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Fowler Ford Openhouse flashes back to the late 19th century
CANFIELD
Newspaper enthusiasts can go back in time without the use of a time machine by stepping through the doorway of the 1865 Mahoning Dispatch Museum, 21 S. Broad Street.
Time travelers will have the opportunity to see four historic machines – a Linotype, a Heidelberg Windmill, a Platen Press and a Campbell Flat Bed – that helped print The Mahoning Dispatch, a weekly paper, for 91 years.
From 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, the Canfield Historical Society is asking for $5 donations for the Fowler Ford Open House in exchange for a tour through the past, and an additional six-decade display of automobile advertisements in The Mahoning Dispatch from 1910 through the 1960s.
Canfield Historical Society President Suzanne McCabe said she’s excited to let people know the building and the machines behind the former Mahoning Dispatch are still here.
“I want people to see our treasure,” she said.
“We are still here, on the green in Canfield, intact, and people have driven by this every day of their lives and not come in and seen just how incredible it is. It’s much like stepping back in time.”
Ralph Fowler was the last publisher of The Mahoning Dispatch before he donated the building to the historical society in 1991 and owned one of the first Ford dealerships in Canfield, according to the Canfield Historical Society.
Because of her background in graphic design and graphic arts, McCabe said she finds it amazing to see changes in how newspapers are made.
“It’s just a cool place, period,” she said.
Proceeds from the event will go toward restoring this “cool place,” paying to fix damaged facades on the front of the building.
McCabe said she’s hoping for a lot of community support not only so the facades can be restored, but also because she is in the process of getting all of the Mahoning Dispatch issues online.
“Preserving Canfield’s history costs money, and archival quality materials are expensive,” said Canfield Historical Society curator Laura Zeh.
“This fundraising event will help us to secure proper material so the history of Canfield is preserved in perpetuity.”
McCabe said those who have interest in helping the historical society preserve historic structures in Canfield can contact the historical society at 330-533-3458.
Fundraising efforts will continue in the fall with a Memory Walk, “Canfield through the Years” – a living history walk scheduled for Sept. 24 and Oct. 8.