Archive for the ‘History’ Category
The Mahoning Valley has several choices for continuing education – Youngstown State University and Kent State University regional campuses offer college access and there are also several technical colleges in the area. However, the rising cost of tuition can be a deterrent. Jefferson Community College of Steubenville saw the need for a more affordable college choice and now there is one; Eastern Gateway Community College With just one full semester in the books, Eastern Gateway Community College can already tout its success. Serving Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties, this expansion of Jefferson Community College is thriving.
[ April 7, 2009 12:00 pm to June 28, 2009 12:00 pm. ]
On the Road Again The National Road Comes to Y-Town
Our nations’ first federally funded highway is celebrating its bicentennial, and you’re invited to the party. The National Road: Helping Build America is a traveling exhibit whose next stop is the Youngstown Historical Center of Labor & Industry where it sill be on display April 7 through June 28, 2009.
Put together by the Ohio Historical Society and partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council, this exhibit honors Congress’ authorizing the construction of the National Road also known as the Cumberland Road, the National Pike, “The Main Street of America” and U.S. 40. The National Road was the first compact gravel road to cross the Appalachian Mountains making it so travel through this area was more doable. With the construction of The National Road, settling the frontier became a reality.
Though Congress gave the okay to begin the construction of the road in 1806, and contracts with private builders were in place by 1811, the War of 1812 held the project in limbo until 1815. At this time, work on the road began in Cumberland, Maryland with the first portion to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) being completed in 1817. The road eventually extended to St. Louis, Missouri. It is interesting to note that the Ohio portion of the 620-mile National Road is more than 225 miles long…
[ November 29, 2008; 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. November 30, 2008; 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. ]
Mill Creek Park is Youngstown’s crown jewel. The result of a forward thinking Volney Rogers who helped the park become established in 1891, Mill Creek Metropolitan Park District encompasses 2,600 acres within urbanized Mahoning County. Including 20 miles of drives and 15 miles of foot trails, Mill Creek also boasts a rare collection of gardens, lakes for canoeing, and woodlands to explore. Though the park has much to offer year-round, at the end of November one special location, Lanterman’s Mill, pulls out all the stops as it welcomes the holiday season to the Valley.
Lanterman’s Mill is considered one of Mahoning County’s most historic landmarks. The present mill (and all mills that came before it) built in 1845-1846 by German Lanterman and Samuel Kimberly is located at Lanterman’s Falls. The Mill was restored from 1982 to 1985 through a gift from the Ward and Florence Beecher Foundation. However, there were a few mills at this location prior to the one standing today.
John Young, the founder of Youngstown, once owned the land surrounding Lanterman’s Falls. He sold 300 acres that included the falls to Phineas Hill at the end of the 18th century with the stipulation a saw and grist mill be built at the site of the Falls within 18 months of purchase. This mill which operated from 1799 to 1822 was built from logs found on-site and millstones were cut from granite in the area.
In 1823, Eli Baldwin built a mill to replace this original, with this…
Many “gems” of culture can be found in the most unlikely places. It would only make sense a museum, whose mission “to preserve and collect works of art in all media created by citizens of our country,” would be located in Washington, D.C. Nope; Youngstown, Ohio lays claim to The Butler Institute of American Art; the first museum of American art.
Dedicated in 1919, the Butler, as it is called by the locals is a wonderful architectural masterpiece in and of itself. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this Wick Avenue structure is the work of architectural geniuses McKim, Mead and White. Known worldwide as “America’s Museum,” the Butler not only houses extensive individual works by American artists (more than 20,000 now), it is a living museum – meaning the community doesn’t just visit every once in awhile. The Butler is an active venue – one weekend hosting a wedding, another offering art classes to children, and always its door are open to the public where anyone can peruse the exhibits on display – free of charge.
Arguably its most well-known masterpiece would be 1872 Winslow Homer work “Snap the Whip” depicting school age children playing this game. The recent acquisition of preeminent American illustrator Norman Rockwell’s “Lincoln the Railsplitter” has recently draw the most attention to the Butler. According to Butler Director Dr. Louis Zona, “If ever a painting belonged in the collection of the Butler Institute, this is the one. Painted by America’s most beloved artist,…
Youngstown, Ohio still retains much of it historical roots. When an area is oppressed or falls upon hard times, buildings are reworked instead of torn down. People make do instead of building new. If such historic structures can just “hang in there” or are cared for long enough, some one or some group hopefully will come along, see the importance of preserving the past, and restore these beautiful buildings to their former grandeur.
The Arms Family Museum of Local History is one such place. Situated in “Greystone,” the early 20th century Arts & Crafts-style home built by the prominent Arms family, this un-heralded little museum houses a wealth of local history.
The first floor of the museum features Greystone’s original rooms, dressed in period furnishings so it feels one has just stepped back in time. The Arms family loved medieval architecture and design, as well as the natural environment.
The lower level and second floor of the home are filled with historical exhibits featuring the lives and times of past residents of the Mahoning Valley. While the first floor stays constant, the exhibits on these other levels change regularly helping visitors enjoy and understand the way of life here for different people at different times. Native Americans, Welsh coal miners, African-American freeman – all have been featured at one time.
And this would have made Greystone’s designer so very happy. It was in the first part of the 20th century when Olivia F. A. Arms (wife of Wilford P.…
