James Heaton Sketch

Early Street Maps From Centennial Club History, 1934

A map filed in the office of the county recorder, dated 1837, three years after the city was laid out and believed to be the earliest existing map of Niles, shows the extent of the village as planned by James Heaton a century ago. It consisted of eight of the present city blocks included between Church Street on the north, the Mahoning River on the south, Arlington Avenue on the west and State Street on the east. There were no buildings on the east side of what is now State Street and the grassy slope offered an unobstructed view of the creek, the more distant river, the busy grist mill and the smoking Heaton mill in the foreground along the creek (Mosquito) bank.

Some of the streets bore different names then and until much later, Main Street and Water Street were as now, but Park Avenue was James Street until after 1900 and extended east only to State Street until after 1900. State Street was Mill Street as it led directly to the gristmill(and Furnace Street due to the mills along the Mahoning River), and Arlington Street was Mechanic Street.

Left: 1837 Map of Heaton Village. PO1.652

Top: 1882 Panoramic View of Niles

Right: Close-up of Panoramic View PO1.654

1898 Sandborn-Perris Fire Map of Niles

1898 Sandborn-Perris Fire Map of Niles

1934 Map of Downtown Niles