Tom and Bertha Jones Interview, 24 June, 2008

Tom and Bertha Jones are longtime residents of the Cuyahoga County in Summit County. Tom and his father built Tamson Park in Peninsula, while Bertha was a township clerk. When the Cuyahoga Valley National Park was formed, the Joneses sold their home to the NPS, accepted a twenty-year residency, and now rent from the park. In this interview they share early memories of the Cuyahoga Valley, including social life in Peninsula in the 1940s-50s, the trains that ran through the village, and how Virginia Kendall Park looked more manicured when it was administered by the Akron Metro Park system. Tom Jones discusses how he got into photographing the Towpath, his key role in bringing Blossom Music Center to Cuyahoga Valley, and how the valley has seen the regrowth of forests and proliferation of wildlife since the park forms. The interview will be especially useful for those interested in assessing change and continuity in the Cuyahoga Valley across the mid-to-late 20th century