Visit to Stan Hywet Hall

Is this what comes to mind when you think of Akron, Ohio? Hope so, cause this is Akron too! Not bad huh?
Stan Hywet Hall is the personal residence (mansion) of F.A.Seiberling the founder of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. After F.A. died in the 50s, the Seiberling family made the house and grounds into a living museum. The inside furnishings are stunning and worth the tour. (Click here to learn more: Stan Hywet Hall.)
What made this even more fun is the personal connection that Tim's family has to this house. See below - you will be surprised!








And now for the rest of the story...
It turns out that Tim's maternal Grandmother and Grandfather were part of the staff that waited upon the Seiberling family. Below is a picture of them that we found in the museum tour. Tim's grandma had recently immigrated from her home in Frutigen, Switzerland ending up in Akron, Ohio where she got a job at Stan Hywet as a Lady's Maid (chambermaid). While at Stan Hywet she met Tim's grandfather who happened to be Mr. Sieberling's personal chauffeur! (I bet those are Goodyear tires on that car!) They met and got married and had lots of great kids and grandchildren. What a great story!
It was fun to imagine them waiting on the Sieberlings and their many visitors - visitors like Helen Keller, several US Presidents, the Von Trapp family and other famous celebrities of the time.
It was so cool to see these pictures during the tour and hear Tim exclaim to strangers on the tour, "Hey look, those are my grandparents!"




The grounds are beautifully kept all around Stan Hywet (Stan Hywet is old English for "out of stone"). Here are some pictures of the various plants and flowers around the huge estate.