120 years ago, 1900

A fire tore through the large Stambaugh Thompson Co. store late in the afternoon of Dec. 4. The Vindicator ran the usual stories about the fire department’s response, the extent of the damage, a nearby explosion caused by the fire, and one poor elevator boy who was trapped inside his machine and nearly suffocated.

But there was one story that somehow lightened the mood: “Society Lady, In Broad Day Light Rushed to the Street in Evening Dress! An incident of the Fire. Some excitement in a Photograph Gallery during last night’s conflagration.”

The story was:

“There was much excitement in the photograph gallery of James W. Porter on West Federal Street yesterday when the big Stambaugh-Thompson fire broke out. Mr. Porter had everything in readiness for a picture setting for a well-known society woman, when a man rushed into the studio and wildly exclaimed that the building was on fire and that everyone should make a hasty exit if they valued their lives. The society woman was in evening dress and her attire was decidedly negligee. She first screamed and then made a dart for the door and was soon on the sidewalk at the bottom of the stairs. The remainder of her attire was subsequently rescued from the threatened conflagration and the lady was greatly relieved from embarrassment when she was dressed up for the street.

Mr. Porter also made a hasty trip to the foot of the stairs, and when he observed the volume of smoke shooting out from the windows of the hardware store next door, he returned to the studio. There he took possession of two overcoats he had there, locked the doors, and left to await the developments. He did not think it good.

The damage sustained by Mr. Porter was caused by smoke only and was very slight, hardly worthy of mention. There were considerable explosives in the studio and if it once got a start the explosions might still be going on.”

70 years ago, 1950

Snow pummeled the area and the response from the Mahoning Chapter of the American Red Cross was heralded. It handled more than 2,500 emergency calls from area residents and worked around the clock to provide aid. It expanded headquarters in its offices at the Ohio Edison Co. building and were assisted by the Arms Organized Reserve Corps, Naval Reserve, other veteran organizations, and hundreds of local citizens.

“Stripes didn’t mean a thing when it came to assignments. Colonels shoveled coal, and privates gave orders. Captains scrubbed floors and lieutenants told them what to do.”

A motor pool was established to help coordinate the transportation of nurses, doctors, patients and others who needed to be moved. More than 300 people volunteered their own cars and trucks. They also created a temporary ambulance crew, delivery vehicles for food and milk, trucks to transport coal, and a taxi service for hospital staff. The makeshift ambulances ran as many as seven calls each night from Youngstown, North Lima, Campbell and Poland. “One driver remembered that he had a two-day beard when he got home, and when he woke up it was gone. ‘I must have shaved before I went to sleep,’ he said, ‘but I don’t remember it.’ ”

They fed every household that needed food. They rescued a family that had been marooned in a tent east of Poland. They found four people huddled in their car, trapped by the snow, with an unconscious child. The entire family was taken to the South Side Hospital before being set up in a hotel where the family received food, clothing and medical care. The delivery of coal and fuel oil was a massive undertaking. There were 35 crews working on the larger jobs with 75 individuals taking the smaller tasks. Teams were sent to help clear the snow from area roofs. It is likely that this response was the most coordinated and selfless effort ever seen in the Youngstown area. The community was beyond grateful to those who gave their time, talents, and compassion to folks who had been severely impacted by the storm.

40 years ago, 1980

The history of Columbiana’s Esterly family was highlighted in a trip down memory lane. Michael and Catherine Esterly were born in Germany and made their way to America in 1804 with their four children. After stopping in Pittsburgh for a short while, they made their way toward Columbiana. Their time there was documented by the family itself, handed down from generation to generation.

Anna Maria, their only native-born American child, was born in 1807 as the family built a one-room cabin for their permanent home. The family stayed close together, each child building a new home for their families near the homestead’s 960 acres. Catherine died in 1831, and Michael died in 1846 at the age of 84. They were both buried on a little rise across the Beaver Creek just west of that homestead. Generations of family are also buried there, marked by stones that tell the history of this pioneer family.

Compiled from the archives of the Youngstown Vindicator by Traci Manning, MVHS curator of education