Mill marks a century of steelmaking in Warren

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

One hundred years ago this month, the Mahoning Valley’s longest-operating steel mill opened for business near downtwn Warren.

A photographic exhibit opening Friday will chronicle the century of operations at the former Warren Works of Republic Steel plant at the Youngstown Historical Center of Labor and Industry.

Titled “Warren 100: Making Steel History,” the exhibit features 10 photographic panels with explanatory text on key milestones of the plant, which began operations in April 1912. The plant, long known as the Warren Works of Republic Steel, is now owned by RG Steel, LLC.

“This exhibit captures the spirit and ingenuity of the Warren plant, which has survived as the sole blast-furnace operator in the Youngstown district,” said Tom Leary, Youngstown State University assistant professor of history. “We are pleased to have worked with many people who are or were employed at the Warren plant to tell their story and, in many cases, the stories of their extended families who helped ensure Warren’s viability for a century.

Ten senior and graduate students worked with Leary to select the images and create explanatory text. The students are all enrolled in YSU’s applied history program, one of the few applied history programs in the United States that prepares students for careers in historical research, archival work and historical- museum management.

The museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. The daily fee to view this exhibit and the entire museum is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for children and students with identification. Admission is free for Youngstown State University students. The exhibit runs through the summer.

The museum is owned by the Ohio Historical Society and operated by the YSU Department of History. It is at 151 W. Wood Street in Youngstown. For more information, call 330-941-1314 or visit the Youngstown Historical Center of Labor and Industry website.