Area History

The southwest corner of the Square has traditionally been held down by a restaurant of some sort in our time, but historically the place served other purposes as well. The building that stands at 10 South Park Street has seen more than 100,000 customers in the last 130 years, and they weren’t all looking for […]

MANSFIELD — Jerry Miller’s quest to preserve the history of manufacturing in the region produced this photo recently, and it stumped his email followers. It’s a photo of the Mansfield Steam Soapworks Company. Miller reported the company was located near the intersection of North Adams and East Fifth Street in Mansfield, where B-mold/Bunting Bearings is […]

This is how it works all over the world: A) People (humans) are made of flesh and blood, so they come and go throughout the generations of our history; but there are values, motivations and emotions that transcend the limitations of such temporal material lifetimes. B) Often these values, motivations and emotions become translated into […]

BELLVILLE — Let’s face it, the name Ankenytown was never easy to say. Early maps aren’t even consistent about whether is was “Ankenytown” or “Ankneytown.” Some maps identify it by another name completely, Shaler’s Mill. But there was another early name which for a long time brought a smile to people’s faces: “Squeal.” Before we […]

At the corner of Blymyer and Marion Avenues today, stands a tall residential assisted living center called Mansfield Memorial Homes towering above the neighborhood, so it will require the use of a Then & Now photograph to imagine what it was like on that corner back in the 20th century, and even the 19th century. […]

One thing we have to be grateful for in the 21st century, is that we don’t live in the 19th century. We don’t have to worry about going out and hunting for our dinner; and, more importantly, we don’t have to worry about being hunted for dinner. This sounds like an exaggeration until you read […]