Carol Rimedio Righetti, Mahoning County commissioner, is shown along West Federal Street in Youngstown in the area where a huge parade, shown above, took place in 1908 on the day the cornerstone of the current Mahoning County Courthouse was put in place.
Staff photos / R. Michael Semple
YOUNGSTOWN Mahoning County’s earliest history included political intrigue and controversy, as the seat of government started in Canfield in 1846, but moved to Youngstown 30 years later.
From 1873 onward, the county’s governance has been focused on Youngstown.
Bill Lawson, Mahoning Valley Historical Society executive director, noted historic highlights to mark the county’s 175th anniversary during a recent presentation to the Mahoning County commissioners.
Many local historical societies opened in the nineteenth century and existed to celebrate a specific history namely, that of the white “pioneers” who first colonized that part of the world. They were founded by community boosters who are long dead, and the stories they tried to tell are not necessarily meaningful today. This leaves historical societies trying to figure out how to appeal to new audiences, many of whom are younger, as well as people of color who were often deliberately excluded from those histories.
Mahoning Valley Historical Society is an excellent example of this struggle. Founded in 1875, The Mahoning Valley Historical Society in Youngstown, Ohio, began as the sort of “pioneer heritage” institution that was common to many historical societies, but by asking tough questions and reshaping itself for the 21st century, it has not only survived, but it has expanded even in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. By hosting community conversations on current e