Hazelton (Youngstown, Ohio)

Hazelton (also spelled Haselton) is a neighborhood in Youngstown, Ohio, that is located on the city's east side. It is bordered by the cities of Struthers and Campbell. In the early 20th century, the district was alternately referred to as "the East End".cite book
last = Scarsella
first = Richard S.
coauthors =
title = Memories and Melancholy: Reflections on the Mahoning Valley and Youngstown, Ohio
year = 2005
publisher = iUniverse, Inc.
location = New York
id =
pages = pp. 45-47]

Origins

Hazelton overlooked the many blast furnaces that operated along the banks of the Mahoning River. These included the Haselton Iron Works Mill and Republic Steel's Youngstown mill. Today, the vacant remains of some of these plants can still be seen along the river.

The neighborhood was originally named after the Haseltine family, who owned land in the district. The neighborhood was re-named by later inhabitants who favored a name that made the district seem like a town [http://www.iarelative.com/22census/haselton.htm] . Hazelton's population expanded with the growth of the mills, and it became the home of thousands of immigrants from England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe.cite book
last = Scarsella
first = Richard S.
coauthors =
title = Memories and Melancholy: Reflections on the Mahoning Valley and Youngstown, Ohio
year = 2005
publisher = iUniverse, Inc.
location = New York
id =
pages = pp. 45-47] The district's African-American population grew steadily in the post-World War II era.cite book
last = Scarsella
first = Richard S.
coauthors =
title = Memories and Melancholy: Reflections on the Mahoning Valley and Youngstown, Ohio
year = 2005
publisher = iUniverse, Inc.
location = New York
id =
pages = pp. 45-47]

Post-industrial decline

Hazelton, with its brick streets, neo-Gothic churches, and family-owned businesses, retained a strong ethnic flavor long after many of the city's residential districts became rather homogeneous.cite book
last = Scarsella
first = Richard S.
coauthors =
title = Memories and Melancholy: Reflections on the Mahoning Valley and Youngstown, Ohio
year = 2005
publisher = iUniverse, Inc.
location = New York
id =
pages = pp. 45-47] The area became increasingly depressed and depopulated as the local steel industry fell into decline. Yet, those who pass through the area can still glimpse the shells of former steel-manufacturing plants.

The district retains a number of well-known landmarks, including Immaculate Conception Church, one of the oldest surviving Roman Catholic parishes in the city,cite book
last = Scarsella
first = Richard S.
coauthors =
title = Memories and Melancholy: Reflections on the Mahoning Valley and Youngstown, Ohio
year = 2005
publisher = iUniverse, Inc.
location = New York
id =
pages = pp. 45-47] cite book
last = Leone
first = Carmen J.
coauthors =
title = Rose Street: A Family Story
year = 1998
publisher = Carmen J. Leone
location = Youngstown, Ohio
id =
pages = p. 10] and Saint Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church, a symbol of the area's Eastern European population [http://www.iarelative.com/st_nick.htm] .

Notable residents

* Frank J. Battisti – Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (1961-1994); best known for rulings on Cleveland's school desegregation case. ["The Plain Dealer", Cleveland, Ohio, October 20, 1994.]
* William M. Cafaro – Developer, pioneer in construction of strip malls and enclosed malls, including the Eastwood Mall.cite news
title = William M. Cafaro, 84: Developer of malls, philanthropist dies
work = The Vindicator
date = April 23, 1998]

References