Interesting Dayton Facts

During one of our research sessions at the library, we found a great book, For the Love of Dayton: Life in the Miami Valley 1796-2001, that was published by the Dayton Daily News in 2001. The book chronicles the history of Dayton year-by-year in little blurbs, and there were a lot of fascinating facts that we just had to share!

  • 1803 – Colonel George Newcom became the first sheriff, serving until 1809. He took little pity on lawbreakers, lowering alleged offenders into his empty well, where they remained until trial.
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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.

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Vulcan Tool Corporation

The Vulcan Tool Company was founded in Dayton in 1916, by several toolmakers as a small tool and die shop, and was purchased by Lee Amos Jones the following year. The company quickly expanded operations into the First World War and continued after. Some financial difficulties were experienced during the Great Depression, but Vulcan Tool bounced back during World War II, being one of the many Dayton companies that produced items for the war effort.

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Gustave Wiedeke

If you’ve visited Woodland Cemetery, you may have seen this life-size, imposing monument of a man, its statue often startling guards at night. The man’s specifications and dimensions in stone match his exact measurements in real life, with careful attention to every detail, from the buttons on his suit to his piercing eyes.

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Dayton Unknown Spotlight: Laurana Wong

Back in October, we hosted the Dayton Unknown Fall Scavenger Hunt at Wegerzyn Gardens. It was a beautiful fall day, and we had some great submissions from our participants. We awarded two prizes, one of which is a feature story here on the blog. Our winner of this prize is Laurana Wong – an incredibly fascinating character.
We came up with fifteen questions we thought would truly showcase Laurana’s personality and told her that she could pick and choose which questions to answer. In true Laurana form, she decided to answer all of them! We hope you enjoy learning about her as much as we did!

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Real Change Dayton

How often are you stopped at a red light and see someone standing on the corner holding a sign and asking for money? Don’t feel bad about not handing them your cash – there are better ways to help them. 

A collaboration of Downtown Dayton Partnership, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County, United Way of the Greater Dayton Area, and partnering with Goodwill Easter Seals of the Miami Valley, The Foodbank, Homefull, Miami Valley Housing Opportunities, Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS), PATH (Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness) Programs, and St. Vincent De Paul, Real Change Dayton is a program designed to address the growing panhandling problem in the Dayton area.

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Exercise Dayton – Link Bikes

If you’ve been in the downtown Dayton, no doubt you’ve seen the bright green Link Bikes in action.

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Riders can access the bikes at any of twenty-four stations throughout the downtown area. Bikes are available for one time users, and memberships are also available. Trips are available for 30 minutes at a time, and if a rider wants to use the bike longer, they can either check the bike back in then check it out again, or they can keep the bike past 30 minutes and pay an additional fee.

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Dayton Firsts Part 12

  • First Telegraph Message – Received in Dayton on September 17, 1847.
  • First United Brethren Church – The first United Brethren church in Dayton was organized in 1847, in a small room in the Oregon Engine House. Their first church building was erected in 1852, at Sixth Street and Logan Street, later being purchased by the city and converted into a city prison.
  • First Gas Company – Chartered February 4, 1848, by Daniel Beckel, Peter Voorhees, Daniel Stout, I.F. Howells, David Winter, J.D. Loomis, J.D. Phillips, Valentine Winters, John Mills and Daniel W. Weelock.
  • First Hebrew congregation – The first Hebrew congregation was organized in 1850. They met in the old Dayton Bank building until 1863, when they purchased the old Baptist house of worship.
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Summer Events

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we had to take a little break, but we’re back!

We’ve attended a few of the great events in Dayton so far this summer season, and wanted to share some pictures. Take a look!

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