EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of a weekly series on our region’s history coordinated by the Trumbull County Historical Society.

In 1893, the Mahoning Valley Railway Company introduced streetcars to the Mahoning Valley. Interurbans ran between Youngstown, Girard, Niles and Warren and connected to the Shenango Valley Railway, which ran from New Castle, Pa., to Youngstown.

Deforest was a former railroad junction near Niles that ran along the paved brick highway between Niles and Warren. Today, the site rests near the old steel mills in Warren at Deforest Road between Warren Avenue and state Route 169.

The railway track rolled over Bolin Hill, a slope 1,000 feet above sea level that was picturesque for the homes built along its curve, but fatal when combined with the track. Due to the steep crest, pedestrians and drivers could not see a streetcar until it was nearly on top of them. It was custom for the motorman to ring the bell along that stretch of road, but that precaution did not always prevent accidents.

On July 10, 1915, a limited car leaving Niles plunged down Bolin Hill and struck 9-year-old Harry Hazlett, killing him instantly. He and his friend were riding their bicycles when Harry turned into the path of the limited as it came down the hill.

On Oct. 30, 1915, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mawby’s rig was hit at the intersection of Belmont and Robbins, resulting in the death of Mr. Mawby. Mrs. Mawby suffered serious injuries and sued the Mahoning Valley Railway Company for $50,000. She lost.

Thomas “Roy” Carnsew of Mecca Township worked as a milk peddler. On April 13, 1916, he drove his milk wagon through Deforest and turned into a drive crossing the tracks. He did not see the streetcar until it was too late. It came down Bolin’s Hill and collided with Roy’s cart, sending wood shards and milk in all directions.

The force of the crash was so intense that only a single wagon wheel remained intact. Roy died hours later from severe injuries. By coincidence, when Roy’s father, William Carnsew, came to retrieve his son’s personal belongings, a streetcar clipped him as he walked near the tracks. He fell to the ground with nonfatal cuts to his head.

School teacher Blanche Unangst of Orangeville was killed at the Deforest Crossing on May 20, 1916. She was enjoying the first day of summer break out on a stroll with one of her pupils. The pair walked along the road arm-in-arm, making their way to the foot of Bolin Hill. There, they proceeded to walk across the railway tracks, unaware that a streetcar was coming straight at them. Her student survived.

Dan Bowman had all the bad luck. He was hit by streetcars three times, with the third being fatal. Dan worked as a teamster when a streetcar collided with his wagon in Mineral Ridge. He suffered broken ribs and a broken arm.

During the summer of 1916, he received injuries a second time when a streetcar hit his wagon and knocked him to the ground. Then, in December, Dan left home to collect his paycheck with plans to meet his wife. He never arrived. She received the horrific news that he had tripped on the tracks at the Mason Switch seconds before a streetcar struck him.

The Mahoning Valley Railway Company eventually came under fire for streetcars flying down Bolin Hill at a high rate of speed but claimed non-negligence on their part. Some victims won their lawsuits, while others lost. The line ran until its 1939 conversion to electric streetcar trolleys before the switch to buses in 1941.