Name: Italian Americans of the Greater Mahoning Valley
Brand: Dr. Donna M. DeBlasio
SKU: 9781467114790
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Italian Americans of the Greater Mahoning Valley

9781467114790

$24.99

Between 1890 and 1924, Italian immigrants flocked to Ohio's Mahoning Valley. The area's burgeoning iron and steel industries beckoned with job prospects for immigrants fleeing southern and eastern Europe--particularly from southern Italy, a region that at the time lacked opportunity and highly taxed its natives. Upon the arrival of these new residents, neighborhoods such as Youngstown's Smoky Hollow and Brier Hill offered accepting communities, and Niles Fire Brick Factory Company and Trumbull Blast Furnace provided employment. Assimilation was not always easy, and discrimination did occur, but Italian Americans ultimately prospered, making a mark not only as steelworkers but also as shopkeepers, grocers, restaurateurs, tradesmen, educators, doctors, lawyers, legislators, and mayors. This book explores the immigration experience, community, workplace dynamics, celebrations, worship, heritage, and lasting impact of the second-largest ethnic group in Ohio's Mahoning Valley.

Italian Americans of the Greater Mahoning Valley

Chippewa Lake

9781467126663

$24.99

Formed by glaciers, Chippewa Lake has been drawing visitors since early Indian tribes came to hunt and fish; settlers first laid down roots in the area during the War of 1812. Soon, visitors hoping to escape the heat of the city discovered the cooling waters of Chippewa. Eventually, a pleasure resort was developed, and the area expanded. Churches, a school, a brickyard, a grain elevator, general stores, a post office, and a meat market were established. Passenger trains delivered families laden with picnic baskets to Chippewa Lake Park, an amusement park that featured water activities, a carousel, a roller coaster, and a ballroom. Dignitaries, politicians, and entertainers frequented the park. A cottage community developed along the shoreline in neighborhoods like Gloria Glens, Briarwood Beach, and Chippewa-on-the-Lake. Before refrigeration, ice was harvested from the lake in the winter and shipped as far away as Philadelphia. After 100 years in operation, Chippewa Lake Park closed in 1978. The lake is currently owned by the Medina County Park District and still offers spectacular sunsets and public fishing and boating.

Lisbon

9781467114707

$24.99

Centered in the midst of the Columbiana County hills, Lisbon was founded in 1803. High hopes for growth and prosperity were first realized through industries producing iron, coal, and pottery; however, even with modern inventions, fascinating people, and hopes for a successful canal, the dream of becoming a city never materialized. During the Civil War, Confederate general John Hunt Morgan and his raiders threatened the community with invasion, but he ultimately surrendered to Union forces. Many political careers had links to Lisbon, including those of Congressman and Copperhead Clement Vallandigham, Sen. Marcus Hanna, Pres. William McKinley, and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court John Clarke. Intriguing families such as the "Fighting McCooks" added to the community's history. Victorian homes abound, and today effort is put into the restoration of other Lisbon homes as well as businesses, creating genuine charm and interest while commercial and industrial progress stretches northward.

Mentor

9781467113618

$24.99

One of the first towns settled in the lands once known as Connecticut's Western Reserve, Mentor continues to thrive more than two centuries later. After starting out in 1797 as a sparsely populated wilderness outpost with only a handful of permanent residents, Mentor has transformed into a vibrant 21st-century city. The earliest settlers began the great task of felling trees, clearing land, and establishing farms to provide themselves with food and shelter during the area's harsh winters. Through the 19th century, Mentor's growth was slow but steady. Its citizens not only included hardworking farmers and artisans, but wealthy turn-of-the-20th-century Cleveland business leaders, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, and the 20th president of the United States, James A. Garfield. Once known for extensive farmland, grand country estates, interurban railroads, and some of the finest nurseries in the country, Mentor is now a diverse community with more than 50,000 residents and a strong and burgeoning local economy.

Whitehall

9781467114509

$24.99

The city of Whitehall, skirting the eastern edge of Columbus, Ohio, is an undiscovered treasure of postwar America. The Lustron Corporation, based in Whitehall, lays claim to the origins of the prefabricated housing industry. The nation's first shopping center, the Town and Country, was built in the village in the late 1940s. The National Road passes through Whitehall, which helped create businesses offering lodging, meals, and entertainment on par with those along the storied Route 66. Images of America: Whitehall also pays homage to one of the most beloved tiki restaurants ever to grace the country: the famed Kahiki. This chronicle seeks to honor the amazing history of the "City of Pride."

Pickerington

9780738588704

$24.99

On land that was once inhabited by Native Americans, the city of Pickerington is now a bustling suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Step into the downtown area, though, and one will catch a glimpse of the rich history of what was once a small village before its population boom. In 1811, James Looker of Rockingham County, Virginia, purchased land in Violet Township. Although he never lived on the land, his children called it home, building log cabins along Sycamore Creek. Ann Looker, one of his daughters, married Abraham Pickering, who established a town and named it Jacksonville. In 1827, citizens honored Pickering by petitioning the state legislature to change the name of the town to Pickerington. By 1865, there were 37 buildings in Pickerington, and some of those still stand to this day.

West Columbus

9781467114639

$24.99

Present-day West Columbus is a collective of neighborhoods born from the western banks of the Scioto River in what became Franklin County on April 30, 1803. The first settlement, Franklinton, was founded by Lucas Sullivant in 1797, platted two years after he received 6,000 acres in payment for surveying the central Ohio portion of the Virginia Military District. Later expansions included the areas of Sullivant's Hill, Rome, and Camp Chase. While the first settlers were farmers and ex-soldiers, the land would also attract Quakers, rail men, real estate moguls, and manufacturers. The neighborhoods found success even though the Scioto River, which birthed the region, on multiple occasions threatened to wash them off the map during three great floods. Characterized by a hardworking and driven population, the community attracted major investments by the mid-1900s, including the expanded operations of the General Motors Fisher Body Plant.

Blanchester

9781467114141

$24.99

John and Joseph Blancett laid out the village of Blanchester in 1823. The community started as a central collection of log buildings among miles of farmland. Since that time, the village has grown, flourished, and suffered. The fire of 1895 destroyed most of the main commercial district at the heart of the village. Sons were sent off to fight in the Civil War and both World Wars. Through it all, Blanchester grew and thrived, and the community celebrated its centennial in 1924--a year late. Today, Blanchester is still a tightly knit village, where friends greet each other as they walk down the street and community events are put on a yearly schedule.

Historic Tales of Medina County, Ohio

9781467151108

$24.99

Enjoy local stories celebrating family, faith and democratic values.

The history of Medina County brims with tales revealing the colorful and admirable character of its communities and people. For a while, locals observed living in two time zones simultaneously while also ignoring a federal law mandating Daylight Saving Time. The world-famous Giant of Seville, Captain Martin Van Buren Bates, had a brief but violent vigilante episode in Civil War-era Kentucky before finding peace and Christianity--and a home--in Ohio. The county's most prominent political family, the Batchelders, had ties to a pig farm in Brunswick that drew national attention and statewide reform.

Author Stephen D. Hambley shares insightful and entertaining stories, many never heard before, from Medina County's past.

Berea

9781467113847

$24.99

Among southwest Cleveland suburbs, Berea, a community of 19,000, is unique. Berea was once called "The Sandstone Capital of the World," but the area's quarrying industry ceased in the mid-20th century. Immigrant quarrymen and their descendants remained, adding an eclectic and resilient mix to the academic atmosphere. Where blasting once shook the quarries, a pleasant area of lakes, trails, and picnic spots now delights residents and visitors alike. The historic home of the town's first doctor enjoys new life as a bed-and-breakfast, contemporary architecture integrates a historic church as part of the university, a wind turbine generates power for the fairgrounds, and community gardens offer produce to local food pantries.

Cleveland in World War II

9781626198821

$24.99

Berthed on the Cleveland lakefront, the battle-hardened submarine USS Cod serves as a proud reminder of the wartime contributions from the Greater Cleveland community. Clevelanders did their duty and more, from round-the-clock work on the factory assembly lines to the four Medal of Honor recipients on the front lines. The Cleveland Bomber Plant churned out thousands of B-29 parts, while Auto-Ordnance Co. developed the design for the Thompson submachine guns used by GIs on nearly every battlefield. Indians pitcher Bob Feller left the game to go into the service, and Clarence Jamison flew with the famed Tuskegee Airmen. Through interviews and archival material, authors Brian Albrecht and James Banks honor a time when Clevelanders of all stripes answered the call to arms.

Hudson

9781467114172

$24.99

Founded in 1799 as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, Hudson maintains its charm by simultaneously highlighting its historic attributes and thriving as a contemporary community. For its first 150 years, Hudson was a quiet village, but the population grew when the Ohio Turnpike opened in the 1950s; suddenly, Hudson was on the map, and the preservation of local traditions became even more important to residents. Images of Modern America: Hudson showcases these preservation efforts, including those of the downtown district--much of which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Through vintage color photographs, this collection celebrates Hudson's legacy as it progresses toward the future.

John Carroll University

9780738590745

$24.99

John Carroll University documents the rich and interesting story of this historic school.

In September 1886, St. Ignatius College opened in a working-class neighborhood on Cleveland's Near West Side. The one classroom building was unpretentious, its mostly Irish and German students were few, its Jesuit faculty numbered four, and its opening was ignored by Cleveland's daily newspapers. Over the next 125 years, the small college became John Carroll University, moved to University Heights, built handsome buildings on a landscaped campus, gained students and faculty, and achieved national recognition. This is the story of how that happened.

Marion County

9781467126212

$24.99

Marion County, located squarely in the "heart of Ohio," is home to the city of Marion, the villages of Caledonia, Green Camp, LaRue, Morral, New Bloomington, Prospect, and Waldo, and other communities. While the villages each have their own unique identities and histories, they all share the common trait of simply being good places to call home. Marion County shares memories of the churches, schools, businesses, and people that make these communities special.

Early Massillon and Lost Kendal

9781467126038

$24.99

Before Massillon, there was Kendal, Ohio. The story of these communities is a tapestry of local, national, and international history. Referencing new archival discoveries in the Massillon Museum, Spring Hill Historic Home, and Massillon Public Library collections, this book tells stories of early Kendal and Massillon, shedding light on the Ohio frontier and its pioneers from 1812 to 1860. Kendal was founded in 1812 by Thomas and Charity Rotch, prominent Quakers from powerful New England whaling families. Kendal became an Owenite utopian socialistic community between 1826 and 1829, visited by Robert Owen himself. In 1826, James Duncan founded Massillon, bordering the Tuscarawas River, the boundary between the United States and Indian Territory. Massillon attracted inventors such as photographic pioneer Abel Fletcher, who invented the paper negative in his South Erie Street studio. Both Kendal and Massillon were hubs for Underground Railroad activities.

Grove City

9781467114370

$24.99

Carved out of Ohio's wilderness in 1852, the village of Grove City welcomed industrious laborers, farmers, and German immigrants. The arrival of the railroad and the interurban brought commuters willing to travel from Grove City into Columbus. The 1960s saw the construction of Interstates 71 and 270, which spurred the community's growth. Though its population has surpassed 37,000 residents, Grove City has retained its small-town appeal while offering residents and visitors a revitalized town center, a major arts festival, and the "world's largest" alumni softball tournament.

Ashland

9781467110303

$24.99

Celebrating its first 100 years in 1915, Ashland was proudly living in the golden years. It was during this time that postcards gained popularity, becoming the most common form of communication before the telephone gained prominence. Card photographers traveled the nation, snapping pictures of street scenes, local attractions, and citizens. In this visual history, readers will stroll through a town busting at the seams with industry, extraordinary homes, schools, and churches, becoming familiar with its streets, people, and landmarks. These cards are surviving reminders of a significant period that contributed to the story of Ashland, taken by those traveling photographers as they captured the golden years of the early 1900s.

Waterville

9781467125642

$24.99

Following the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 and the end of the War of 1812, the Maumee Valley became open to settlement. John Pray arrived in 1817, built a dam to run a mill, and the site became known as Pray's Falls. By 1831, Pray had platted the first 50 lots and called it Waterville. Others were attracted to the area, and the trading post inn that Pray had constructed in 1828 was greatly enlarged in 1837. The Columbian House became an important stop on the stagecoach run between Fort Wayne and Detroit and the social center of the village. In 1843, when the Miami and Erie Canal opened through Waterville, there was an economic boom. The business center of town moved from Main Street (River Road) to Third Street, and the town was incorporated in 1882.

Nelsonville

9781467114769

$24.99

Named for Daniel Nelson, who arrived with his family in 1814, Nelsonville grew to become a boomtown by the mid-1800s. Coal mines and brick factories were its major employers, and the town attracted emigrant workers from England. Two major routes, the Hocking Canal and Hocking Valley Railroad, not only provided transportation for the area but also a means to export coal. The canal suffered attacks by Gen. John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate cavalry during the Civil War and was ultimately destroyed by spring flooding, but the railroad has remained a premiere tourist attraction. The Public Square, around which the earliest establishments such as the Dew House were erected, continues to thrive as an arts district. Images of America: Nelsonville uses archival photographs and postcards to celebrate the most influential people and beloved places of the "Little City of Black Diamonds" and to recap the challenges and triumphs that helped earn Nelsonville its distinctive reputation.

Clyde

9781467126700

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Clyde is a community located in northwest Ohio, less than one hour southeast of Toledo, with a population of approximately 6,500 people. In many ways, Clyde is a famous small town--it has been launched into the national spotlight numerous times during its 150-year history. Clyde was the home of Civil War hero James B. McPherson, political cartoonist James Albert Wales, author Sherwood Anderson, and World War II hero Rodger Young. The images in this volume provide windows into Clyde's storied history and offer glimpses of the everyday moments shared by its citizens.

Loudonville

9781467110631

$24.99

Nestled among the rolling hills of north-central Ohio, the small town of Loudonville sits on the banks of the Black Fork River. After its establishment in 1814, the village quickly outgrew its humble beginnings. Loudonville, once nicknamed "Gem City," became known for fine craftsmanship of everything from flour to furniture to rifles, and a new generation of inventors and scientists--such as Charles F. Kettering--was born into that atmosphere. In 1913, Hugo H. Young founded the Flxible Company, a leading transportation manufacturer for over 80 years. After World War II, the village came to be recognized not just for its progress but also for its charm. Thousands of people began flocking to town to enjoy the recreational opportunities provided by the forests and rivers that brought the first settlers to the area nearly 200 years ago.

Original Ohio

9781467156233

$24.99

Every community begins with a dream - a dream of a better life

Home to thousands of settlements extending as far back as 13,000 years ago, Ohio has seen most of its architectural history fall to the wrecking ball. But there is still history all around if we know where to look. Located south of Dayton, SunWatch is the best-known Fort Ancient Indian village in the United States. On the other side of the state, Marietta is the oldest permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory. About fifty miles southeast of Cincinnati, antebellum Ripley grew to prominence as a bastion of abolitionism. Dennison, also known as Dreamsville, was born virtually overnight thanks to the railroads.

Authors David Meyers and Elise Meyers Walker reveal twenty-one communities where the Ohio story can still be seen.

Cover image for Original Ohio, isbn: 9781467156233

Baseball in the Mahoning Valley

9781467151986

$23.99

Around the horn in the Mahoning Valley The history of baseball in Ohio's Mahoning Valley has been, to say the least, eventful. Murder, the Civil War, the hot dog, a presidential assassination and one of the deadliest known volcanic eruptions all shaped America's pastime in the Valley. African American baseball pioneer and Hall of Fame inductee Bud Fowler began his professional baseball career in the area, and the first ceremonial celebrity first pitch came from the arm of a prominent local. The area also contributed to Cleveland professional ballclubs like the enigmatic 1883 Blues and the 2016 Believeland Indians, which included numerous players from the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a minor-league team with its own rich heritage. Digging up little-known facts about Fowler and sundry other colorful stories, local author and creator of Eastwood Field's Days Gone By exhibit PM Kovach celebrates the proud history of baseball in northeast Ohio.

Ohio's Infirmary Buildings

9781467109116

$23.99

Ohio's Infirmary Buildings uses historic and documentary photography as a tool to examine the structures once used to house Ohio's poor. Ohio became a state in 1803, and it took 48 years to establish all 88 counties. On February 26, 1816, the Ohio General Assembly officially authorized boards of county commissioners to obtain farms that included housing for paupers (or the poor), and by 1874, each county in Ohio had what was originally called the poor farm. The former Wood County Infirmary story serves as an example of how superintendents and matrons managed people in need before modern programs helped designate specialized care. Collaboration with all 88 counties across the state of Ohio shows a unified story of public charity and highlights the importance of historic preservation. As early as 1937, Ohio counties began tearing down infirmaries, leaving behind few photographic records and institutional documentation.

Picturesque Cincinnati

9780738594750

$21.99

A Bit of History. Cincinnati, or Losanteville as the place was first named (l'os-ante-ville, the town opposite the mouth), was settled in the latter part of 1788 or beginning of 1789 by a party under Israel Ludlow. The ground on which the city stands was purchased by Matthias Denman, who associated with himself Robert Patterson and John Filson. The latter was killed by Indians on a visit to the site of the proposed settlement, and Ludlow took his place in the enterprise. The date of the settlement is involved in doubt; although Dec. 28, 1788, is generally celebrated as the birthday of the town.

Souvenir of Daytonia

9780738594866

$21.99

Daytonians hold in profound reverence the memories of their forefathers, who risked their lives and their fortunes in subduing the unbroken forest and its savage denizens, and in laying strong, wide, and deep the foundations of a city which to-day contains as many elements of advancement, and is endowed with as many of the attributes of genuine happiness, as any city in the United States. There is a just cause for congratulation in the growth and development of Dayton. Its magnificence is a crowning monument to the enlightenment and progresssiveness of its citizens--a devout, law-abiding, and upright people, whose stalwart and robust Americanism constitutes their chief excellence. It is no such Americanism as turns up its pantaloons every time it rains in London, or affects a pronunciation of our glorious tongue unknown to lexicons, but presumed to be an echo of the British Isles. Far from it. Dayton proudly boasts of an exalted citizenship, imbued with the spirit of an undying loyalty to country, whose pride and inspiration are not in Frederick the Great, or Louis XIV, or William the Conqueror; not in a hero of England, or of Germany, or of France, or of Ireland, but in George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Ohio's Covered Bridges

9780738584300

$24.99

More than 200 of Ohio's historic covered bridges, some of which have survived and many that have not, are once again captured in Dr. Elma Lee Moore's Ohio's Covered Bridges. Classic images of these treasured bridges that have spanned Ohio's rivers, creeks, streams, and gorges are presented in vintage postcards of the past. The GPS location is listed for each existing bridge.

Legendary Locals of Dover

9781467100991

$24.99

In 1807, Dover's founders, Christian Deardorff and Jesse Slingluff, carved their dream out of Ohio's rugged wilderness. Their choice of location on the Tuscarawas River would prove wise as local industry benefited from the proximity to a water source. Progress was slow at first, but the advent of the Ohio and Erie Canal in 1827 and the steel industry, helped the small town on the river grow into a thriving city. Over time, the city developed its own niche with an opera house, community theater, great museums, and wonderful schools. Out of this uniquely American setting came a cast of interesting and enterprising characters. These include industrialist Jeremiah Reeves, Rear Adm. Herald Stout, Broadway actors Elliot and J.C. Nugent, and Pixar Animation Studios writer and director Bob Peterson. Inspired, yet not defined by their small-town roots, the men and women chronicled in this book represent true Americana and the American dream realized.

Cincinnati Turner Societies:

9781609493851

$21.99

Seeking asylum after the failed German Revolution of 1848, refugees flocked to Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine Neighborhood. They brought their Germanic culture language, literature, music, art, dance, drink, celebration or gemutlichkeit" AND, their love for gymnastics. It was here in the small tavern, "Hecker Haus," that the American Turners were born, founded by a group of 14 German speaking immigrants. This movement rapidly spread, influencing a growing nation in education, progressive thought, politics, human rights, health, literature and the arts. This is the story of that organization, born and raised in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, which fostered a great German-American movement."

Cincinnati on Field and Court

9780738520346

$24.99

Sports are a key expression of civic identity along the Ohio River and are a large part of any discussion of Cincinnati's heritage. Their significance helps us interpret the broader issues of economic and social classes, gender differences, race and ethnicity matters, politics, and community values-in short, sports help us understand ourselves.

Covering the time period from the 19th century when German immigrants formed the first American Tuner societies for athletic training, and professional baseball developed to the current age of new ballparks and sports celebrities, Cincinnati on Field and Court takes a look at the place of sports in the cultural life of the Queen City. Included are professional teams like the Reds, Bengals, and Royals; legendary figures like Pete Rose, Oscar Robertson, and Ezzard Charles; dramatic moments like the 1919 World Series, the courageous story of Maurice Stokes, and the Olympic achievements of DeHart Hubbard; and social issues like the impact of women's sports and racial segregation and integration. The good, the bad, the foolish, the innovative, the tragic, and the inspiring are all covered.

Legendary Locals of Toledo

9781467101790

$24.99

While Jesup W. Scott proclaimed it the "Future Great City of the World" in 1868, in reality, Toledo saw little development for the first four decades after its founding in 1837. Plagued by swamps, disease, and unwelcoming occupants, few settled here. But slowly, the city attracted people who saw a chance to improve their lives and perhaps their fortunes, including Edward Drummond Libbey. In 1888, Libbey brought with him the glass industry that would dominate the city's economy and earn it the nickname of "Glass Capital of the World." Legendary Locals of Toledo describes the impact of people like Scott, Libbey, and others who shaped Toledo--from the well known whose names grace street signs, buildings, and monuments, to unsung heroes who few remember. Included are pioneers who were the first in their fields as well as leaders of business and industry, representatives of government and the law, and successful entertainers and sports figures. Some were born here and moved on to make their impact, while others lived here and impacted the city.

Lake Shore Cemetery of Avon Lake

9781467103718

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Lake Shore Cemetery evolved as a burial ground of necessity rather than intention. The cemetery's first interments were French fur trappers and Native Americans, but as migrating settlers began populating Lake Erie's shore and a community emerged, the need for a recognized burial site arose. The diminutive graveyard, also known as Avon Lake Cemetery, claims less than one-third of an acre abutting the shoreline cliff. It holds the remains of a Revolutionary War soldier, sailors wounded in the Battle of Put-in-Bay during the War of 1812, Civil War and World War I soldiers, and a World War II Flying Tigers crewman. Within this cemetery, pillars of the community and successful farmers share sod with a court-adjudicated drunkard, an alleged lunatic, and several who spent their last days in the county's poorhouse. Recognized as a historic landmark by the Avon Lake Historic Preservation Commission in 2013, all burial sites within Lake Shore Cemetery's grounds are claimed. The colorful stories of its permanent residents reveal the diverse nature of the community in which they lived and died.