5 days in the Western Reserve

“Why oh why oh why oh, did we ever leave Ohio…“ (Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green from 1953’s Wonderful Town)

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I have thought a lot about that question since I traded home for an itinerant lifestyle more than 8,000 days ago. Ohio increasingly occupies my thoughts after years of moving and travel. As a relatively new father, I have an unexplainable new compulsion to understand the Buckeye state I will always call home.

That’s why Youngstown (in Ohio's Western Reserve region) and not England, Italy, Mozambique, Virginia, Maryland, Brazil, Afghanistan, or Finland is the source of my first blog post. And why not Youngstown or the Western Reserve of Ohio? There’s no lonely planet. We are lumped into the “Rust Belt” or “flyover,” a land dominated by coverage of unemployed white male factory workers, heroin, and people in MAGA garb. In the just released "the Best Coffee in Every State 2019," Food and Wine notes, "There are so many places in Ohio where encouraging things are happening right now, but too often, it feels like Youngstown is not one of them--still nursing the worst kind of Rust Belt, post-industrial hangover, this is not a place that large numbers of people are banging down the door to visit."

The "Rust Belt," "MAGA," "flyover" tropes, often generated by coastal journalists during the quadrennial, four-hour visit to the region, fail to even touch on the complexity, challenges, and promise of the Buckeye state. Ohio is central to American history from any perspective. Grant, Sherman, Rockefeller, Glenn, Armstrong, the Wright Brothers, Jesse Owens, Toni Morrison, LeBron James. Clark Gable. Maya Lin. Spielberg, Gloria Steinem. Swing state, Underground Railroad, steel, rubber, etc…

The Western Reserve is further detached from the American imagination. The best books about it were published decades ago. I’m currently re-reading the 1949 Harlin Hatcher classic. After the Native Americans, the biggest wave of early settlers came from New England with New England institutions, industries, towns, and abolitionism. A walk in a well- preserved Western Reserve town is like a visit to early 19^th century New England. And it’s a region with great coffee, food, breweries, and wineries, a fascinating history and diverse culture, and land where parks thrive next to Rust Belt ruins and manufacturing rolls on next to traditional maple syrup production. Hatcher called it a land of “arresting contrasts,” where New England met the millions from the South and Europe in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries to form one of the world’s most diverse regions. I couldn’t agree more.

If you are drawn to the places less traveled, check it out. It’s off the beaten path. It's not dominated by Food and Wine readership. And maybe it’s better that way for those of us who call the region home.

Day 1

After a 15 hour journey, coffee was my sole ambition on day one. Fortunately, the Youngstown area is home to some fabulous local roasters these days, a stark contrast to the FolgHouse swill of my youth. Day 1 started at Branch Street. I get a monthly care package from Branch St., but it is a treat to visit the actual shop in Boardman for delicious local pastries, cool apparel, and, most importantly, really great coffee. I don't care for Food and Wine's characterization of Youngstown, but we agree on coffee. The magazine just ranked Branch Street as Ohio's best coffee in "the Best Coffee in Every State 2019," quite an encore after a top five ranking in 2018.

Later we went downtown to check out Noble Creature Cask House, located near YSU in a brick church built in 1923. Noble Creature has tasty brews and a cool space, including stained glass windows and repurposed pews for seating. We both tried a flight (unbelievably less than $10, beat that DC), which included a really tasty pilsener “Youngstonian,” an IPA “Ohvercast,” porters, stouts, etc. Morgantown, WV-based Ruby Hornsby (fiddle and vocals) played a couple of terrific sets in the intimate setting of approximately 30 people. Next time I’ll eat. I’m not one to resist the temptation of spent grain cheese crackers.

Noble Creature Cask House, Youngstown, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Day 2

Day 2 started with an early morning walk in the Poland sunshine. Poland (1796), “Town One Range One of the Connecticut Western Reserve,” punches well above its population (2550, 2010) in history and architectural splendor. President McKinley spent much of his early life in Poland, attending Poland Seminary School as a boy and enlisting on the front porch of the Old Stone Tavern (1804) for the Civil War. Famous journalist Ida Tarbell worked in Poland, serving as headmistress of Poland Seminary School from 1880-1882.

Historic home in Poland, Ohio (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Site of President McKinley's Boyhood Home (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Poland Seminary School (McKinley and Ida Tarbell) (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Historic home in Poland, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Library in Poland, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Old Stone Tavern, 1804. Site of McKinley enlistment (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

I dropped by Wittenauer’s for their wi-fi and a sandwich, before going to the 35,000 sq. ft. Poland Library. Remodeled in 2000-2001, the Poland Library must be one of the best libraries anywhere for a town of 2500. It’s also home to Pressed, another solid local coffee shop. Nearby Bake Me Treats is a great stop for coffee, incredible macarons, and special, made-to-order cakes.

Then I drove a few miles to Yellow Creek Park in Struthers.

“Here in north east Ohio
Back in eighteen-o-three
James and Danny Heaton
Found the ore that was linin' yellow creek
They built a blast furnace
Here along the shore
And they made the cannon balls
That helped the union win the war”

Bruce Springsteen, Youngstown

Yellow Creek, Struthers, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

As the Boss notes, Youngstown’s famous steel industry really started at Yellow Creek. I wanted to explore the historic Hopewell Furnace (c. 1804) via the one mile trail, but sadly the creek water was too high to make the three crossings. Instead, I explored some of the trails in the gorge, including flat hikes along the water and some short climbs to warm up for a hike in Mill Creek Park, the 2658 acre beauty that was Ohio’s first park (1891). Mill Creek has a lot of trails. We chose the Albert Davies Wetland Trail and the greenway, which is part of the 100+ mile Great Ohio Lake to River route. I also visited beautiful Lanterman’s Mill (1845-46), which sits on a waterfall and is a short walk from a historic covered bridge and the Cinderella Bridge. In the summer, Lanterman’s sells flour, books, and other stuff. Mill Creek is a must see if you’re in the area.

Lanterman's Mill, Youngstown, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

We ended the evening at the Vineyard at Pine Lake. Mahoning County vineyards are a welcome phenomenon. There were exactly zero when I was growing up and there are a bunch now. The tasting room and restaurant are perched Ohio high (maybe 50-75 feet) above Pine Lake, with beautiful views of water and birds returning from their winter migration. The restaurant was jammed, but we found a table on the veranda, which was wisely covered and heated on this blustery, rainy March night. We had a tasty kielbasa appetizer and I had the enormous burger, which paired nicely with a respectable Cabernet Sauvignon. The place is beautiful. I can’t wait to go back in the summer, when the terrace is a bit more inviting.

Kielbasa appetizer, Vineyard at Pine Like

Day 3.

Today I started at Stone Fruit Coffee, yet another great local coffee shop with locations in Boardman, Youngstown, and Columbiana. Many of the roasts pay homage to the Steel City, including Smoky Hollow, Brier Hill, Black Monday, and others. The Boardman shop has a little bakery with delicious gluten free blueberry muffins and a nice collection of local t-shirts from Youngstown Clothing Company.

I had mixed feelings about today’s journey further into the Ohio Country. I drove right by GM Lordstown, which for 53 years until March 2019 built GM cars. My Dad spent 30 years there and the adjacent UAW Local 1112. The plant is right next to the turnpike about halfway between my Mom's and my Dad's and I’m not sure I can think of a more prominent symbol of home. Today, the parking lot was empty, except for a couple of maintenance trucks. In a region still wearing the scars of industrial collapse, GM Lordstown was always a bright spot, carrying the legacy of Sheet and Tube, U.S. Steel, Republic Rubber, and others. And now it’s gone too.

For many who don’t know the region, “Rust Belt” conjures thoughts of decay, collapse, heroin, and old white dudes in MAGA hats. Hey, in a state of 11 million, you can surely find those things. Yet it’s a very diverse region, one of the world’s most diverse in the early 20^th century. My Dad lives in Garrettsville, which is about 45 minutes from Cleveland and Youngstown. Most of his neighbors are Amish. Major industries include farming and pure maple syrup production (the real stuff, not the corn syrup with a sprinkle of maple flavor stuff). On my drive into town, the bags collecting sap from maple trees were ready to burst at the seams and I had to pass many horses and buggies.

We had lunch at The Mill (built in 1804) in the heart of historic Garrettsville, a small town that has quite a few small shops and a lot of community events. Many of the homes, particularly on the way to Hiram via Rte. 82, are historic Western Reserve homes in an area that President Garfield and famous poet Hart Crane once called home. The Mill is now a restaurant and brewery, serving enormous portions and good microbrews. The pretzel crusted chicken had two full breasts and maybe 5lbs of potatoes for $15.

Day 4.

Today was all business. I woke up early for the one-hour drive to Cleveland for a meeting in University Circle. I used to spend a lot of time in Cleveland in the flats, at Browns and Tribe games, and concerts at Peabody’s, the Agora, Blossom, Nautica, and the Gund. The city looks a lot different since the late 90s, although the development is clearly uneven.

I took a short walk around University Circle, wishing I had time to check out Cleveland’s Philharmonic, the world-class art museum (recently ranked #2 in the United States behind MOMA in NY), the Botanic Garden, and the Western Reserve History Museum. Next time! After my meeting, I met one of my best friends from high school downtown for a beer and a burger on East 4^th Street, an area full of high-end restaurants such as Lola and Mabel’s BBQ. Most of those were closed for lunch, so we went to the Corner Alley, a strange concept pairing bowling and a restaurant. Hey, it’s Ohio. We roll. Or some of us do.

Day 5.

For the past year or so, I have followed updates online regarding the Iron Soup Historical Preservation project at the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company Homes Historic Site in Campbell. My first visit there was definitely a highlight of my trip. Youngstown Sheet and Tube’s real estate arm built the homes between 1918 and 1920 as the first pre-fab concrete estate in the world. The museum was closed. Luckily we ran into Tim Sokoloff, who gave us an impromptu history and a tour of several units, which he hopes to turn into housing, mostly for veterans. By his account, the homes were fabricated down the hill at S &T’s Campbell Works and a 360 crane was invented to get set the homes into place. Tim and others regularly host photo groups on Sundays, including from Pittsburgh and other cities in order to raise revenue for further construction. Katelyn Gould's mural of actual Wilson Avenue photos is not to be missed.

Iron Soup, Campbell, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Closet, Iron Soup, Campbell, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Katelyn Gould Mural, Iron Soup, Campbell, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

National Historic Site (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Iron Soup Museum, Campbell, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company Homes (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

I also hunted for the Youngstown Sheet and Tube hospital (1915) located just across the Youngstown Sheet and Tube’s Campbell Works. The hospital still stands proud above the river, although the building is quickly being reclaimed by nature.

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Hospital, Campbell, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Sharon Steel near Lowellville, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Then I drove along the Mahoning River to look at the old mill sites, including Sheet and Tube, Republic Steel, and Sharon Steel, before going into Lowellville and Struthers. At one point, the mills stretched for miles and miles along the river. Today, there aren't too many ruins left. Lowellville is a close knit community with an envious spot on the much healthier, post-industrial Mahoning River. Sometime this year or next, the dam just outside of town will be removed, brightening the future for a community with clear recreation potential. Lowellville is also home to the fascinating Baby Doll Dance, a 120+ year old tradition with origins in Italy at the annual Lowellville Mt. Carmel Festival. This year, the event is scheduled July 17-20.

On my way to dinner, I drove by Poland’s Little Red Schoolhouse (1858), which now hosts the Poland Historical Society.

Little Red Schoolhouse, Poland, OH (Photo: Ethan Tabor)

Ohio is and will always be home. I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap my five day trip than dinner with family. The Youngstown area has incredible Italian food, a legacy of the waves of immigrants from the old country who made the area home. We chose Carmella’s in Boardman, which serves up classics and local favorites like peppers in oil and wedding soup. I had the chicken in herb butter sauce with roast potatoes, after a hearty appetizer of prosciutto, mozzarella di bufala, salami, and peppers in oil. It didn’t disappoint.

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“… Maybe we’d better go home. O-H-I-O”

Links:

Bake Me Treats http://bakemetreats.com/

Branch Street: https://www.branchstreetcoffee.com

Carmella’s http://carmellascafeyoungstown.com/

Iron Soup: www.ironsoup.com

Mill Creek Park https://www.millcreekmetroparks.org/

Noble Creature: http://www.noblecreaturebeer.com/

Pressed http://www.pressedcoffeebarandeatery.com/mobile/index.html

Stone Fruit: https://stonefruitcoffee.com/

The Mill https://www.garrettsmillbrewing.com/

Vineyards at Pine Lake https://www.vineyardsatpinelake.com/

Wittenauer’s https://www.wittenauers.com/