90 years ago, 1930

A Niles home was the scene of a horrific crime when a bomb exploded during the night. Motor Patrolman Pharaoh H. Booth’s house was the target of the attack, which jolted himself, his wife, and their three sons out of their beds. The bomb was placed at the front of the house directly below the owner’s bedroom, and while no one sustained serious bodily injuries, Mrs. Booth was in critical condition suffering from nervous exhaustion. Neighboring homes were also damaged.

All of the home’s windows were blown in, dishes and glassware were broken, and several pieces of furniture were destroyed. The plaster in numerous rooms had separated from walls and ceilings and window glass was strewn throughout the neighborhood. Every window in the two adjoining houses were also destroyed. Neighbors reported hearing a dog bark for several minutes before the explosion, which led to the theory that the bombers had scouted the house for some time. Police had no clues as to who the perpetrators were and Officer Booth was also unable to explain why his house was targeted.

75 years ago, 1945

Alliance’s Taylorcraft Aviation Corp. was making headlines around the nation for its role in the anticipated post-war civilian aviation boom. Until then, wartime production was still pumping through the factory. Prior to the war, Taylorcraft was one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of small airplanes and the wartime push quadrupled its employees. Production focused on making parts and assemblies for some of the deadliest combat, cargo, and patrol planes. Workers spent their time testing parts such as the A-26 Invader’s tail fin, covering control surfaces in fabric, and working large hydraulic presses to create specific parts.

While the airplane factory had been busy with wartime production, executives had their eyes on the future with little private flyers, sport ships, and training planes. A few of those ideas had already taken off with consumers, including the low cost, four-passenger “family car of the air.” That new plane comfortably seated four with plenty of space for luggage. It reached a speed well over 100 miles an hour on less than seven gallons of gasoline.

45 years ago, 1975

A violent electrical storm with torrential rain, wind and hail devastated the region and caused significant damage. In Canfield, the high school gymnasium’s roof was ripped off, throwing pieces over the grounds and breaking several windows. The gym’s interior also sustained heavy water damage. Boardman was hit with power outages while the streets flooded with mud and debris. In Leetonia, several residents reported seeing a funnel cloud touch down on the east side of town, followed by a number of trees falling throughout the community. For the second time in 12 years, the Youngstown home of Mrs. Katherine Mishler was struck by lightning in the exact same place. The bolt struck a bedroom dormer and threw hot material onto the room’s bed. At the time, Mrs. Mishler was in the kitchen gathering matches and candles when she heard the hit. She ran into the bedroom and found the bed ablaze but her phone lines were down and she could not contact the fire department. She ran to a neighbor for help.

40 years ago, 1980

The National Register of Historic Places added seven Youngstown structures to its impressive list. The buildings had marked the downtown skyline for more than 50 years, built between 1898 and 1929, and surrounded Central Square in dramatic fashion. The additions included the Federal Building on North Phelps Street, Stambaugh and Realty buildings on Federal Plaza East, and the Wick, Mahoning National Bank, and Central Tower on Federal Plaza West. “Although each building is architecturally distinguished, their real significance is the overall impression they create as a group,” noted Julius Simchick, a curator at the Youngstown office of the Ohio Historical Society.

The buildings represented the commercial heritage of the community and a longstanding trend of economic prosperity through the early 1980s. Their listing in the National Register of Historic Places offers building owners several advantages, such as tax incentives and opportunities for federal grants for restoration and rehabilitation. Their inclusion, though, was more than just the hope for acknowledgement and a few government incentives. It was recognition of their architectural and historical significance. The variety of architectural styles designed by major architects housed the offices of influential businesses and industries, banks, retail stores, and the memories of thousands of visitors who passed through their doors for decades. Their statuses as historic places are a great reminder to look up when you are in downtown Youngstown — as you might be surprised by the beauty in these buildings.

• Compiled from Vindicator archives by Traci Manning, MVHS curator of education.