Also, if you have any great winter pics to share, please send them to us at daytonunknown@hotmail.com and if we may just share your pictures too! Please make sure to provide your full name for photo credit!
Happy Halloween, Dayton!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, DAYTON!!!
Dayton’s Unknown
- Johnny Morehouse: The Boy and His Dog: Everyone loves this local legend surrounding the death of a small boy and the devotion of his dog!
- Attacking a Ghost in Library Park: One of our favorite stories about fed-up citizens trying to attack a ghost!
- Carpenter Road: A quiet road in Sugarcreek, a haunted road, or a road with mischievous residents? You decide.
- Witch’s Tower/Frankenstein’s Castle: Another local favorite! Ever wondered where the stories surrounding this mysterious landmark originated? We found out….
The Story of Bill G. Sloan
March 1913, The Great Dayton Flood.
Rising waters drove people to treetops and attics. People were spotted on rooftops, stranded, but were not able to be rescued. Survivors recount tragic tales, including watching a two-story house floating by, a man, woman, and child stranded helplessly at their front door. As the house was swept along with the current, on an ill-fated journey into the Dayton View Bridge, the man closed the front door suddenly. Moments later, the distinct sound of two gunshots was heard from inside.
Enter William “Bill” G. Sloan.
The Story of David T. Chambers
The chain of events that started Dayton’s Great Flood started on March 21, 1913, with a rainstorm. Over the next few days, more rain came, ultimately weakening the levees and flooding the already oversaturated soil. Water rose quickly, and as gas lines were destroyed, a fire started downtown that destroyed most of a block.
As these events were happening, twenty four year old David T. Chambers of North Dayton could not stand by and watch without helping. From the safety of his home, which was located above the flood waters, he could see the damage being caused by the rising waters.
Exercise Dayton – David’s Cemetery
David’s Cemetery grounds are open every day, 24 hours a day for walking or visiting.
View historical monuments and beautiful scenery while getting a long walk. Don’t miss Old Glory Plaza, which was built in 2015 to memorialize members of the community, public servants, and military. Five 8-foot granite tablets pay tribute to each branch of the military.
Gustave Wiedeke
Miamisburg Mound
Located at 900 Mound Street, Miamisburg Mound pre-dates Dayton – but it is very important to Dayton History. Here are some facts:
- The Mound is actually a burial mound, and it is one of the largest conical mounds in North America, and is the largest conical mound in Ohio.
- The Mound is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Mounds like this served as cemeteries, and may have also marked boundary lines for tribal territories.
- The Mound is 65 feet tall. It was originally 68 feet tall, before an excavation attempt in 1869.
221 Years Ago, Tomorrow
“The boat party was the first to arrive. Rounding the curve in the river, where for so many years since then it has been flowing under the Dayton View bridge, the pioneers perceived before their eyes the swift current of Mad River emptying itself into the main channel, just as it had been described, and saying to each other (so we may imagine), ‘Yes, this must be the place,’ they tied the pirogue to a tree at the head of St. Clair Street and led by Mrs. Thompson, all clambered ashore.
At that moment DAYTON came on the map!”
– Charlotte Reeve Conover, The Story of Dayton.
Two hundred and twenty-one years ago tomorrow, Dayton was founded. To honor this occasion, we decided to share some of our favorite pictures we’ve taken around Dayton.
Also, please send us your favorite picture you’ve taken around Dayton, and we’ll feature it in a future blog post! You can send it to our email at daytonunknown@hotmail.com – and be sure to provide your name for photo credit!