Youngstown in Mahoning County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Oscar D. Boggess Homestead / Boggess Quarry
Side A: Oscar D. Boggess Homestead
Oscar D. Boggess (1832-1907) was born in Virginia, the son of a slave and her master. He and his family were granted freedom in the will of his father and master. The will was contested up to the United States Supreme Court, which upheld Boggess' freedom. Boggess moved to Pennsylvania at age 20, and during the Civil War, joined the 43rd United States Colored Troops. He earned the Butler Medal of Honor for bravery at the Battle of the Crater near Petersburg, Virginia, in July 1864. Boggess moved to Youngstown after the war, and worked as a stonemason. He was a charter member of Tod Post 29, Grand Army of the Republic, in Youngstown, and a co-founder of the Oak Hill Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Church, the city's first African American religious congregation. The Boggess home, formerly located near this site, hosted the church's first meetings in 1870.
Side B: Boggess Quarry
Oscar D. Boggess was one of many African American tradesmen who moved to Youngstown during and after the Civil War to work during the city's nineteenth century building boom. He built his house on 2.78 acres of land near this site after he arrived in 1866, and lived there until his death in 1907. Family tradition states that Boggess, a stonemason, quarried sandstone on the northern edge of his property along Boggess Street (now vacated). Evidence on nearby outcroppings suggests he removed the stone by building fires against the rock face, then dousing the red-hot rock with water, causing it to break free. This quarry produced low quality sandstone in small pieces that were used to build house foundations and retaining walls in the surrounding neighborhood.
Erected 2006 by City of Youngstown and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 16-50.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • Man-Made Features • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1864.
Location. 41° 5.738′ N, 80° 40.002′ W. Marker is in Youngstown, Ohio, in Mahoning County. Marker is on Edwards Street near Hawthorne Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Youngstown OH 44502, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Mahoning River (approx. 0.7 miles away); Kyle-McCollum House (approx. 0.7 miles away); First Ohio Settlers in the Mahoning River Valley (approx. ¾ mile away); The Founding of Youngstown (approx. ¾ mile away); Harry Burt and Good Humor / Ross Radio Company (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Warner Theater (approx. 0.8 miles away); Thomas D. Lambros (approx. 0.9 miles away); The First Log School (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Youngstown.
Also see . . . Oscar D. Boggess. Find A Grave website entry (Submitted on June 28, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 3, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 957 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 28, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on December 8, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.