O. C. Barber

Ohio Columbus Barber (April 20, 1841 – February 4, 1920) was an American businessman, industrialist and philanthropist.

was born the second son of George and Eliza Barber in Middlebury, a small Ohio village later annexed by Akron.

His father used to be a barrel maker from Connecticut but started producing matching when the family relocated to Akron.

's older brother, George H. Barber, who was a soldier, died of dysentery, one of the many war casualties of disease.

[2] To expand manufacturing operations, Barber purchased a large area from Norton Township founding the city of Barberton in 1891.

In 1894 due to a tax dispute in Akron, Barber moved his match-making plant to Barberton, which helped the city's economy.

[2] One of the biggest achievements of Barber's career, particularly from the humanitarian and economical standpoints, was the establishment, with Frederick Grinnell and others, of the General Fire Extinguisher Company.

His plans called for the building of an underground system of subways connecting every railroad entering Cleveland, at the Lake Front, thus facilitating the handling of freight, and the establishment of the great warehouse system on the Lake Shore, where he owned large frontages.

In 1909, Barber used his wealth to commission construction of a three-story, 52-room mansion in Barberton; it was completed in 18 months.

Over 300 feet (91 m) long, the mansion was designed in the French Renaissance Revival style by the Akron architects Harpster & Bliss.

In addition, Barber had 35 structures built as part of his experimental, scientific Anna Dean Farm, which covered 3,500 acres (14 km2).

He willed his farm to Case Western University, intending it to serve as the basis of an agricultural college, but he failed to complete the financing before his death.

They had one daughter Anna, the namesake years later for a lake and park in Barberton, and a son Charles, who died young.

After being a widower for 20 years, in 1915 Barber married Mary Orr, who had worked as his secretary and shared his vision.