Pioneer Cereal Mill
Located on West Cherry Street on the left side (if you were heading North) at the first alley past the railroad tracks was the Pioneer Cereal Mill. The French Cereal made there was made with “pearl” (or pearled) barley that purportedly gave a luscious roasted grain aroma to the downtown area.
The company was owned by the famous Schumacher milling family in Akron, led by patriarch Ferdinand Schumacher, the "Oat Meal King". The mill they operated in Canal Fulton was originally owned by the company Heinrich Miller & Sons, where it manufactured pearl barley and flour. In 1902 Pioneer Cereal Company acquired the mill. The mill was in operation until 1907, when it was destroyed in a fire. After the fire, Pioneer Cereal Company left Canal Fulton to start a new plant up in Akron[1][2][3].
Undated photograph of the Pioneer Cereal Mill on West Market St. near the railroad. SS Philip and James Catholic Church can be see in the background.
1875 - Atlas showing a "Grist & Flouring Mill" at the location. This is the earliest mention of a mill at the location.
1898 - Fire Insurance map showing the Heinrich Miller & Sons location.
