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The Leavittsburg Feed Mill is the oldest remaining business in Leavittsburg.
According to "The History of Youngstown and Mahoning Valley," the earliest development of water power at Leavittsburg for the purposes of milling was started by a Mr. Baldwin, whose family was a key factor in the early industries of Youngstown.
The first mill was sold to Mr. Baxter and Mr. Kirk who, in 1871, disposed of the property to Mr. Malakai Paul and a Mr. Tower of Leavittsburg. The business was continued by the Paul Tower Company with Paul in charge. The dam used for the mill was higher upstream than the present Leavittsburg dam. When Tower died, the mill was sold to the Johnson brothers of Leavittsburg with Paul continuing to manage the operations.
It was in 1893 that the Klingensmith brothers bought the power plant and, in 1895, erected the 50-barrel roller mill. They sold the power plant in 1908, but continued running the mill.
Edward and Frank Klingensmith were considered progressive men of their generation. A flour mill in any community was always an interesting, as well as a valuable, institution. Edward Klingensmith learned the milling business by practical apprenticeship and oversaw the machinery and technical processes while Frank managed the sales, deliveries and other outside works.
The Leavittsburg mill was known for its quality brand of flour marketed under the trademark, "White Swan." This flour was in wide demand. Besides making the flour, it also operated to full capacity as a feed mill.
In June 1943, the Klingensmith family suffered a great loss when the mill was destroyed by a fire. A dust explosion occurred, and the building ignited. Because Warren Township had no fire department at that time, neighbor Ned Higley called the Warren Fire Department, which arrived to flames shooting as high as 20 feet.
The firefighters had a problem setting up the pump truck. While priming the pump with water from the river, the muck from the bottom of the river came up and clogged the hoses, which happened twice. A third pumper arrived and was set up in a different position to enable the use of river water.
According to a newspaper article, "The roof caved in, and windows were blown out sounding like shots of a pistol." A barn near the mill containing hay, feed, straw and fertilizer also caught fire. The only thing left standing was the charred support of the mill. The estimated cost for the loss of the mill was $25,000, which was covered partially by insurance.
In the weeks following the fire, the mill was rebuilt and a grand reopening was held Aug. 14, 1943. Sadly, that same evening, a tornado struck Leavittsburg and destroyed the new feed mill. It was at this time the Klingensmiths relocated the mill across the street to an area near the Erie railroad tracks, where it remains today.
In 1957, after the death of his father, Melvin Klingensmith Sr. took over running the store. Melvin passed away in the early 1970s and the store was purchased by Ross Wilson and Frank Lutz, who changed the name to Westside Feed Store. In 1987, Melvin Klingensmith Jr. purchased back his family's business and renamed it Klingensmith Feed Company. In the 1990s, Melvin Jr. sold it to Amie Crowder who renamed it Klingensmith Crowder Feed. In 2015, William Bush purchased it and runs it as Leavittsburg Feedmill.