The Arms Family Museum of Local History

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. Arms) went about building her dream house; Greystone. Detailed in her essay The Story of My House, Olivia discusses the importance of a woman’s place in the home and goes one step further in discussing how to work with surveyors, architects and brick-layers so the end result is really the home the owner envisioned and not that of the hired hands. Greystone, therefore is truly an Olivia Arms original. A renaissance woman in every sense of the word, Olivia envisioned a home filled with warmth and laughter; a house, she wrote, where the windows would be the “finest landscape paintings.” And the gardens were “an actual part of this house.” Visitors today can not only experience Olivia’s vision, they can learn a bit about the Mahoning Valley in the process.

Located at 684 Wick Ave., Youngstown, Ohio, The Arms Family Museum of Local History is open Tuesday through Saturday 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $4 (or less depending on one’s age).  Though the museum is wonderful, historians will be glad to know the Museum also permits access to their archives including a library and business and media archives.

Part of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, The Arms Family Museum of Local History presently has on display “On Air, 80 Years of Commercial Broadcasting in the Mahoning Valley” which explores the broadcast market in the Valley from its humble beginnings in 1920 to today’s unlimited multi-media opportunities. “The Boys and Girls of Summer” details the history of baseball in the area from the Rayen High School team of 1901 to the General Electric Softball team of 1976.

For more information, contact The Arms Family Museum of Local History at (330) 743-2589

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