Austintown

Austintown Township was first inhabited by Native Americans. In 1788, it became Range 3, Township 2, of the Connecticut Western Reserve and was named for Calvin Austin, a land agent for the Connecticut Land Company. In 1794, John McCollum was the first settler. In 1820, the population was 718. By 1880, coal miners and families increased the population to 2,502. The damming of Meander Creek creating Meander Reservoir put Ohltown underwater and flooded some of West Austintown. After World War II, Austintown grew tremendously. Throughout this growth, one constant remained--the schools. Moving from 12 one-room schoolhouses to one large consolidated school to 8 school buildings, the schools remain central to the community and preserve Austintown's identity.

Joyce Hunsinger Pogany has lived in Austintown for more than a half century. Pogany was a charter member of the Austintown Historical Society and, since 1988, has served as president. She was married to Paul Louis Pogany for 40 years and is the mother of five, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of one. Information in this book includes pictures selected from the historical society's archives and from current and former residents of Austintown as well as interviews with longtime Austintown residents.