The Portage House is in a park-like setting near downtown Akron, the original prestigious area of the city. It is a large, gracious tudor-style home built in 1918 on a half-acre of land originally a part of the Simon Perkins farm, the founding family of Akron. At the corner of the block, the original homes and stone wall of the Perkins family still stand, The Perkins Mansion and The John Brown Home are both maintained by the Summit County Historical Society whose offices are located on the site. The homes are open for daily tours. Even before the founding of Akron in 1825, this area was of historical significance--from time immemorial it was the portage route between the two river systems, the Cuyahoga River emptying into the Great Lakes to the north and the Tuscarawas River flowing south to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and on to the Gulf of Mexico. Also, in 1785 it was the western boundary of the United States which is noted with an appropriate plaque on the Perkins stone wall.

The Portage House was opened in 1982 by Jeanne and her late husband Harry, who was a physics professor at the University of Akron for 27 years. Jeanne, who had studied international affairs and languages, and her daughter, Carol, continue to operate the Portage House residing in the third floor apartment.

Guests at the Portage House have available to them on the second floor, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. A large living room on the first floor is a quiet place to relax, read, and visit or watch TV. Breakfast is served in the formal dining room, or, more casually, at the large center island in the modernized kitchen.