Tyler History Center
PANICd#: 2172
Publication date: 04/07/2025
Mini-museum featuring exhibits and programs dedicated to the history of Youngstown. This building was the former Good Humor factory building.
325 W Federal St
Youngstown , OH 44503
Open to the public: Yes
https://mahoninghistory.org/tyler-h...
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Database Summary:
Demographic Rank: 0
History: 4
Stories: 2
Claims: 4
Evidence: 0
Resources: 3
Retrievals: 15497
Vistor Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0
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History
History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.
James Ross (1892-1974) and Dr. Edith Levin Ross (1898-1991) emigrated from Russia in 1925, and settled in Youngstown in 1930. That year James founded Ross Radio Company, a distributor of radios, televisions, and related components. Ross Radio moved to 325 West Federal Street in 1935, and operated here until 2008. James and Edith Ross were active leaders and philanthropists in the Mahoning Valley and for international Jewish causes. In 1947, amid rising tensions in the Holy Land before the declaration of the state of Israel, when the British Army confiscated guns from Jewish settlements leaving them defenseless, Ross Radio was a depot for weapons collected from World War II veterans by local members of the Young Zionists of America. These guns and ammunition were packed in crates marked “radio parts” and shipped to New York, where they were cleaned, matched, re-crated, and smuggled into the Holy Land.
Added by: sdonley on 04/07/2025
DB#:738
Source(s):
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=79492
In 2007, MVHS began another quantum leap by acquiring the historic Harry Burt/Ross Radio building at 325 West Federal Street in downtown Youngstown and developing the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center at this location. The Tyler History Center is a $4 million investment in Youngstown’s central city to create a community center focused on the history of the people of the region. It includes a new MVHS Archives facility, three exhibition galleries that include a comprehensive look at regional history, a changing community gallery that succeeds in attracting individuals and organizations to partner in creating diverse exhibits, and spaces for learning about history and interacting with media and artifacts, and an education center with classrooms and supplies for in-house learning units and special programs.
Added by: sdonley on 04/07/2025
DB#:739
Source(s):
https://mahoninghistory.org/about-mvhs/
Although this building is the current home of the Mahoning County Historical Society, in 1921 it was known to be the manufacturing location for the Good Humor Ice Cream bars.
Good Humor, the iconic ice cream brand, has an interesting history tied to Youngstown, Ohio. The story of Good Humor starts with its invention in the 1920s by an entrepreneur named Harry Burt, who owned a candy business in Youngstown. In 1920, Burt invented the concept of the "Good Humor" ice cream bar—a treat that was frozen on a stick and coated in chocolate. This innovation became an immediate hit!
Burt's creation was part of a larger trend at the time of ice cream innovations, but Good Humor stood out due to its novelty and convenience. Instead of requiring customers to purchase ice cream from a shop, Good Humor bars were sold by door-to-door vendors who carried refrigerated trucks. The image of the vendor ringing a bell and offering ice cream on a stick became a beloved part of American culture.
Harry Burt's business became hugely successful, and in 1921, he established the Good Humor Company in Youngstown, Ohio. The company grew quickly, and by the 1930s, it was a household name, with the Good Humor truck bringing ice cream directly to neighborhoods across the country.
The brand was eventually bought out by the American Chicle Company in 1961, which later became part of the conglomerate Unilever. Good Humor bars remain a popular ice cream product today, and they are still made in a variety of flavors.
So, Youngstown played a significant role in the history of Good Humor, and it all started with Harry Burt's inventive spirit in the early 20th century.
An early Good Humor truck, a.k.a. "sales car"Click on the image to enlarge/zoom
Added by: sdonley on 04/06/2025
DB#:736
Source(s):
Various
Harry B. Burt (1874-1926) came to Youngstown in 1893 and began making and selling penny candy. He expanded his business with high-quality candies, chocolates, and ice cream. Around 1920, Burt invented a process for freezing a stick in an ice cream bar and coating it in chocolate so one could eat it without touching it. He called his new confection “Good Humor Ice Cream Suckers.” Burt purchased the building at 325 West Federal Street in 1921, remodeled it, and opened it on April 4, 1922, to make his products and serve his customers. Here he first mass-produced ice cream bars and sold them in area neighborhoods from a fleet of freezer trucks with bells and uniformed drivers. After Burt’s death, investors purchased the brand, formed the Good Humor Corporation of America in Chicago, and it grew into a national phenomenon.
Added by: sdonley on 04/06/2025
DB#:737
Source(s):
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=79492
Stories
Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location. This section could also contain research notes as well.
The Good Humor company's history also includes many stories, such as one about a Good Humor vendor rushing a baby to a hospital for treatment and one about the company helping to break up a counterfeit money operation on Long Island. During World War II, a Good Humor truck was assigned to follow one of the armies during maneuvers. The commander could not understand how the opposing artillery was quickly locating his position until he realized that the spotters were using the white Good Humor truck as a guide. Rather than deny his troops ice cream, that night he ordered the truck to be painted army green. After the war, a Good Humor vendor took pity on a youngster who was a nickel short and accepted a new magazine in place of the missing five cents. When he returned the next day, the street was lined with stacks of magazines piled by children eager to exchange periodicals for Good Humors.
Added by: sdonley on 04/07/2025 DB#: 1696
Source(s):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Humor
The Good Humor Building in Youngstown, Ohio, isn't widely known for its ghost stories, but like many older buildings in the area, it could certainly have some spooky tales associated with it. While there isn't an extensive collection of documented ghost stories tied directly to the Good Humor Building itself, the history of Youngstown and its buildings is filled with eerie legends, some of which might overlap with the Good Humor Building due to its location in the city.
The Good Humor Building, once a thriving factory where ice cream was made and distributed, is known for its history of industrial activity. People who have worked or visited the building in the past have reported strange occurrences. Employees claim to hear the sound of footsteps in empty rooms, as if someone is walking around the upper floors when no one else is there.
Some people report a feeling of being watched, particularly near the old loading docks and storage areas. In fact, a few workers have claimed that tools or objects would disappear and reappear in different locations, leading some to believe that the spirit of a former factory worker, who might have died on the job, still roams the building.
One particularly chilling tale involves the apparition of a man dressed in old-fashioned work clothes. According to those who have worked late in the building, they’ve seen the figure of a man walking through the halls, only for him to vanish when approached. Some say it is the spirit of an old worker who died in an accident at the factory, never realizing that his life was cut short. The sighting of the worker has been so frequent that it’s even earned a reputation among the local ghost-hunting community.
Visitors to the Good Humor Building have also reported experiencing sudden cold spots in certain areas of the building. These cold patches seem to appear out of nowhere and are accompanied by flickering lights. Some believe this to be an indication of a ghostly presence, particularly around the older, unused sections of the building. These strange phenomena have led some to speculate that the spirit of a former worker or manager might be making its presence known, especially when the building is quiet and empty.
Another ghostly claim involves strange noises coming from the building at night, particularly in the areas where the ice cream was once packaged. Former employees have reported hearing the sound of machines running and the distinct sound of glass bottles clinking together, even though the factory had been closed for years. Some believe that these sounds could be residual hauntings—echoes of the past when the building was full of activity. It’s as if the spirits of the factory workers are recreating the busy sounds of their everyday labor.
Several individuals who have explored the building, either for work or during the daytime hours, claim to have heard disembodied voices. Sometimes the voices are faint and distant, but other times, they sound like they are coming from nearby rooms or hallways. No one has been able to identify the source of these voices, and they have been particularly unnerving for those working alone in the building at night. Could these be the spirits of those who worked there during the building’s heyday, or are they just echoes of the past?
Added by: sdonley on 04/07/2025 DB#: 1697
Source(s):
Various
Paranormal Claims
Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.
| Claim # | Added | Added By | Claim |
| 3759 | 04/07/2025 | sdonley | Footsteps have been heard in the empty building. |
| 3760 | 04/07/2025 | sdonley | Strange noises have been heard in the empty building. |
| 3761 | 04/07/2025 | sdonley | Ghostly whispers and conversations have been heard. |
| 3762 | 04/07/2025 | sdonley | Figures and shadows have been seen in peripheral vision. |
Additional Resources
This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.
| Harry Burt and Good Humor / Ross Radio Company Historical Marker
Added: 04/07/2025 By: sdonley |
Side A Harry Burt and Good Humor Harry B. Burt (1874-1926) came to Youngstown in 1893 and began making and selling penny candy. (A historical marker located in Youngstown in Mahoning County, Ohio.) |
| Good Humor Information
Added: 04/07/2025 By: sdonley |
Information about Good Humor on Wikipedia. |
| The Good Humor Story - Mahoning Valley Historical Society
Added: 04/07/2025 By: sdonley |
Information about the creation of Good Humor. |
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