Mahoning Valley Historical Society to dedicate gallery

Mahoning Valley Historical Society will dedicate a gallery in the Arms Family Museum on Sept. 10 as part of the Society’s Founders Day dinner, to showcase a spectacular collection of historic garments, and to honor a very special member of the Society.

Thanks to the encouragement of generous supporter Jeanne D. Tyler, the society has cultivated an impressive collection of clothing representing centuries of the daily living and social activities of the people of the Mahoning Valley. The exhibit, titled Twentieth Century Style: The Jeanne D. Tyler Collection, will showcase clothing worn by three generations of women: Jeanne D. Tyler, her mother, Marion Struthers Thomas Deibel, and her grandmother, Helen Struthers Thomas.

For more than 40 years, Tyler has been involved with MVHS in multiple capacities. She has served several terms as a Board member and two separate terms as President of the Society. The MVHS collections and educational programs have been greatly enhanced by numerous contributions of historical artifacts and records related to her family’s history, and by her financial support of special projects and facilities improvements.

The inaugural exhibit in the costume gallery will feature day dresses and evening gowns donated to the historical society by Tyler over the past four decades.

Spanning the 1910s to the 1970s, the garments of Twentieth Century Style embody the classic, elegant designs of their times. From simply tailored day dresses to sequined, appliqu d and layered evening gowns, the Tyler collection will provide a fitting launch for the Arms Family Museum’s new Jeanne D. Tyler Costume Gallery. Twentieth Century Style opens during the society’s annual Founders Day celebration Sept. 10.

The Founders Day Dinner celebrates the 138th anniversary of the founding of the Historical Society. The evening includes a buffet dinner on the lawn of the Arms Family Museum and a preview of the new exhibit. Tickets are $40 and are available by calling the Society at 330-743-2589.

The general public is invited to see the new exhibit as part of the Founders Day free Open House, which will be at The Arms Family Museum on Sept. 15 from 1-5 p.m. Activities include tours of the museum and exhibits, games and activities on the lawn and in the hands-on history room and a historic walking tour of Wick Avenue with Director Bill Lawson at 1:30 p.m.

For more information on the Founders Day events call the society at 330-743-2589 or visit www.mahoninghistory.org.