Akron, Ohio to commemorate city's link to 1800s abolitionist

Akron is planning a series of events to commemorate the 150th anniversary of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Va., in 1859.

The abolitionist had ties to Summit and Portage counties. Born in Connecticut in 1800, he was 5 when his family moved to Hudson. As a young man, he worked at his father's tannery. He also operated a tannery in Kent in the 1830s.