Niles in Trumbull County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Ward-Thomas House
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The Wards and Thomases
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, May 16, 2024
1. The Ward-Thomas House/The Wards and Thomases Marker
The Ward-Thomas House. Niles industrialist James Ward, Sr. built the house that shares his familys name in 1862. The house has a low-pitched roof, wide, bracketed eaves, and rounded window and door openings, all characteristics of the Italianate style. John R. Thomas, another industrialist, acquired the house in 1887. His daughter Mary Ann Waddell, wife of Jacob Waddell, lived there until 1969. In 1978, the Thomas family deeded the property to the city of Niles and it became the home of the Niles Historical Society. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The Wards and Thomases. James Ward, Sr. moved to Niles in 1842 and built the James Ward & Company iron rolling mill. Ward, Sr. was murdered in 1864 and James Ward, Jr. took over and expanded his late fathers business interests. Economic downturns in the 1870s and early 1880s forced the closing of Wards enterprises in Niles. John R. Thomas founded the Niles Firebrick Company in 1872. It is manufactured bricks that lined furnaces used to smelt iron and steel and remained one of the citys important industries until the 1960s.
Erected 2015 by Niles Rotary Club and The Ohio History Connection. (Marker Number 32-78.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in
this page online
Location. 41° 10.463′ N, 80° 45.926′ W. Marker is in Niles, Ohio, in Trumbull County. It is at the intersection of Brown Street and Brown and E 3rd Street, on the left on Brown Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 503 Brown Street, Niles OH 44446, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Western Reserve and in the Mahoning Valley. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: William McKinley Birthplace (approx. 0.4 miles away); James Heaton (approx. 0.4 miles away); Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); David Tod (approx. half a mile away); Cornelius Newton Bliss (approx. half a mile away); Warren G. Harding (approx. half a mile away); William Rufus Day (approx. half a mile away); John Hay (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Niles.
Also see . . . Remarkable Ohio - Trumbull County. The Remarkable Ohio site has links to markers in each county by county. (Submitted on March 27, 2025, by Susan Van Den Bosch of Almond, Wisconsin.)
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, May 16, 2024
2. The Ward-Thomas House/The Wards and Thomases Marker
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, May 16, 2024
3. The Ward-Thomas House/The Wards and Thomases Marker
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, May 16, 2024
4. The Ward-Thomas House/The Wards and Thomases Marker
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, May 16, 2024
5. The Ward-Thomas House/The Wards and Thomases Marker
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, May 16, 2024
6. Address
Credits. This page was last revised on April 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2025, by Susan Van Den Bosch of Almond, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 190 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 26, 2025, by Susan Van Den Bosch of Almond, Wisconsin. 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 27, 2025, by Susan Van Den Bosch of Almond, Wisconsin. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
