Editing Boardman Township, Ohio (section)

==History==
[[File:Chester south of Overhill in Boardman.jpg|thumb|left|[[Newport Village Historic District]], noted for its [[Tudor Revival]] and [[Colonial Revival]] architecture.]]
Boardman was founded by [[Elijah Boardman]], a land agent of the [[Connecticut Land Company]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Overman|first=William Daniel|title=Ohio Town Names|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015015361465;view=1up;seq=32|year=1958|publisher=Atlantic Press|location=Akron, OH|page=16}}</ref> and later [[U.S. Senator]], in the late 1790s as township 1, range 2 within the [[Connecticut Western Reserve]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Goodrich |first=Laurence B. |title=Ralph Earl, Recorder for an Era |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1967 |pages=60 |isbn=0-87395-020-8}}</ref> The township was formally established in 1806, although the township government lists it as 1805 on its seal, documents, and signage. It is the only Boardman Township statewide. Boardman was traditionally an [[agricultural]] community with grain crops and apple orchards throughout the 19th century. Around the turn of the century, the railroad led to Southern Park, a horse racing facility on Washington Boulevard. Thus, the area was an early draw for [[Youngstown, Ohio|Youngstown]] urbanites. Because of its agricultural nature and proximity to Youngstown, Boardman was ripe for [[Strip mall|strip development]] starting as early as 1950. Around this time, the northern areas of the township were developed into [[suburban]] spillover from Youngstown's south side.

[[Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.]], a [[shopping mall]] developer from Youngstown, began his company in Boardman. Boardman Plaza on [[U.S. Route 224]] was one of the first [[strip mall]]s in the country.<ref name="debartolo">{{cite news  | title = Death ends career rooted in Valley  | work = The Vindicator  | page = 1  | date = December 20, 1994}}</ref> Established in 1950 by DeBartolo, the plaza had three full-service [[grocery store]]s within a few hundred feet of each other. In 1970, DeBartolo opened the more contemporary [[Southern Park Mall]] near the intersection of US 224 and Market Street.<ref name="debartolo" />

Also around 1950, the [[Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company]], one of the largest [[steel]] manufacturers in the country, opened a headquarters complex in Boardman across from the DeBartolo Corporation. When the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company closed in 1977, a large campus was left for others to develop. Today, the former headquarters is the center of the Southwoods Health medical campus as well as a branch of [[Youngstown State University]] and various restaurants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.southwoodshealth.com/ |title=Southwoods Health |publisher=Southwoods Health - Mahoning Valley Health Care System |access-date=November 3, 2022 }}</ref>

The [[fast food]] chain [[Arby's]] opened its first location in Boardman in 1964.<ref name="Metro Monthly">{{cite news |first=Mark C. |last=Peyko |title=Arby's founder discusses legacy of fast-food chain that began in Youngstown |magazine=Metro Monthly |date=October 9, 2014 |url=https://metromonthly.wordpress.com/2014/10/09/arbys-founder-discusses-legacy-of-fast-food-chain-that-began-in-youngstown/ |access-date=January 14, 2025 }}</ref> Directly owned and operated by the corporation, the restaurant moved to a new building in the 1990s across the street from the original building on US 224. The original building was occupied by a bird shop until 2021 and is now vacant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/after-nearly-30-years-boardman-business-along-route-224-closing/|title=After nearly 30 years, Boardman business along Route 224 closing|website=wkbn.com|date=July 27, 2021 }} Retrieved October 23, 2021.</ref>

The township has numerous listings on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Mahoning County, Ohio|National Register of Historic Places]], including [[St. James Episcopal Church (Boardman, Ohio)|St. James Episcopal Church]], the oldest structure in the township, [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Ohio)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]], Southern Park Stable, the Forest Glen Estates Historic District, the [[Mill Creek Park|Mill Creek Park Historic District]], and the [[Newport Village Historic District]].