“I have long been interested in the affairs and purposes of THE MAHONING VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, a non-profit corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Ohio for the purpose of perpetuating the history of the Mahoning Valley and collecting and preserving books, records, papers and other articles of historical or educational interest relating to its history and settlement, and of which SOCIETY I have been a member for many years. Accordingly, and in memory of my father, CHARLES DAYTON ARMS, and of my mother, HANNAH WICK ARMS, and for the purpose of carrying out the considerations that have been uppermost in my mind for many years, I now give, devise and bequeath to said THE MAHONING VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY:
- My residence property, now known for street numbering purposes as 648 Wick Avenue, Youngstown, Ohio, including the buildings and lands appurtenant thereto, and all of the furniture, furnishings, fixtures, household effects, silver, linens, books, documents, ornaments, works of art, paintings, rugs, antiques, and other articles and documents of artistic value and of historical and educational interest which may be located therein at the time of my decease…”
This excerpt of the Last Will and Testament of Olive Freeman Arms Arms, read at the 85th Annual Meeting of Mahoning Valley Historical Society on September 12, 1960, less than a month after her death, marked a landmark change in the organization’s story. Mrs. Arms had been a longtime member of MVHS and her gift remains one of the most important to the MVHS collections and public programs. It had long been Mrs. Arms’ desire that her home be opened as a museum, and she saw MVHS as a worthy organization to own and operate it in the public trust.
Greystone, the home of Olive and Wilford Arms. 648 Wick Avenue, Youngstown, Ohio. 61.1.996, MVHS Archives
“A public museum, which shall be called ‘THE ARMS MUSEUM,’ for the collection, housing, display, exhibition and preservation of articles of historical and educational interest.” … “It is my express wish that only all of the personal property herein bequeathed to said SOCIETY shall be kept on the first or ground floor of my said residence property and that the three rooms of the said first floor shall be used for the display of my possessions only, leaving the second floor entirely free for the display of the SOCIETY’S collection of historical objects.”
Olive Arms. 61.1.48d, MVHS Archives
Mrs. Arms was born on January 15, 1865, as the youngest of six daughters of Charles Dayton and Hannah Wick Arms. Her death on August 25, 1960, was front page news in the Youngstown Vindicator with her obituary reading:
Olive Arms’ Obituary. 26 August, 1960, Youngstown Vindicator
“As a young girl, Mrs. Arms attended local schools, then studied drawing and painting, in which she had considerable talent. She continued her studies at the Bradford and Peebles School in New York and went to Europe for further study. At a time when few people in growing Youngstown knew much about art, Mrs. Arms was considered an authority, and often joined with young artists’ groups in Cleveland and New York in awakening an interest in art projects.
“On April 6, 1899, she was married to Wilford Paddock Arms, son of Lawson and Harriet Arms of Sodus, New York. He was a distant cousin. Mr. Arms was vice president of the Realty Guarantee and Trust Co. and headed its investment securities department from 1912 until the company dissolved in 1939, when he became president of the Realty Co., an office he held until his death, April 26, 1947.
“The residence at 648 Wick Ave. was built by Mr. and Mrs. Arms in 1904 (1904-1905). Mrs. Arms drew the original plans.”
Mrs. Arms was instrumental in the design of her Arts and Crafts-style home, “Greystone,” which was built in 1905. The Arts and Crafts style began in Europe in the 19th Century as a philosophical movement concerned with unifying human creativity and art with labor. Medieval influences abound throughout arts and crafts decorative motifs through the use of handmade details and natural elements. Her creative skills, and those of the tradesmen and artisans involved in building the home, can be seen throughout it in everything from the overall look to its door and window hardware, furnishings, decorative objects and light fixtures. Her passion for art, beauty and nature extended to the home’s grounds and gardens.
View from 1927 Arms Residence cropped, 61.1.995, MVHS Archives
She wrote: “I cannot think of a house by itself without including as an essential part of it, its outward surroundings and external nature: the woods that provide its joist and rafters, the earth that supplies its mortar, brick, and stone; the coal whence it derives its heat; the lake that provides its water; the trees that ward off the wind in Winter and shield it from the sun in Summer; and the garden that provides its flowers. All these contribute their part to the completion of the ideal home.”
After its founding on September 10, 1875, Mahoning Valley Historical Society was incorporated in 1909, and had the support of many prominent local residents. Interest waned, however, due in part to the Society not having a permanent headquarters and public museum.
By the 1950s, MVHS was inactive as an organization, with its collections being housed at the Main Branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County at the corner of Wick and Rayen Avenues in Youngstown. Mr. Wick recalled that in 1955 he had to call on the staff of the Main Library to attend the 80th Annual Meeting of the MVHS members in order to have a quorum. He seriously considered winding up the affairs of the Society and sending its collections to the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland! Mrs. Henry Butler, MVHS Honorary President, intervened and suggested that he call on Mrs. Wilford Arms at her home at 648 Wick Avenue before making such a decision.
Mr. Wick and Mrs. Arms were second cousins, and the latter confirmed the rumors that she intended to bequeath her residence property to be developed as a museum. After this revelation, the two cousins met regularly to discuss the terms of her estate, to reminisce, and to create a shared vision for a museum operated by Mahoning Valley Historical Society. Mrs. Arms was named honorary president of MVHS in 1956 at age 91.
Olive Arms at Greystone, back porch, 1954. 61.1.1098i, MVHS Archives
Mrs. Arms also left a large financial gift to aid in supporting the museum and its staff. One stipulation was that Mrs. Arms’ longtime private secretary, Dorothy Welsh, be employed as the museum’s “manager, curator, general secretary, and custodian.” Also included in her will were bequests for 14 local health and welfare agencies.
“Historical Society Members Tour Arms Museum on Wick Avenue” – Youngstown Vindicator, 11 September 1962. BU 1874, MVHS Archives
On March 30, 1961, the Board of Trustees of Mahoning Valley Historical Society met with the Executors of Mrs. Arms’ estate in the dining room of Greystone to officially transfer ownership of the property to MVHS. Between then and 1964, MVHS worked to prepare the home’s transition to a public museum. One of the larger tasks was moving the society’s historical collection into the home’s second floor and lower level. A Mahoning County Commissioners’ grant afforded MVHS the ability to move those items to their new home. MVHS members were permitted to tour the site while adaptations were being made. MVHS consulted with museum experts from the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus and the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies in New York as plans for exhibits were underway.
Mrs. Arms’ dream of seeing her home transform into a public museum was realized on February 22, 1964. The site had been open to MVHS members prior, but not to the general public. The Youngstown Vindicator reported that the more than 250 visitors “saw heirlooms bequeathed from the late Mrs. Wilford P. Arms on the first floor and other artifacts from the area’s early history in the basement and second floor, the later items gathered by the Society.” MVHS leadership chose February 22 to mark George Washington’s birthday.
Arms Museum Opening Flyer, February 22, 1964. BU 1874, MVHS Archives.
Dorothy Welsh, MVHS’s Business Director and Curator at the time, noted that she and James L. Wick, Jr, were very pleased with the opening attendance, noting that one group arrived via a bus. Guests were charged a small admissions fee of $0.50 for adults, $0.10 for students (approximately $5 and $1 in 2024). MVHS members, military members received free admission just as they do today. While regular hours were not immediately adopted, Welsh hoped that funding would eventually be in place to keep the museum’s doors open on a permanent basis. Several members of the Junior League of Youngstown assisted during the opening.
MVHS celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1975 and noted that museum attendance had tripled from 3,488 to over 9,000 visitors per year. In 1984, MVHS opened its Archival Library in the Arms Carriage House or automobile barn, which was renovated after a successful capital campaign. Today, his historic building behind the Museum houses the Stewart Media Archives Center. Over the past 60 years, hundreds of thousands of visitors and students have explored the museum while learning about Mrs. Arms and her legacy. While the exhibits change on the second and lower levels, and the name has been expanded to “Arms Family Museum of Local History,” the first floor remains largely the same as when Mrs. Arms lived there. Words cannot express the impact and influence Mrs. Arms had on Mahoning Valley Historical Society, the current stewards of her home, “Greystone,” and of her memory.