"Historic Lansdowne Airport/Youngstown's hidden secret"

[Towntalk]

Ron:     See, we didn't drift off topic but expanded upon the history of the airport land, ain't life great?   

[Rick Rowlands]

Chauncy Andrews got his start in the 1850s when he opened the Thorn Hill mine, which coincidentally runs under Lansdowne Airport.  A few years after he opened the mine he married the daughter of the man he leased the land from as well!   The property that the Youngstown Steel Heritage Museum is on was once owned by Andrews, purchased to expand his mine westward.  But we have no evidence that he actually mined under the property.  There were two entrances to the Thorn Hill mine, one practically under the south end of the runway at Thorn Hill, and the other on the east side of Lansdowne Blvd. in the ravine.  The mine was C shaped and ran between the two entrances. 

The Mahoning Coal Railroad built a spur up alongside the creek to both entrances. Just about all physical remains of this original mine are gone, but we have not yet walked the valley from Thorn Hill to Lansdowne to determine if any of the railroad roadbed is still visible. 

I fully support converting Lansdowne Airport into an industrial park.  We could use some additional economic development on the east side and there certainly is plenty of open space available.   

[Towntalk]

Sorry about that Ron. I too would like to see the airport put to use again say as an industrial park, since it's days as a viable airport are long gone. Today's modern private aircraft are too big for the old runway that's out there but the property size is good for an industrial park since it has access to two major highways as Rick pointed out. Maby the Youngstown Incubater should take a look at it for this purpose.

[Youngstownshrimp]

Alright you two, quit the love fest and help the historic airport produce again.
Just kidding on the love fest , very good to see this blog graduate to civility.
This airport subject maybe getting intense the media is on it, we all should push the City to look into reversion of the historic airport back to the hands of the people.  IMO the conveyance of the airport resulted in no performance from the receipients.
Rick, since you and I are neighbors there, we should push for action.  Towntalk, you are also my neighbor on the northside, please continue to provide history.  Infact, I will be addressing Gomarcellusshale.com to bring this plight to a larger audience in the same region.  So maybe linking these two sites will bring it to a wider populace.

Jay thanks for the pictures, relevant.

[Towntalk]

Wasn't the Mahoning Coal Railroad founded by Chauncey Andrews to move the coal from his mines? Now there was a man's man. His crew was laying track along the Mahoning River when some disgruntled man approached him with a loaded gun trying to stop him, but he looked the man streight in the eye and took the gun from him. Later as the track crew moved down to the Lloyd Booth Company, Booth employees tried to stop them by pouring steam down from a boiler,but even that didn't stop Andrews. Too bad we don't have leaders today like Andrews. He was a fisty man who rose to become a very powerful man through his own stone hard will to own steel mills; Railroads; banks; and coal mines.

[Rick Rowlands]

Of course I do. One of the reasons why I live here along the Norfolk Southern Youngstown Line where I can hear trains blowing for the crossings at Logangate, 304, Lewis Seifert, Bell Wick and Mt. Everett on a clear night, and that is before the train even gets up to my place.  The site of the Coalburg station is directly behind the house, and 120 years ago the track of the Mahoning Coal Railroad passed directly behind the garage, way before the New York Central built the grade separation in 1912-13.

Thanks for the compliment.  I appreciate it.  I really do!

[Towntalk]

I did Rick, realllllllllllllllllllllllly I did. But don't you agree with the rest of my post about the sounds of a train at night?

By the way, for all your hard work, you deserve a gold diamond studded medal. The latest photos you posted recenly are really great. We're all proud to have you here and to be able to call you friend.

[Rick Rowlands]

If you are going to give me a medal make it out of my preferred metal, STEEL!   

Me think you didn't realize my previous comment was made in jest???

[Towntalk]

BIG DEAL so what do you want a gold medal? Personally I like the sounds of trains passing at night, I only wish that they were steam engines. There is nothing more romantic that a train whistle at night. Oh I tell a lie ... make that a train whistle coupled with rain and the occassional clap of thunder late at night while I'm listening to beautiful music.

[Rick Rowlands]

You live in the flight path?  HA!!!  Out here in Hubbard township the C-130s are so low you can sometimes read the stickers on the belly of the planes!  Between the planes, trains and loud cars going by we should really be up in arms, but it is just a part of living here in UTOPIA.

[Towntalk]

Oh golly gee, I live in the flight path for the USAF Reserve Base and of course the passanger jets fly over on a regular bases but aside from the USAF planes, all I see are contrails, but then if I lived in UTOPIA aka the West Side, these sights and sounds would be good enough reason to rise up with one voice and demand with every fiber of our being, both heart and soul that they cease and desist at once.

Actually an industrial park is not a bad idea for the airport.

[Rick Rowlands]

I think that the runway should be turned into a road. Connect the north end to Homestead Road and you have a 3,000 foot long grand boulevard along which small businesses can locate to either side.  This could become Youngstown's newest industrial park endeavor.  It is flat, has city sewer and water already and is along route 62 and 7 giving it excellent access to I-680 and I-80.  There is plenty of undeveloped land to either side as well. 

http://binged.it/10CQtkU

[Youngstownshrimp]

NEWS ALERT!
The media is interested in a story about the Lansdowne airport.
Apparently, in the eighties after the failure of the Blimp factory scam, the airport was conveyed for a dollar to local (Boardman Steel) businessmen (this is my understanding) , provided it be developed for job creation.  Fast forward today, it is a private airport for the local businessmen with no development and the mineral royalties stand to be at a minimum of $50,000 a month based on recent production reports!
Shouldn't this property belong to the people of the City of Youngstown?

[Youngstownshrimp]

Then Billy, as I said, just don't do nothing, go out and get the bike and ride the damn thing.
I'll talk to you later, I have to go to work now production is waiting.

[Billy Mumphrey]

I don't fly, but I did enjoy riding a banana seat bike as a kid and would love to ride one again.