As the asphalt is being removed from Mahoning Avenue in preparation for resurfacing, the old brick street is being exposed in spots. The photo below was taken near the intersection of Mahoning Avenue and Hazelwood.
Does anyone remember when Mahoning Avenue was a brick street?
The brick portion of the street appears to be on either side of a cement center.
Why was there cement in the center?
Was there ever a trolley line this far west on Mahnonig Avenue?
When I lived on the West Side (1950's) the 9 Mahoning ran all the way to the Mahoning Plaza both the Steel and Mahoning were trolly buses back then.
This is where the bricks meet the cement. I still suspect there was a rail trolley line in the middle of Mahoning at one time.
When Streetcars were used in Youngstown two tracks ran down the center of the street and at the end of the line the operator would get out and switch polls. On some routes there were turntables and the streetcar would be driven onto the turntable to be turned around for the return trip. There was such a turntable on the Elm route as well as the Square.
In my library I have a photo of a streetcar crossing the Spring Common bridge.
I remember the line that ran down Wilson Ave on the eastside and the lines downtown. I used to walk downtown every saturday when I was 6 yrs. old.
Sorry I hit the wrong key , that was 8 yrs old.
History of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley – J. G. Butler Vol. 1 pg. 370
There were street car lines at:
Alber Street - Elm Street - North Avenue - Mahoning Avenue - that came in about 30 years after the first street car rumbled down Federal Street.
I can only see out of the side windows of the buses, but I haven't seen any evidence of brick on lower Mahoning Ave. And, where I catch the bus, near the corner of Steel and Mahoning, the street appears to have been concrete.
The concrete going down the middle of the street may also have been
poured as a result of digging up the street to put in gas, water or sewer lines...
:)
You're right Allan, but I'm almost positive there was probably a street car line on Mahoning, too.
The bricks and cement were covered with asphalt yesterday.