Scope and Content Note

The original provenance of this collection is unknown. It had been stored at the Maag Library since the 1980s and then transferred to the University Archives by Debra Beronja, Access Services Librarian, in 2004. As a result, the order imposed over most of the collection is artificial. Exceptions to this are the Save Our Valley file and the Save Our Valley press packet, which are in the Subject Files series. Original order was retained in these two files.

The collection is arranged by type of materials and then chronologically within each series. The collection contains a variety of records produced by or of interest to the Ecumenical Coalition of the Mahoning Valley. The files directly relating to the coalition and its internal workings are: articles of incorporation, meeting minutes and agendas, legal, and financial documents. The correspondence series contains copies of letters to and from state and federal agencies, including the White House and Ohio Governor James Rhodes. Personal statements and membership lists provide insight into the people involved in the coalition. Press releases and printed materials reflect the local and national concern over the closing of the steel mills in Youngstown. Although this collection is not complete, it provides information about the social impact and religious response to the steel mill closing in the Mahoning Valley. Researchers should note that many of the documents are photocopies. Location of the originals is unknown.

Series Description:
• Series I:Articles of Incorporation
• Series II:Meeting Minutes & Agendas
• Series III:Correspondence
• Series IV:Press Releases
• Series V:Reports
• Series VI:Financial Documents
• Series VII:Legal Documents
• Series VIII:Membership Lists
• Series IX:Printed Materials
• Series X:Personal Statements
• Series XI:Maps
• Series XII:Subject Files

Related Materials
• Various transcripts, Oral History Program, Youngstown State University Department of History
• Fuechtmann, Thomas G. Steeples and Stacks: Religion and steel crisis in Youngstown. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
• Lynd, Staughton. The Fight against Shutdowns: Youngstown's steel mill closings. San Pedro: Singlejack Books, 1982.
• The Ohio Historical Society, Youngstown Center of Industry and Labor has "Ecumenical Coalition of the Mahoning Valley, Inc. Records," MSS 0008, in their manuscript collections.