH. This remote facility became known as Red Diamond, in recognition of the company’s logo and has become the main production site of the company in the US. In 1972, all of the remaining activities at Glenwillow were moved to Red Diamond and production ceased.

In the early part of the 20th century, company headquarters were located in the ROCKEFELLER BLDG. in downtown Cleveland. During the 1960s, Austin moved its headquarters to the eastern suburbs, closer to Glenwillow and where they still reside today. Beginning in 1985, Austin began a period of significant technical and international expansion. By 1995 the company had operations in a dozen countries around the world and over 1,400 employees.

Today, Austin Powder is servicing customers in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa, with more than 4,500 family members worldwide.