We reached out to the Riverside Historical Society, and they forwarded our request to the owner of the Kemp Homestead. The owner then reached out to us, and gave us his contact information, which we forwarded to Dr. Kemp.
We were delighted to receive the following email from Dr. Kemp after his visit:
Thank you for suggesting the Riverside Historical Society for enabling contact with James Owen. My wife Tricia and I met him 1 o’clock June 5th. He was very open, gracious, and proud to show us all through the house for two hours. He said he and his father restored the homestead about 1972. It had been heavily vandalized but because the original had no nails, the wood and stones weren’t bothered. We went up to the attic and space where slaves sheltered and Kemp children slept and could be ignored. Jim is a lawyer and antique collector. The homestead contains a huge collection of furniture, beds, paintings, guns, pots, books, etc. that he loves to recount. There is a powerful home theatre system on the ground floor fireplace west. He gave us two printed gift cards of the homestead as a parting gesture.
We love that we were able to facilitate this!
A Glimpse of the 1800s
Mz Jade’s Soul Food becomes Local Hero in One Fell Scoop
“…A Student must have money on their account to purchase an ice cream. If a student has a negative balance they will not be able to purchase ice cream even if they bring their $1 for ice cream. Students are only allowed to purchase 1 ice cream and are not permitted to buy an ice cream for a friend…”
Naturally, the public was outraged. Children who have issues paying their lunch bill are singled out and have to watch their peers eat ice cream without them.
Mz Jade’s Soul Food in Middletown wasn’t going to let this happen. As soon as she saw the post, she called the school asking if she could pay the balance. Not only did she pay the balance, but she paid for all the children to eat ice cream on the first Ice Cream Friday.
Community support is so important, so let’s give Mz Jade’s Soul Food some support too! They are located at 1131 Central Ave, Middletown, OH 45044. Check them out on Facebook to see specials, hours, and menu options.
Five Tiny Cemeteries in Beavercreek
- Located on North Fairfield Road, just north of Kemp Road.
- On the site of old Mount Pisgah German Reformed Church, which held services as early as 1809.
- The cemetery is also known as Old Pisgah Cemetery.
- The land was owned by Jonathan Harshman.
- The earliest known burial was John Helmer in 1823.
- Surnames of Cyphers, Goldshot, Harshman, Howett, Koogler, Reigelsperger, Sensenbaugh, Swigert, and Trubee are found on the gravestones.
- The last known burial was in 1957.
A Glimpse of Dayton in 1847
Other Daytons (Part 1)
Fun fact – we gathered the most recent census information available and tallied it up to compare to our beloved Dayton:
Dayton, Ohio – population of 137,644
Other Daytons – total combined population of 126,837
- Dayton, Alabama – Founded in 1832 and nearly destroyed by a tornado in 1852.
- Dayton, California – unincorporated town formerly known as Day Town and Grainland. A post office named Grainland was both established and closed in 1867, reopened in 1873, closed again in 1892 to be opened again in 1893, then closed permanently in 1902.
- Dayton, Idaho – originally known as Franklin Meadows, and was settled in1867 by Joseph Chadwick, who built a log cabin by Five Mile Creek. Named Dayton in 1906.
- Dayton, Illinois (Henry County) – one of the oldest towns in Henry County, and was founded in 1836.
- Dayton, Illinois (LaSalle County) – a very small census-designated place (CDP) named after Dayton, Ohio, as a large amount of the early settlers were from here.
- Dayton, Indiana – formally known as Fairfield until 1830.
- Dayton, Iowa – named after Dayton, Ohio and has a post office that has been in operation since 1877.
E.E. Alderman & His Postcards
E. E. Alderman, a Daytonian interested in short wave reception, relayed thousands of messages to families during WWII. Families received news of whether their loved ones had died, were prisoners, or were coming home. By doing this for the Dayton community, it is estimated that he relayed messages to over 9,000 families.
As a result of this, one of our readers reached out to us to share two postcards that E.E. Alderman sent about his grandfather, Private G.M. Brown.
The first postcard, dated December 12, 1944, was addressed to the postmaster of Canandaigua, New York to notify the kin of Brown’s capture by the Germans.
The second post card was to Brown’s sister Doris, dated December 22, 1944. This message thanked her for her contribution to Alderman’s endeavors and notifying her that her brother was safe and well, although still a Prisoner of War.
Our reader, Pete Granger, has donated these postcards and many other documents related to his grandfather’s service to the National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center.
Dayton Facts II
- Samuel Thompson, leader of the first party to arrive in Dayton on April 1, 1796, died of drowning in the Mad River in 1827.
- Dayton’s first fatality by accident was John Davis in 1799. He was chopping ice from around the water wheel of Daniel Cooper’s corn cracker mill when the wheel suddenly started, sucking him under and subsequently crushing him to death.
- George Newcom, one of the best-known members of the first families in Dayton, built the first tavern in Dayton, which was also the first two story house, the first “seat of justice” and the social center of town. Church services were sometimes held in the tavern. Newcom also served for five years as the first sheriff of Dayton then eight years in the Ohio Senate.
- George’s brother William Newcom (Sara’s several times great grandfather) served in the War of 1812 and died as a result of exposure to cold weather.
The Kettering Bug – The World’s First Drone
Launched using a dolly-and-track system (similar to how the first flight was launched), the Bug was capable of striking targets up to 75 miles away and could travel at speeds of 50 miles per hour. The Bug consisted of an engine, fuselage, and wings and cost about $400 each to produce. The fuselage was made out of papier-mache and wood laminates, and the wings were built out of cardboard. The Bug also had a small onboard gyroscope to guide the Bug to its target.
Continue reading
Phil the Werewolf
Although most of her neighbors and the commenters online love the statue and want it to stay, a few complainers have reported her to the city. The complaints prompted the notice, but Piqua has also said that Simmons can keep Phil up if she wants.
To continue with the “seasonal” label, Simmons is looking into dressing Phil for holidays, including a Thanksgiving outfit.
Dayton Unknown 