Dear Tracy,
I am hoping that you can settle a disagreement that I am having with a friend. We were talking about museums, I told him that there was a Goodyear tire museum, and that I went there as a kid. He says it doesn’t exist, and thinks that I dreamed it up. I know it exists and that it is somewhere in Ohio. Can you guys settle this for us?
-Danny K.
Dear Danny,
Actually, you and your friend are both correct. Indeed, there was a museum at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in Akron, Ohio, but it is no longer there. Sadly, the World of Rubber museum closed after 61 years in 2009. We personally can vouch for the museum’s existence as our family made many a trip there throughout our childhood. Some of the exhibits included Indy-style race cars, a World War II aircraft fuselage, and a tire from a lunar buggy. Our favorite, though, was the recreation of Charles Goodyear’s workshop. You can see a picture of it here.
The decision to close the free museum at Goodyear headquarters was said to be due in part to a lack of interest. We just can’t imagine why more folks did not go! Clearly, they did not know what they were missing.
Fortunately, tire enthusiasts can still enjoy a virtual tour through Goodyear chronology by visiting the history section of the corporate website.
