NILES, Ohio (WYTV) -- Two women in Niles are working to preserve a rare piece of history right in the city.

Whether it was a school trip, or a walk through the museum, most people in Niles are familiar with the Ward-Thomas House Estate. But few people know it better than Laura Altobelli.

"It was, you know, part of my childhood every day, you know, so we, we spent a lot of time down here," Altobelli said. "My grandmother was the historian of the house and my grandfather was the groundskeeper, and he was the guy who actually fixed everything around here."

Home to the Niles Historical Society, the 5-acre property has a 15-bedroom mansion-turned museum, a Victorian garden, and one of the few remaining glass greenhouses in the country. But around seven years ago, it took a turn for the worse

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