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Photo with permission Warren Tribune
Chronicle.
Harry M. Stevens, former Niles resident, who gained international
fame as the promoter of the hot dog. |
Harry
Stevens — The Hot Dog King.
Harry M. Stevens, Niles’
most famous and prosperous businessman, turned a hot sausage into
a million-dollar fortune and gave the world the hot dog.
Stevens was known throughout the world as a caterer but it was the
first hot dog sold at the New York Polo Grounds in 1900 that sealed
his fortune. Sausage had been sold in rolls before that time, but
the hot roll and mustard and pickle were Stevens’ own idea.
The delicacy became popular immediately and quickly developed into
an American tradition.
A little less known than the hot dog was Stevens’ business
operations with double-jointed peanuts. Stevens was known as “The
man who parlayed a bag of peanuts into a million dollars.”
The businessman leased many acres of land in Virginia where he grew
peanuts and shipped them to New York by the carload.
Born in London, July 14, 1855, Stevens came to this country in 1892
and settled in Niles where his wife had friends. After working as
an iron puddler and book salesman, he hit upon what turned out to
be his life career. The idea came as he sat watching a baseball
game. Stevens noticed the scorecards were amateurish and contained
no advertising. Soon he obtained the concession for selling scorecards
at a Columbus ball park and quickly lined up advertising, then expanded
into other ball parks and selling refreshments as his next step.
Stevens’ promotions of the hot dog and other ventures brought
him an international reputation. He returned to Niles many times
during his lifetime. He died May 3, 1934, and is buried in Niles'
Union Cemetery.
This article appeared in the 1984 Sesquicentennial Edition of the
Niles Daily Times and was written by: Gene Antonio.
Read how Harry
Stevens used his political connections to convince the Erie Railroad
to build a new station in Niles.
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The Harry Stevens home was built by
George Bentley Robbins with construction beginning in 1904
and completed in 1905. George died in 1910 and Harry Stevens bought
the house in 1911. |

Benjamin Bentley Robbins, born in 1830
in Niles, was George Bentley Robbins father. |

Frank Carle Robbins was one
of George's sons and graduated from the newly built Central School
in 1875. |
|

PO1.1210
The Harry M. Stevens home, 1210 Robbins
Avenue and Crandon, as it appears today.
The Stevens House burned down in 2022. |

PO1.1636
The Stevens home, 1210 Robbins Avenue
and Crandon, as it appeared in the 1980s.
The house was built in 1904
by George and Mary Robbins.
|

Photo with permission: Warren Tribune
Chronicle.
When the Stevens family lived in Niles, the home
was a focal point of daily life. This photo shows Harry M. Stevens,
right, entertaining friends with a touring car of that era waiting
to transport anyone needing a ride. |
|

Photo with permission: Warren Tribune
Chronicle
The Stevens Family Official Portrait is the title
given to this photo. Seated, left to right, were: Harry M. Stevens,
Mary Wragg Stevens (Mrs. Harry) and Harold Arthur Stevens.
Standing, left to right, were: William Henry Stevens, Sr., Annie
Stevens Rose, Frank Mozely Stevens and Joseph Benson Stevens,
Sr. |

Photo with permission: Warren Tribune Chronicle
In their younger days these members of the Stevens
family posed for the photographer. Standing, left to right, were:
William H. Stevens Sr., Joseph B. Stevens, Sr. and Frank M.
Stevens. Seated, left to right, were: Harry M. Stevens
and Harold A. Stevens.
|

Photo with permission: Warren Tribune Chronicle
Grandfather Stevens, Harry M. Stevens,
founder of the company bearing his name, is pictured here with
his grandson, Dr. Harry M. Rose.
|
|

Photo with permission Warren Tribune Chronicle.
The Stevens family members had their
photograph taken in the flower garden of the family home in Niles,
Ohio. Standing, left, is Annie Stevens Rose, Standing,
right, is Harry M. Stevens. Seated, left to right, are:
Mary Stevens (Harry’s wife), Joseph B. Stevens
Jr. and William H. Stevens Sr.
|

PO9.207
During the 1984 Sesquicentennial Celebration,
a memorial plaque was dedicated in Stevens Park.

PO1.1079
The Stevens Youth Cabin was built
in 1948 to commemorate their contributions to the City of Niles,
especially the land that was donated for Stevens Park in 1936 by
the Steven's Family. |

PO9.379
Plaque at the entrance to Stevens
Park honoring Harry Mozley Stevens. |
|

PO9.305 |
The
article from the New York Clipper, which told the
story of Harry Stevens, was printed as a poster as part of the 1984
Ohio Sesquicentennial celebration.
Mr. Clare Westenfield, who
championed the creation of The Niles Historical Society, is on the
far left.
|

Photo with permission Warren Tribune Chronicle.
Harry Mozely Stevens
1855 — 1934 |
|

1895 Scorecard, Harry Stevens publisher.
|

1896 Scorecard, Harry Stevens publisher.
|

1923 Scorecard, Harry Stevens publisher.
|
|
Historic Harry Stevens Residence has
been sold.
A local Realtor, Jesse Scott, purchased
the house in 1974 after Annie Stevens passed away.
Scott sold the house to Cory M. McClain in May 2022 for
$70,000, according to the Trumbull County Auditor’s website,
The website shows McClain sold the house that November for $83,500
to Katherine L. McClain.
|

Renovations during the Fall of 2022. |

Renovations during the Fall of 2022. |

Renovations during the Fall of 2022. |
|
Historic
Harry Stevens Home Destroyed by Fire. |

Story by Bob Coupland, Tribune Chronicle
December 30, 2022
NILES — One of the city’s
most historic homes located off Robbins Avenue is gone after being
destroyed Thursday afternoon by a fire.
Niles fire crews were called out shortly after 3 p.m. to what
originally came in as a call about a loud explosion and then soon
became a fully engulfed fire at the former Harry Stevens home
on the corner of Robbins and Crandon avenues.
|
 |
 |
Fire Chief John Stevens said when crews
arrived at the scene at 1210 Robbins Avenue, there was heavy smoke
and fire showing from the large home. “We had received calls
of a loud explosion at 3:07 p.m. in the area and then saw the
smoke and the fully engulfed house fire,” Stevens said.
He said a lot of glass was found at the property. He said no one
was injured, and everyone associated with the house was accounted
for. The house is a total loss. Fire crews remained at the scene
more than four hours later. Stevens said
the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office and Dominion East Ohio
were called to the scene as the cause of the fire is under investigation.
He said it may have been a gas explosion, but that has not been
officially determined.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE
The 1800s two-story home with a wraparound porch, outdoor balcony
and carport at one time was the home of famed concessionaire Harry
Stevens, who was known as the ”Hot Dog King” for popularizing
the hot dog.
An annual summer event, Harry Stevens Day, celebrates the famous
Niles resident, who also invented the baseball score card, among
other items.
Debbie Barber, one of the organizers of Harry Stevens
Day, said she was devastated when she received news about the
fire.
“This is such as loss. That house was amazing. I had been
inside once and was always amazed how beautiful the home was.
The woodworking and flooring were beautiful. The rooms in the
house were huge,” she said.
Barber, who was out of town Thursday, said she
had received calls and texts from people in Niles telling her
what happened.
“Everyone I have communicated with is devastated. This is
devastating for the city of Niles. That house was a very historical
part of Niles and a major community landmark. It was a part of
history from the era,” Barber said.
Barber said the house was sold earlier this year,
and the owners were making renovations, which was confirmed by
the fire chief. She said the Robbins family built the home and
Harry Stevens’ family lived in it in the early 1900s.
Ralph Tolbert, a Niles Historical Society
member, said the loss of the house is devastating as the city’s
historic homes are becoming fewer. He said, “the home was
as important as the Ward Thomas House and the Waddell mansion.
We have lost another important landmark”.
Niles Historical Society member Sandra Bilovesky, who
lives on a nearby street, said she was told by neighbors they
heard a loud boom sound that shook houses several streets away.
“The fire was huge. It was such a beautiful house, and work
was being done to restore it,” she said.
Stevens, who built a business empire in stadium
concessions, bought the house in 1911. It was later acquired by
his only daughter, Annie Stevens Rose, who lived in the house
for many years. A local Realtor, Jesse Scott, purchased
the house in 1974 and had recently sold it.
Scott sold the house to Cory M. McClain in May 2022 for
$70,000, according to the Trumbull County Auditor’s website,
The website shows McClain sold the house in November 2022 for
$83,500 to Katherine L. McClain.
The house had a full basement and attic and was
comprised of 16 rooms, eight of which were bedrooms. It had a
finished living area of 4,916 square feet, according to the auditor’s
website.
|

Fire Ravaged Harry Stevens Residence. |

Fire Ravaged Harry Stevens Residence. |

Fire Ravaged Harry Stevens Residence. |

Fire Ravaged Harry Stevens Residence. |

Fire Ravaged Harry Stevens Residence. |

Fire Ravaged Harry Stevens Residence. |

Cleaning up the burned down residence
known as the ‘Stevens Home’. February 2024 |

Razing the empty garage
on the property known as the ‘Stevens Home’. April 2024 |
|
|
NILES, Ohio (WKBN) – The people of Niles
have been led to believe that the city’s late businessman
Harry Stevens invented the hot dog. But it turns out, that may
not be true.
On the webpage of the Niles Historical Society,
it states that Stevens “gave the world the hotdog.”
That Stevens had the first hotdog sold at New York’s Polo
Grounds in 1900. Turns out, there’s a college professor
in Missouri who says the Harry Stevens story is not true. “So
there is no way, no way on God’s green earth that Harry
Stevens invented the term ‘hotdog,’” said 81-year-old
Dr. Gerald Cohen.
“Harry Stevens never claimed that he invented the term ‘hot
dog,’ just that he was selling hot sausages in a bun,”
Dr. Cohen said.
Dr. Cohen also says the first time Stevens admitted
to selling hotdogs was in 1906 during a bike race at Madison Square
Garden. But it was the idea of his son Frank, not Harry’s.
The next day, newspaper cartoonist T.A. Dorgan published
a cartoon with hot dogs. All this coming six years after the original
story supposedly took place. Printed with permission
from WKBN
The television report by Stan Boney
that coordinated with National Hotdog Day, the third Wednesday
of July, has caused many Nilesites to question whether Harry M.
Stevens really was ‘The Hot Dog-King’
Warren native Nick Spano said, “If
he didn’t do it, I don’t think it would take away,
it wouldn’t detract from the story of Harry Stevens.”
Spano is a foremost expert on Harry Stevens. So Harry Stevens
may not have invented the hotdog but he did make it a part of
the baseball experience and Niles Hot Dog Festival hopefully will
return each year on the 4th of July Weekend.
|
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Grilled franks in a split roll were first served
around the turn of the century by concessionaire Harry Stevens,
according to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins. Sports
cartoonist T.A. Dorgan gets the credit for naming them “hot
dogs,” presumably because many people at the time thought
they were made from dog meat.
On cold days, Stevens would shout, “Get
your red hots!” So Dorgan, who signed his drawings TAD,
put two and two together. He even drew the hot dog as a dachshund
on a roll, leading the indignant Coney Island, N.Y., Chamber of
Commerce to ban the use of the term by concessionaires. They could
be called only “Coney Islands,” “red hots”
or “frankfurters.” But it wasn’t long before
“hot dog” was the one and only name that would do.
https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/07/16/cartoonist-named-the-hot-dog/
Published Jul. 16, 1995 |Updated Oct. 4, 2005
|
|
1984 Sesquicentennial Edition of the Niles Daily Times written
by: Gene Antonio.
Niles’ most famous and prosperous businessman,
turned a hot sausage into a million-dollar fortune and gave the
world the hot dog.
Stevens was known throughout the world as a caterer
but it was the first hot dog sold at the New York Polo Grounds
in 1900 that sealed his fortune. Sausage had been sold in rolls
before that time, but the hot roll and mustard and pickle were
Stevens’ own idea. The delicacy became popular immediately
and quickly developed into an American tradition.
A little less known than the hotdog was Stevens’
business operations with double-jointed peanuts. Stevens was known
as “The man who parlayed a bag of peanuts into a million
dollars.” The businessman leased many acres of land in Virginia
where he grew peanuts and shipped them to New York by the carload.
Born in London, July 14, 1855, Stevens came to
this country in 1892 and settled in Niles where his wife had friends.
After working as an iron puddler and book salesman, he hit upon
what turned out to be his life career. The idea came as he sat
watching a baseball game. Stevens noticed the scorecards were
amateurish and contained no advertising. Soon he obtained the
concession for selling scorecards at a Columbus ball park and
quickly lined up advertising, then expanded into other ball parks
and selling refreshments as his next step.
Stevens’ promotions of the hotdog and other ventures brought
him an international reputation. He returned to Niles many times
during his lifetime. He died May 3, 1934, and is buried in Niles’
Union Cemetery.
|
|