History
History of Mahoning County
Mahoning County was formed on March 1, 1846; the 83rd county in Ohio. Until 1846, the area that is now Mahoning County was part of Trumbull and Columbiana counties, when the counties in the area were redefined and Mahoning County emerged as a new county. Canfield made plans to be the county seat, and because of it being the geographical center it was made such in 1846, while Youngstown grumbled that it should have had that honor. Thus a fierce issue was raised and it began a debate that would last three decades-that being which community would be the new county seat-Canfield or Youngstown. The bill for removal of the county seat from Canfield to Youngstown was voted upon by the legislature in Columbus in 1874. The House Speaker had to cast the deciding vote. Canfield challenged those proceedings on the basis of legality. The case was tried in Canfield and appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, where the decision to make Youngstown the county seat was upheld. This took place in 1875.
There are fourteen townships in the county; the five southernmost, Smith, Goshen, Green, Beaver and Springfield, originally formed part of Columbiana, and the others the southern part of Trumbull, the latter of which are within the Western Reserve.
Mahoning County derived its name from the Mahoning River. The name Mahoning is derived either from the Native American word Mahoni, signifying "a lick," or Mahonink, "at the lick."
For Additional Historical Information about Mahoning County see the following sites.
Youngstown, Ohio From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
Historical Collections of Ohio, Mahoning County. Henry Howe, Vol. II, ©1888
Burgham Family -Great history of Youngstown and links to other city sites…includes Bruce Springsteen’s song "Youngstown"
History of Canfield, Mahoning County’s Original County Seat
Mahoning County locations on the National Register of Historical Places
Handel's Ice Cream