Category Archives: Dayton Fun Facts

Miamisburg Mound

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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.

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The History of Sinclair College

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“Find the need and endeavor to meet it.” – David Ainslie Sinclair

Although his tombstone in Woodland simply states “Secretary of the YMCA”, David Sinclair did much more for Dayton and its residents.

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Dayton Fun Facts

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Time for another round of small, but interesting facts we’ve found in our research!

  • Dayton is the 6th largest city in Ohio.
  • There are a few former Indian burial grounds: one at the corner of Water Street (now Monument Avenue) and Beckel Street (Beckel Street still currently exists in part, but no longer intersects with Monument Avenue), one on the Fairgrounds Hill, one on a knoll in Woodland Cemetery, one at the north end of the Dayton View Bridge, and one at the west end of the Third Street Bridge.
  • James S. Trent – for whom Trent Arena at Fairmont High School is named – was a superintendent and educator.
  • The Dayton Dragons, farm team for the Cincinnati Reds, have played ball downtown since 2000, and recently set the national professional sports record for consecutive sellout home games.

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David’s Cemetery Notable Burials

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Located at the corner of David Road and Mad River Road in Kettering, David’s Cemetery has many notable burials:

  • Harry Schwab – Dayton golfer, won Senior P.G.A., died July 25th, 1976
  • Hadley Watts – former Superintendent of Centerville Schools, died August 9th, 1969
  • Richard E. Kelchner – founder of Kelchner Excavating Company, died July 15th, 2002
  • Clark Haines – founder of NCR Band in 1973, died 6/23/2001

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    Dayton Firsts Part 11

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    • First Odd Fellows Lodge – The first lodge of Odd Fellowship in Dayton was known as Montgomery Lodge No. 5, and was instituted on May 3, 1833.
    • First Museum – A committee met at the courthouse on September 16, 1837, to organize a “zoological museum.” A room was secured at the head of the canal basin but the project was abandoned shortly after.
    • First City Charter – On March 27, 1841, by a special act of the legislature, Dayton emerged from the classification of a town to that of a city.

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    The Escape of John Wilkes Booth

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    This story is only indirectly connected to Dayton, but too fascinating not to share!

    In 1924, Whitney Bolton, editor of the Dayton Daily News, wrote an article telling of the escape of John Wilkes Booth, after interviewing reporter John Young. At age seven, Young had attended the play Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre with his father. It was a night Young would never forget.

    Near the end of the second act, a shot rang out and a man crashed to the stage, brandished a long knife, yelled, “Sic semper tyrannis!” and ran away, a significant limp in his step.

    Years later, Young interviewed James Kelley, a man who had been a member of the Richmond Theatre Company with John Wilkes Booth. Booth and Kelley had shared a dressing room and the services of a young dressing valet named Henry.

    When the war started, Booth became passionate for the South, at first enthusiastically, then slowly becoming sullen and angry. The change in his mood caused John Wilkes Booth to be fired from his acting job. Booth left for Washington, and took Henry with him. He left behind a number of play manuscripts with scribbled notes in his handwriting. Kelley kept the manuscripts.

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    Dayton Firsts Part 10

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    Time for some more firsts!

    • First Canal boat – The first canal boat built in Dayton was christened the Alpha and was launched on Saturday, August 16, 1828, at 2 p.m. The first canal boat to arrive in Dayton with the formal opening of the canal was the General Brown. It arrived at the landing near the present site of the main branch of the Dayton Metro Library on January 26, 1829.
    • First Mayor – In 1829 a new charter went into effect in Dayton. Under it, the chief executive of the city became referred to as the Mayor, instead of the President of Council. Under the new charter John Folkerth was made the first Mayor of Dayton.

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    Dayton’s Last Hanging

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    Harry Adams seemed to be on the right path for the first time in his life. Born as Francis Daniel Spealman, he had a tumultuous past involving running away from home and a life of crime, including jail time. Finally, using his acquired skill as a shoemaker, he was able to land a job as a cobbler for St. Mary’s School in Dayton. Although he was known to enjoy the drink, the consistent work kept him out of trouble. That is, until he met a woman named Lou Huffman.

    Huffman was proprietor and madam to a house on Pearl Street in Dayton’s Red Light District. It did not take long for Harry to fall in love with her and move into her house. He helped Huffman operate her business and was available to her every beck and call.

    It was during this time that a soldier named Henry Mulharen (also spelled Mulharon) was making his way to Dayton after receiving a $50 pension (a sum equivalent to nearly $900 today). Mulharen planned to visit the Soldier’s Home to get treatment for an injury he received as a soldier in the Civil War. Mulharen and a friend of his, a man named Woodward, met Adams at the brothel, where he introduced them to Jennie Smith, one of the girls working there.

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    Dayton Firsts Part 9

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    Happy New Year, Dayton! We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. Now it’s time to get back into the grind! As it’s the first Friday of the month, we have some more Dayton firsts for you!

    • First Stage Line – the route for stage coaches between Dayton and Cincinnati was started in 1818, by a Mr. Lyon.
    • First Sewing Machine – Brought to Dayton by an S. N. Shear, on October 11, 1851.
    • First Lion – The first lion to be exhibited in Dayton was shown on April 22nd, 1819 in the barnyard at Reid’s Inn, which later became the site of Loew’s theater (at 125 North Main Street). The first elephant ever seen here was shown at the same place on April 11, 1820.

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    Dayton Fun Facts Part 1

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    Occasionally in our research, we come across a really interesting fact, but there isn’t enough for a full story. We like to compile these into lists to share. Here are a few!

    • Mad River, the former Wayne Township (now Huber Heights), Wayne High School, and Wayne Avenue are all named for Major General “Mad” Anthony Wayne.
    • Abraham Lincoln credits the first mention of his presidential race to Dayton, Ohio.
    • On March 30, 1901, the Dayton Daily News was run by a women-only editorial staff. Local historian Charlotte Reeve Conover approached James M. Cox and asked him to allow the Young Women’s League to run the paper for one day to raise money for a new building. Despite predictions of failure, the paper not only went to press on time, but the demand was so high, they had to work overtime to compensate. The ladies received a check for $1,800 for their efforts.

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