Akron Grant Club Pole, 1915, located at the intersection of Routes 5 and 93. Source: Courier-Express
Akron Grant Club Pole, 1915, located at the intersection of Routes 5 and 93. Source: Courier-Express
The Grant Club in Akron was founded to support the re-election of U.S. Grant as President. In 1872,
during his campaign the club members erected an oak log topped with a globe at the intersection of
Routes 5 & 93
to advertise their support. Such a visual aid was common in politics at the time.
The name, "Grant Club Pole," remained long after the era and it became such a fixture that it was
replaced in 1904 when the original deteriorated. The pole above remained in its place until the 1980's.
Akron Grant Club Pole, 2006, located at the intersection of Buell Street (Rte 93) and Clarence Center Road.
The NYS Department of Transportation declared the pole as a road hazard in 1975, but
citizens succeeded in delaying the inevitable until the mid-1980's when the DOT determined
to remove the decaying pole from the intersection.
Local citizens rallied to erect another "Grant Club Pole," this time about a mile north of the
original location, at another intersection. In keeping with the original structure, an oak pole harvested
locally (from the farm of Russell & Carol Rosenberg) was installed and the tradition continues.