Staff photo / Bob Coupland Bill Moss of Poland shows Native American artifacts at the historic Moss Ancestral Home in Mineral Ridge during a program on Sunday. It was the first program of the 2021 season. The Moss House, 1499 Burnett St., Mineral Ridge, is open 1 to 4 p.m. the second Sunday of each month through November. An effort is underway to get the Moss House on the National Register of Historic Places.

MINERAL RIDGE — Efforts are underway by the Mineral Ridge Historical Society to get the 1830s Moss Ancestral Home placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Members of the society and Mary Lou Godleski, owner and curator of the Moss Home, kicked off the 2021 museum season with an open house Sunday. The open houses will continue 1 to 4 p.m. the second Sunday of each month through November at the house, 1499 Burnett St. Godleski is a Moss ancestor.

Marci Buchanan of the MRHS said they were able to have open houses in 2020 that were “low key” with no special programs.

Poland resident Bill Moss presented a program Sunday on Native American Indian culture and history and had numerous displays of artifacts in the home, which will be on display through August.

Buchanan said the 1830s two-and-a-half story Pennsylvania Bank-style house is one of the oldest homes in the area.

“We want to get the house on the national registry, but it has been a hard road,” she said.

Godleski said if the effort is successful, it will help the Moss Ancestral Home become a tourist stop for people traveling from outside the area.

She said grant funding also is easier to secure with the designation.

“There are many positives by getting this designation,” Godleski said.

Buchanan said the MRHS plans to get a special marker placed at the Ohltown Cemetery to honor the Ohltown area. She said it will be a local marker since it is challenging to get markers from the Ohio Historical Society.

The society was successful in past years of getting historical markers for Salt Springs placed at Kerr Cemetery and one for the blackbanned ore, which was mined in the area, erected at the township park off state Route 46.

For the Native American presentation — there were three programs on Sunday — Moss said he is always open to hear what people want to share. The program told of how Indians made items, such as weapons, tools and jewelry, from items in nature.

Moss, who runs the Boy Scout Museum at Camp Stambaugh in Canfield, said he was able to bring some items to show from the museum. He has a display of arrowheads, bows and arrows.

“I became interested in the history through my work at the Boy Scout camp. The bow and arrow was one of the first things I made. I have met some real Indians and have some of the items they have made,” he said.

Moss said the Indians made use of nature including all parts of deer, which they hunted and used for creating items used around the house including the skin and toes.

He said Indian Creek, where a village and artifacts have been found, was located where the Boy Scout camp is now.

Moss said in Ohio and throughout many states, there were so many trees and woodland areas that a squirrel could go from tree to tree all the way from Ohio to Mississippi.

“The Indians have a lot of history. They didn’t have a way to write it down so it was all by word of mouth. Different members of tribes were designated as historians and carried on the traditions and tales of their tribes from their past and passed it on to other generations. They later developed a written language,” Moss said.

Godleski said she searched for the house that her great-great-grandfather lived in when he immigrated to the United States from Luxembourg in 1855. What she found was a home in complete disrepair, and condemned by Weathersfield Township.

Work began on restoring the house by removing all recent additions. All the windows were replaced with wooden frame duplicates that were built in 1840’s style by Amish artisans. Due to three fires, the roof was replaced, and ceiling boards were taken from another period home in Kinsman that had the same tongue-and-groove joints. The entire exterior was cleaned, and interior woodwork and fireplaces were uncovered and restored.

Architectural restoration classes at Youngstown State University have used the property as part of their course work.