Even though Sideshow is cancelled this year, we wanted to show our support and love for this event.
Here are a few of our favorite pictures from past Sideshows.
Take a look at our posts about Sideshow in years past:
The Isaac Pollack House
In 1854, two Jewish immigrants named Isaac Pollack and Solomon Rauh began a business partnership dealing whiskey and wine in Dayton from a warehouse on West Third Street.
Eight years later in 1862, Pollack served as a corporal in the civilian Squirrel Hunters during the Civil War and was regarded as a hero after the Squirrel Hunters successfully defended Cincinnati from an attack by the Confederate army. At the end of the war, Pollack and his friend Rauh started to build two identical homes on West Third Street.

Source: Dayton International Peace Museum Website
Dayton International Peace Museum
The museum is located in the historic Isaac Pollack house, located at 208 West Monument Avenue, at the corner of Wilkinson Street and Monument Avenue.
T.J.’s Place of Hope
T.J.’s Place of hope was founded shortly after 18-year-old T.J. Whitehead tragically took his own life in November 2005, after battling addiction throughout his teen years. T.J.’s Place of Hope was created as a safe place for teens and young adults (ages 12-25) to share their stories of addiction with peers – a place T.J. would have looked for during his own struggles.
Crafty Con 2020 is Cancelled
We always look forward to this fundraiser for Sideshow, and are saddened that the event isn’t taking place this year. As of right now, Sideshow is still scheduled for May (look for our post when it’s closer to the event).
Even though Crafty Con is cancelled this year, we wanted to show our support and love for this event.
Take a look at our posts about Crafty Con in years past:
Mead Corporation
- 1856 – Mead bought out his original partners and formed Weston and Mead.
- 1860 – Weston and Mead became Mead and Weston.
- 1866 – Mead and Weston became Mead and Nixon.
- 1873 – Mead and Nixon became the Mead & Nixon Paper Company.
- 1881 – Mead bought out Nixon, and established the Mead Paper Company in 1882.
By the time Daniel Mead died in 1891, the Mead Corporation was one of the largest paper producers in the country, with paper mills in Tennessee, Georgia, and Michigan, as well as the several plant locations in Ohio.
More Interesting Street Names
- Wagner Ford Road – Named after the Wagoners, who owned the land where the road forded (was shallow enough to be crossed by wading) the Miami River. Over time, the spelling changed from Wagoner to Wagner.
- Benn Street – named for M.S. Benn, a real estate dealer.
- Siebenthaler Avenue – named for the well-known nursery family.
- Stop Eight Road – The Dayton and Troy Railway had sixteen stops throughout its route. The eighth stop was at Henneke Road, and later renamed Stop Eight Road.
- Wroe Avenue – named after Al Wroe, a Dayton contractor.
- Diamond Mill Road – Named for a mill at the southern end of the road.
- Iroquois Avenue, Wyandot Street, Bannock Street, Blackfoot Street, and Cherokee Drive – named after Native American tribes.
- Michigan Avenue – the road ran alongside the Dayton & Michigan railroad.
- Harman Avenue – named for Gabriel Harman, an owner of the Gebhart Harman Bank.
- Arnold Place – Named for J.O. Arnold, long-time resident, historian and one of the planners of the Dayton View neighborhood.
This Day in History – February 2nd, 1923
Thomas Midgley, a chemist, worked with Charles Kettering at General Motors Research Corporation. Kettering had modified an internal combustion engine to produce greater horsepower, but it resulted in “engine knocking.” Midgley added tetraethyl lead to the fuel, which eliminated the problem. Kettering named the mixture “ethyl gas” and they first sold it at a station owned by Kettering’s friend, Willard Talbott. The gas was a success.
Unfortunately, leaded gas was toxic to humans and the environment. Workers in plants producing the gas were exposed to lead poisoning. Many died and others went mad. The gas was eventually phased out in the 1970s when the federal standards became stricter.
Fire at the Requarth Lumber Company
Requarth incurred $650,000 in damages, but firefighters were able to save most of the main building. The storage sheds were almost completely destroyed. At first, faulty equipment was blamed for the blaze but soon after, it was discovered that arson was the cause. Samuel Edward Ross, who was a patient from the Dayton Mental Health Center, started the fire in the storage yard at the west corner.
Requarth Lumber Company
“Bought lumber for making ribs and uprights from Requarth Co..” – Orville Wright in his journal, January 19, 1904

Requarth Lumber was founded by Frederick August Requarth and Henry W. Meyer in 1860 as a small turning shop at Fourth Street and Wayne Avenue. They eventually moved to 447 East Monument Avenue in 1895, and have stayed there since.