An Effort at Social Reform Ends in Sodom
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Allan Banner, a lifelong resident of Liberty Township, peers down a small ravine choked with weeds and overgrown brush on land his family still owns after more than two centuries. The site was home to his ancestor’s first business venture, a sawmill that supplied timber to the active coal mining operations approximately a half-mile south in a village that was then unofficially called Mineral City.
“My family – the Bards – settled here in 1817,” Banner says as he surveyed the old site. “Parts of my family were here from early on.” READ MORE
Wampum: Small Town with a Big Reach
WAMPUM, Pa. – Jonathan Landell leans forward under bright lamps that illuminate his narrow workshop along Main Street in the borough of Wampum, Pa.
You’ve likely never heard of him, or his business. However, Landell, the proprietor of Landell Flutes LLC, is renowned in classical music circles and his work is sought by some of the most prominent orchestras around the world. “Most of the big orchestras know me and my work,” he says. READ MORE
How a Small Hamlet Exemplified Local Industry
HUBBARD – The crossroads at Bell Wick-Campbell and Chestnut Ridge roads in Hubbard Township had its name and destiny written as early as the 1850s.
A map of Trumbull County, printed in 1856, identifies a tract of land in the region just northwest of the city of Hubbard. There, on the property of Hugh Love, is scrawled “Coal Bank” – denoting an outcrop of the industrial fuel that laid the foundation of the boom, and then bust, of this hamlet. Nearly 20 years later, maps show the area had earned a name of its own, replete with its own post office: Coalburg. READ MORE
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Gretchen’s Lock: The Legend Endures
There is a section of Little Beaver Creek just north of Calcutta that flattens out, meandering southward toward the Ohio River. Here are remnants of an engineering feat that began nearly 200 years ago. READ
Video: The Rise and Fall of Trumbull Phalanx
Discover the forgotten legacy of the Trumbull Phalanx, a 19th-century Ohio experiment in social harmony and the remnants that echo its legacy today. WATCH
Video: A Road Trip to the ‘Center of the World’
Discover the quirky charm of Braceville Township’s ‘Center of the World’ in Ohio, where history and humor intersect to create a roadside phenomenon that continues to captivate and intrigue. WATCH
“Our Towns: What’s in a Name” promises to include fascinating human interest stories and videos, published across all our platforms.
This monthly series will examine our Valley and touch upon the most interesting monikers that have identified neighborhoods, small communities and crossroads throughout the region.
Each story will be told through the lens of our talented Business Journal newsroom staff.
With its sponsorship, the Cafaro Company is demonstrating its commitment to instilling pride in the Mahoning Valley and educating residents about its uniqueness and heritage.