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Clingan-Waddell
Mansion
Margaretta Thomas Clingan (1869 –1950)
was the daughter of John R. Thomas (1834–1898),
founder of the Niles Fire Brick Company, and Margaret Morgan (1834–1918)
and sister to Congressman W. Aubrey Thomas. She married
Thomas Omar Clingan, a medical doctor, in 1888. The family
had four children: Margaret Clingan, Elizabeth Clingan, John
R. Thomas Clingan and Thomas O. Clingan. Margaretta
graduated from the Old Central High School on State Street, then
led in the movement for the construction of McKinley High School
(Edison Jr. High) built in 1914 on Church Street.
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Margaretta Thomas.
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Known
locally as a philanthropist, she helped in establishing Central
Park, dedicated in 1928, on the site of the old Central School
building, now the location of the Central Park Apartments.
The Thomas Pavilion, used for concert band performances,
was a gift from Margaretta and Mary T. Waddell with each
personally donating the funds necessary.
Margaretta Clingan was the most energetic leader
in promoting the building of the McKinley Memorial.
After her death in 1952, her children, Mrs.
John Hosack, T.O. Clingan and her grandchildren, donated
the family mansion, located on South Main Street, to provide a
location in the city for the Niles YMCA. |
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Portrait of Jacob Waddell, well-known industrialist
and husband of Mary Ann Thomas. CA 1929. PO1.1582 |
Jacob D.
Waddell (1870-1939)
Jacob Waddell married
Mary Ann Thomas in 1919. He organized and headed the
Mahoning Valley Steel Company with W. Aubrey Thomas and
Thomas E. Thomas.
In 1924 he resigned his position to purchase
and restore the old Empire Mill (demolished during the Depression).
Mr. Waddell continued his leadership in Niles
serving as President of the Niles Bank Company and first Director
of the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District.
In 1931, Jacob and Mary Waddell donated land
to the city of Niles for Waddell Park.
Right: photo and signature of Jacob D. Waddell.
PO1.1116 |
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PO 11.316 |
Pictured
left is the Dr. Thomas Clingan house built in 1905 close to the
Mahoning River and was later inundated by the waters of the 1913
Flood. The next year, the family moved into their new residence
known as the Clingan mansion at 547 South Main Street.
L-R William Aubrey Thomas, Margaret Thomas
Clingan with John Clingan, Margaret Clingan Wick, T.E.
Thomas or Dr. Clingan and Elizabeth Clingan
Hosack in the photograph.
William Aubrey and Thomas Evan are brothers of
Margaret Thomas Clingan. T.E. Thomas was married to Adaline
Robbins and lived in the corner house opposite 503 Brown
Street. (Mary Ann Thomas Waddell’s house). |
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Studio portrait of Mrs. Jacob
Waddell nee Mary Ann Thomas. PO1.1388
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Studio portrait of Mrs. T.O. Clingan nee Margaretta
Thomas. PO1.1387 |
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John R. Thomas |

Photo taken 1936.
Front row: Mary Ann Thomas Waddell, Rachel (Morgan) Moore,
Mary (Phillips) Francis, Margaretta Thomas Clingan.
Back row: Wm. Aubrey Thomas, John Thomas.
William Aubrey Thomas, son of John R. and Margaret
Thomas is the only man from Niles to have ever served as a US
Congressman. He served from 1903 to 1911.
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Photo taken May 18, 1949 celebrating
the eightieth birthday of Margaretta Clingan.
May 15, 1899 — January 1, 1950
Left-right:
Mary Ann Hosack 3.10.1922
Gilbert James
Addie Wick James 12.18.1923
Mary Ann Wick 10.41921
George L. Wick
Margaret Thomas Clingan Wick 4.29.1890
William B. Jones
Elizabeth Clingan Hosack 1.21.1895
Sally (Isabel) Hosack 1.1019.24
Margaretta Thomas Clingan 5.15.1869
George Thomas Wick 3.10.1920
Mary Ann Thomas Waddell 3.12.1878
Margaretta Hosack Jones 7.17.1920
Tommy Jones (son)
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The land for Waddell
Park was donated in 1931 by Jacob and Mary Ann Waddell. During
the make–work project of the federal government
during the Depression, the swimming pool was constructed in the
park by the WPA.
The area is bounded by West Park Avenue and Warren
Avenue. It provided space for a swimming pool, baseball fields,
picnic pavillions, ice skating pond, a football/soccer field as
wll as acres of open space. Pictured below are the original park
lands and the Niles swimming pool. |

Aerial view of the land donated
to the City of Niles, this would become Waddell Park. PO1.1545 |

The original Niles Swimming Pool
was also known as Waddell Pool, named after its benefactors, which
was built as a WPA project during the Great Depression. PO1.1069 |

View of the pool area showing the
diving boards, fountains and wading pool. PO1.1070 |
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Featured
below are exterior photographs of the Clingan-Waddell mansion. |

Addition built in 1964 for the YMCA.
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Garage showing the tile roof.
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View of cut stone and brickwork.
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Views of the front entrance areas.
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Arch over front entrance with
cut glass. |

Mosaic tile floor inside front
entrance. |

Front entrance chandelier.
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Interior views of the Clingan-Waddell mansion. |

Grand stairway to the second floor. |

View of grand stairway from landing. |

Cut glass windows at the top of
the first floor stairway landing. |
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Details of newel posts.
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Third floor stairway and railing.
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Detail of oak flooring showing corner pattern.
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Pictured above is the formal dining
room with marble fireplace mantel.
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Ceiling detail in the formal dining room.
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Living room ceiling detail.
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Marble fireplace in living room.
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Close-up of marble fireplace.
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Second floor fireplace.
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Detail of fireplace mantel.
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Second floor fireplace.
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Interior
views of the refurbished von Isley house by Trish
Scarmuzzi. |
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Heidi Jacobs and her daughter Sylvia
were the present day owners of the Clingan-Waddell residence.
Helen Yakubek, Sylvia’s grandmother purchased
the house from the YMCA in 1984.
Helen was the Activities Director at Woodside
Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio and in the early 1980s was on
the state board to look at group homes. She was instrumental
in the licensing of group homes in Ohio. She was instrumental
in the licensing of group homes in Ohio.
The residence became a group home for the
mentally disadvantaged from 1984 through August of 2021 offering
services to 147 residents during those years. In 1987 Heidi
became the manager of the group home. Sylvia, an RN at Northside
Hospital, also worked at the group home. Male and female residents
occupied the first two floors of the building. The third floor
had no fire escape and was not utilized.
The house and land were sold this December
to the Von Isley Estate LLC for $298,000.00. The
new owners plan to renovate and restore the grandeur of the
mansion to become an event center for weddings and other celebrations.
Right: photograph of the Boy Scout totem
pole that was on the north side of the Clingan-Waddell land.
S11.52
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