120 Years Ago, 1899

Burglars struck the home of Carl Thornton on Custer Avenue and took valuable silverware and clothing. Three people were in the home at the time, though none heard the perpetrators at work. The incident was discovered the following morning when the family awoke to prepare breakfast. The burglars had entered the home by prying open a window in the kitchen. It appeared as though the burglars never left the kitchen and dining room, making the fine silverware their main target. Most of the stolen pieces were given to Mr. and Mrs. Thornton as wedding gifts, not only carrying monetary value but sentimental memories as well. The thieves were very adept at their craft as they took only the solid silverware and passed on taking the plated pieces with less value. They also took an overcoat belonging to Mr. Thornton.

110 Years Ago, 1909

An injured dog was in no mood to be the subject of a joke. Bill Keneally, a clerk at the police court, was on his way to work when he found a little dog on Elm Street. The dog had been injured, so Keneally picked up the poor pup and took him to the patrol barn. He placed the dog in a stall to await the dog catcher the following morning. Two members of the police department, Pat Stanton and Joe Hannis, thought the dog belonged to Keneally and decided to have some fun with him. They took the dog from the stall, guided him down to the basement of the station and tied his leash there. When the dog catcher arrived there was no dog to be found in the stall. Keneally was unsure what could have happened — which prompted Hannis and Stanton to realize the dog did not belong to Keneally. They explained their attempt at a joke and all went to the basement to get the dog. Upon entering the basement, they discovered that the joke was on them. The dog, injured and unwilling to wait out this cruel entrapment, had slipped his leash and fled from the station.

90 Years Ago, 1929

The front page of The Vindicator featured two large photos of a spectacular fire and those working to fight the blaze as huge oil tanks burned in Youngs-town. Twelve firefighters and five civilians were injured as hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline stored in the Cities Services Co. plant burned in the worst oil fire in the city’s history. The initial estimates totaled more than $200,000 in damages. A fire truck from Station 11 and several privately owned automobiles were de-stroyed as the blaze spread. The fire, believed to have erupted from a spark from an electric motor, was nearly impossible to put out. As the winds continued and the fuel kept the fire burning, workmen, firefighters and spectators had only a narrow window of time to escape disaster. The gasoline burst from the tank and those on the scene desperately fled to safety.

Witnesses saw several firefighters running from the scene, their clothes set ablaze. Crews then worked to move three cars containing more fuel from the railroad siding close to the tanks. Firefighters worked to contain what they could and stop the fire from spreading to nearby tanks. The explosions continued as the fire spread. Fire crews then focused on keeping the fire from spreading to nearby businesses and factories. The initial force of firefighters was recalled after several hours of work, reinforced by a new group of 12 men. Each group had little success and suffered various injuries. The injuries sustained were minor with several only having their hair burned where it was exposed beneath their helmets.

50 Years Ago, 1969

The 400,000th Chevy rolled off the line at Lordstown. The passenger car built at the Chevrolet-Fisher Body Assembly plant rolled off the production line carrying a squad of young “backseat drivers.” Fathers of the preschoolers are among the plant’s original employees and the children were all born about the time the first Chevy came off the line in 1966. After their ride in No. 400,000, the children and their parents joined plant manager Louis J. Biskach and other dignitaries for refreshments.

A GM spokesman stated “today’s event with the youngsters involved symbolizes the growth of the Lordstown plant on land that was vacant just a few years ago.” At the time, employment at the plant was more than 5,900.

“It’s hard to imagine a local business that has not benefitted from their services to new families who have chosen to work at the Lordstown plant and settle in the surrounding communities,” noted a GM spokesman. The assembly plant started its production with an Impala sports sedan and had continued production of regular sized cars, including the Pontiac Firebird.

• Compiled from The Vindicator archives by Traci Manning, Mahoning Valley Historical Society Curator of Education