In 1798 New Jersey born Ephraim Quinby, purchased almost 450 acres of land on both sides of the Mahoning River from the Connecticut Land Company. It was on this land that he intended to move his family from Washington County in Pennsylvania and establish a new town. When it came time to name his new town, he decided to honor the Connecticut born surveyor, Moses Warren. It was Moses Warren who came to what would later become northeast Ohio with Moses Cleaveland to help him survey the land.
Ephraim Quinby became a successful settler, farmer, businessman and judge. Ephraim and his wife Amma had eleven children and two of his sons helped develop Wooster Ohio.
At the dawn of the automobile era, a number of automobile manufacturers sprang up in Ohio. One of these manufacturers was created by two brothers: James and William Packard. The two brothers created the Ohio Automobile Company which was located here in Warren. So successful were their autos, that they soon attracted some influential investors who gave the company some much needed capital and changed the name of the company to the Packard Motor Car Company.
Although only 400 automobiles were built in Warren, they were quality cars that included a number of features that would soon become standards in the industry such as the steering wheel. Shortly after the investors changed the name, they moved the plant to Detroit which was quickly becoming the automobile capital of the world. The last Packard rolled off the Detroit assembly line in 1956. Today there is a museum in Warren dedicated to the Packard Automobile with a variety of historic memorabilia and a few vehicles.
There's not many drive-in theaters left in the country but there is one in Warren. The Elm Road Twin Drive-In, oddly enough, located on Elm Road, offers 2 screens, but you must buy a different ticket for each screen. If you decide to bring your own food, then there's an up charge for that as well which is not surprising in today's economic environment. After all, outside food is prohibited at all indoor theaters. The Elm Road Twin Drive-In will definitely take older visitors back to the days when Mom and Dad would pack up the kids (of course we would be in our pj's so they could easily slip us into bed when we got home) for a good Saturday night at the drive-in.
Also known just as the Upton House, it is the third oldest surviving house in Warren. The house has had a colorful history. The Mahoning Avenue house dates back to 1840 when it was built by General Simon Perkins. Over the intervening years, it was owned by several different families and in 1903 became the temporary center for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Harriet Taylor Upton worked tirelessly along with Susan B. Anthony for the cause of women's suffrage. Although the association used her home for only a few years before it found a more permanent home in the Trumbull County Courthouse until the organization moved to New York City in 1909. The house remained a focal point in the women's movement as well as on the political scene as she became friends with a number of U.S. Presidents, including Hayes, Garfield, McKinley, Harding and Hoover.
Today the house has been carefully restored and is on the National Historic Landmark. In 2009 the house became home to the Suffrage Museum that features exhibits about the life of Harriet Upton and other local women. Visitors should contact the Upton House directly for tour schedules and group rental options. (www.uptonhouse.org)
Warren's Riverwalk Amphitheater has become the place for outdoor concerts and community events. Located in downtown Warren next to the historic Courthouse Park along with Mahoning River, the Riverwalk Amphitheater offers a variety of venues from theater to rock concerts. Seating is available for about 2,500 and the site is operated by the city. One regularly schedule summer event is the River Rock at the Amp which has a full summer of concerts and offers a wide variety of food and refreshments on site. No carry-in beverages or food is allowed.
Located in the downtown historical district, the home of John Edwards was built in 1807 making it one of the oldest known framed homes in Trumbull County. The house is now home to the Trumbull County Historical Society and offers free admission on the first Sunday of the month. The house was moved a few blocks north in 1986 to its current location.
John Stark Edwards was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He became an influential individual in Connecticut politics and helped form the Connecticut Land Company and was also a part owner of the Western Reserve. When he moved to what would later become Trumbull County, Edwards built a log cabin, opened a sawmill and became one of the county's first attorneys.
In early 1813 Edwards left what is today the Marblehead Peninsula to check on land that he owned there. While on that trip became ill and died. His traveling companions returned his body back to Warren where his wife Louisa and three children lived.
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