A Legacy of Innovation

A Brief History of the Mahoning Valley

A Frontier of Possibilities

Originally Surveyed in 1796 as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, the abundant natural resources of the Mahoning Valley quickly attracted settlers from the east - it was the new frontier in the young republic.  Not the first inhabitants of the land, the settlers were preceded by Native Americans, although Congressional action that relocated Native Americans to points west of the Mississippi greatly diminished their numbers in Ohio.

From Farmland to Industrial Basin

By the time Ohio became the 17th state of the Union in 1803, the Mahoning Valley's developing townships and counties were filled with thriving farms, as well as shops, taverns, law firms and other businesses to serve a growing population.  The Mahoning River and its tributaries were harnessed to power sawmills and gristmills.  In the same year, the first blast furnace west of the Appalachians - the Hopewell Furnace at Yellow Creek - made pig iron that was cast into kettles and skillets.

Warren became the seat of justice for the entire Western Reserve as well as the seat of Trumbull County.  In Columbiana County, the native clays would make the manufacture of pottery a distinctive industry (particularly the production of "yellow ware"), joining a large variety of other manufacturing endeavors, almost entirely for local consumption.

By mid-century, Youngstown (incorporated into a village in 1850) was transformed from an agrarian to industrial community with the discovery of high-grade coal and the ability to mass-produce iron.

A Powerhouse of Iron and Steel

The first blast furnaces heralded the coming of steel, an industry that for generations drove the economic engine of all northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.  As the 19th century gave way to the 20th, Youngstown grew into a metropolis with a tremendous influx of population.  The establishment of United States Steel Corporation, Youngstown Sheet and Tube and Republic Iron and Steel marked the turn from iron-making into steel manufacturing.

Through the 1960's, the Mahoning Valley's massive furnaces and foundries made it a global industrial hub.  By the late 1970's, however, economic changes forced the closing of steel plants, devastating the region because it had failed to become economically diversified.

A Legacy of Innovation and Diversity

Today, the Mahoning Valley is diligently preparing to move into a "post-steel" economy with the spirit of entrepreneurship that has always been a part of its history.  The steel industry, like the coal mining days before it, required workers, and tens of thousands of people from America and Europe teemed into the Mahoning Valley, bringing with them their languages and customs.  This enduring mosaic of cultures remains one of the Valley's most vital assets as it moves forward.

Once again, the Mahoning River that supplied water to pioneer farmers, provided transportation for emerging towns, and powered many mills, will take its place at the center of the region.  As the cities along its banks establish appealing riverfronts, the natural beauty of the waterways will again be enjoyed by all who live in and visit the Mahoning Valley.

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society educates and promotes an interest in the history of the Mahoning Valley by collecting, preserving, and developing material representative of the people who have inhabited the region.

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