Brief History of Lowellville Lowellville is among the oldest settled villages of Northeast Ohio. The village is situated in Mahoning County, which was organized in 1846. Mahoning is a native American word translating to “at the lick”. History suggests that the geographic location of this town was once settled and inhabited by the Delaware Tribe, a mighty and expansive Native American people. The Seneca Indian tribe were among a smaller sect of Native Americans who are believed to have directly resided in the valleys and hollows what we now know as modern day Lowellville. It is believed that Lowellville originated from the native American word for "pheasant", or "Loe-la". It was also known as McGill’s Mills for some period of time prior to acquiring a universally accepted name. There is another popular rumor that the name originated from 3 local land regions named: McGillsville, Petersburg, and Lowell that united in 1836 to unofficially form Lowellville.
Growth The construction of the Mahoning Canal in 1839 was conducive to population and trade growth. As a result of increased accessibility, dairy production, coal transportation, and wool trade greatly increased. In many ways, Lowellville aided in the ascension of great cities such as Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The connection of Eastern Ohio to the interior of Pennsylvania produced great competition for the city of Cleveland. Coal was discovered at Mount Nebo and was shipped via canal to the furnaces in the upper part of the valley to process iron ore, In 1844 the Mary Furnace was invented in this valley and was responsible for a massive industrial boom for this region. It led to massive net profits virtually by eliminating the need for importing processed coal. Valley ore was a cornerstone in many industries based in Youngstown, Struthers, and other neighboring cities; so the ability to convert the mined ore into iron independently was tremendous for the valley. The Mary Furnace blasted iron for the Civil War, Spanish-American War, WWI, and WWII. This alone serves as testament to the importance of iron forging in the valley. Around 1875, the first Bessemer steel was poured, which essentially changed the industry from iron to steel. This mushroom of industrial growth eventually led to the creation of other economic placeholders. In 1906 the Lowellville Bank was believed to be incorporated and in 1980, changed its name to Western Reserve Bank. Today there are no longer any banking institutions located in the Lowellville area. Lowellville High School was constructed in 1876, and had its' 1st graduating class in 1885. Prior to the construction of the high school, Stop 24 was the only school in Lowellville. Stop 24 was built in 1833 and was the sole means of structured education. At the turn of the 19th century, railroad construction began to displace the canal as the primary means of goods transportation. This also included commuter/passenger transportation. There were three railroads that were built: The Baltimore and Ohio RR, Pennsylvania RR, and the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie RR. These tracks are no longer known by these names but they are collectively still in existence and can be seen in a simple walk thru Lowellville. Religious collaboration has always been present in Lowellville. In 1840, the Methodist Church became the first erected church in Lowellville, OH. In 1849, the Lowellville Free Presbyterian was organized and proceeded to erect a building in 1950. The Presbyterian sect was a product of a difference of opinion. It was around this time that slavery was becoming a national debate, sparking division among families and neighbors throughout the country. Lowellville was not exempt from this segregation of beings. Those who maintained an abolitionists mindset were considered radical thinkers and many were displaced from within their church. Hence, the creation of the Presbyterian churches. After the Civil War settled the legality of slavery, many of the church members of the rather new Presbyterian church disbanded and returned to their previous churches. The congregation of the Roman Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, was founded in 1867 in Lowellville, OH; however, they did not construct their first church until 1888. In the late 1800's there was a tremendous influx of Italian immigrants. Many of whom had fled the famine of their home countries in an effort to find work in the quarries and on the developing railroads. They were preceded by a large number of Irish/Scottish immigr ants. However, Lowellville is mostly composed of multi-generational Italian immigrant families. The racial makeup is astoundingly consistent throughout the history of its existence. There are distinct family names that have ties to many of the local businesses and street names: The Erskines, Vespasians, and Duncans. The rise and fall of the steel valley is accurately depicted in the history of Lowellville. Once proposed to be a pass through to some of the former great cities of northeast Ohio, Lowellville felt the decline of our region as much as any blue collar town during the fall of steel. Dependency to a single industrial concept has left Lowellville with virtually no new job markets for the past several generations. Given the predisposed land and natural geographic obstacles, it would seem unlikely that Lowellville has any chance of attracting new opportunities. All of this being said, Lowellville is wealthy beyond its means in terms of pride. A simple township with sustained commitment has proven more durable than even its forefathers could have imagined. Lowellville has not shown relevant growth for roughly 50 years; however, it has endured for almost 200 years. A remarkable feat for one of the oldest settlings in northeast Ohio.