C. McQueen’s, located at 645 Moon Street in Akron, was a rooming house for African Americans from 1920 to the early 1940s. Claude W. and Irene McQueen were both born in Alabama in 1900 and 1899, respectively, and moved to 802 Euclid Avenue in Akron in 1918. Claude was on the Safe Driver Beacon Journal Safety Council Honor Roll in 1935. He became a janitor for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in 1919 and worked there for 36 years, until his death in 1955. He passed away on March 27, 1955.
Mr. and Mrs. Earl and Elizabeth Clay were another couple who lived at 645 Moon Street starting in 1924. They hosted guests from southern states at their residence. Elizabeth Clay was the miscellaneous treasurer for the Akron Council of Negro Women. It is unclear if or when McQueen and his wife resided there, or possibly just ran a rooming house business from this location. Several ads in The Akron Beacon Journal from 1920 to the early 1940s listed the address 645 Moon Street, but didn’t mention the name C. McQueen’s.
Both the Clays’ and the McQueens’ permanent residences were listed in the 1940 Akron Negro Directory.
Green Book Details
C. McQueen’s appears in the Green Book in 1940 and 1941 at 645 Moon St. in Akron under the category Tourist Homes.
Resources
- Advertisement. Akron Beacon Journal. June 25, 1920.
- Advertisement. Akron Beacon Journal. November 2, 1928.
- Claude McQueen obituary. Akron Beacon Journal. March 30, 1955.
- “Honor Roll Beacon Journal Safety Council.” Akron Beacon Journal. November 16, 1935.
- “Irene McQueen” in 1940 U.S. Census, database, www.familysearch.org/
- Kingsberry, A., ed. Akron Negro Directory. Akron, OH: Kingsberry, 1940. Pp. 44, 84.
As far as I can tell, this is one of only two buildings that survive in Akron that were in the Green Book. Contact me if you want more information or wish to find a way to preserve the history. Tom Ghinder. (Easy to find)