Category Archives: Local History

Lewis Kemp and the Oldest House in Dayton

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Lewis and Elizabeth Kemp and their family of eight children moved from Frederick, Maryland to Mad River Township in 1806. Kemp bought 822 acres of land at $10 an acre, and settled on a piece of land that looks out over the modern-day Huffman Prairie. Shortly after their arrival in 1806, Kemp built a brick and limestone house with a stone foundation. A brick addition was added around 1832.

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First Friday Book Sale & Signing!

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Sara had her second Author Talk, and it was another success! We loved meeting everyone at the Winters-Bellbrook Community Library (Greene County Public Library) last night. The crowd was small, but it was a great discussion!

Don’t forget to come out to Heart Mercantile tonight during First Friday to see us!

When:
Friday, September 3rd, 5pm – 8pm
Where:
Heart Mercantile
438 East 5th Street
Dayton, OH 45402

Sara is having another Author Talk!

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Sara is having another Author Talk next Thursday! Join us to buy the book, hear a little bit about the content and process, and ask any questions you have!

When:
Thursday, September 2nd, 6pm – 7pm
Where:
Winters-Bellbrook Community Library
57 West Franklin Street
Bellbrook, OH 45305

Sara also has another Sale & Signing on Friday in the Oregon District if you can’t make it to the Author Talk!

When:
Friday, September 3rd, 5pm – 8pm
Where:
Heart Mercantile
438 East 5th Street
Dayton, OH 45402

Aaron Nutt, Sr.

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Aaron Nutt, Sr. was born on July 17th, 1758 in New Jersey to Quaker parents Levi and Ann Ivens Nutt. At age 14, Aaron’s mother sold him to be an indentured servant for a local tailor, John Lippencott. Through his period of service, Aaron became a skilled tailor.

Aaron served in the New Jersey Militia in Lippencott’s place after Lippencott was drafted in 1777. Aaron was assigned non-combat duties, due to his Quaker beliefs, and served as a spy and a teamster (a person who drove a team of animals pulling a wagon). Even though he never saw combat, Aaron was not allowed membership in the Quaker Society of Friends, since he participated in the war.

At the age of 20, Aaron married Mary Archer on May 4th, 1779. During their 17-year marriage, Aaron and Mary had nine children. Aaron and his family moved to Kentucky in 1788, along with his brother-in-law Benjamin Archer, then they all moved to Ohio in 1799. A brother-in-law already settled in the area, Benjamin Robbins, offered to store Aaron’s family’s possessions and let them stay with them while they built their home, but Aaron responded with, “I am not going to unpack until I enter my own cabin” and with help, built his new home in just one day.
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Sara’s Book Sale & Signing at Bonnett’s Book Store!

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Sara will be selling her book in front of Bonnett’s Book Store! Stop on by to buy the book and chat with us!

When:
Thursday, August 19th, 6pm-9pm
Where:
Bonnett’s Book Store (in front)
502 East 5th Street
Dayton, OH 45402

Fun Dayton Facts

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Here are a few more interesting facts about Dayton!

  • Of the original purchasers of the land for Dayton, Jonathan Dayton’s name was chosen because it was considered the most pleasing name to grace the township.
  • Dayton’s first hanging took place on a gallows east of the river, where Sinclair Community College is now located. This fact is the basis for the storied hauntings of the campus.
  • Dayton’s flood of 1866 cost the city a quarter of a million dollars and left only the corn crops standing in its wake.
  • Dayton born Daniel Denison Bickham pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1886 for one game. He returned to Dayton when his father called him home because he felt baseball was “not a gentlemanly sport.”
  • Charles Bickham, Daniel’s brother, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1904 because he “crossed a fire-swept field, in close range of the enemy and bought a wounded soldier to a place of shelter.“
  • Father to Daniel and Charles Bickham, William Bickham, was Dayton’s leading newspaper editor. After the riot that burned the office of the Dayton Journal, Bickham arrived to revive the paper and return it to financial stability.
  • The Wright brothers built their first glider for about $15.

Sara had her first Author Talk!

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Troy-Miami County Public Library hosted Sara’s first Author Talk last night! We had a great audience who asked so many interesting questions. Thanks so much to every one who came out! If you’d like to purchase Sara’s book, see our Where to Buy page!

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Sara has a few more events scheduled (listed below), but you can also check our Events Calendar for more Author events coming up!

Book Sales & Signing
When:
Friday, August 6th, 6pm-9pm
Where:
Bonnett’s Book Store (in front)
502 East 5th Street
Dayton, OH 45402

Author Talk, Book Sales & Signing
When:
Thursday, September 2nd, 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Where:
Winters-Bellbrook Community Library
57 West Franklin Street
Bellbrook, OH 45305

Sara’s Author Talk

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Meet Dayton Unknown’s very own local author, Sara Kaushal, and learn more about her recently released book, Murder and Mayhem in Dayton and the Miami Valley next week on Thursday, July 22, at 6:30 PM.

Troy Miami County Public Library will be hosting. If you have not gotten her book yet, this is your chance to buy it! If you already have the book, come get it signed!

The Troy-Miami County Public Library is located at 419 West Main Street, Troy, Ohio 45373.

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Also, please wish a HAPPY HAPPY Birthday to Dayton Unknown’s other half, Bethany! Bethany is very important to Dayton Unknown and DU wouldn’t survive without her! Happiest of Birthdays to you!

Miscellaneous Dayton Facts

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It’s been a while since we shared some miscellaneous facts about Dayton, so here are a few!

  • The expression “You’re fired” dates back to John Henry Patterson, founder of NCR. Patterson was reported to have terminated an employee by having his desk taken outside and set on fire.
  • The name of the horse in the statue with John H. Patterson in Hills and Dales Park is Spinner.
  • The Ohio accent is the basis of the accent taught to newscasters – The Ohio accent is considered to be so bland that you don’t hear the accent, just the words.
  • The group Stars of Joy was the first local African American gospel group to air on WHIO TV.
  • Possum Run Creek got its name from the great number of possums being caught in the lowlands.
  • John H Patterson urged the city to build a road over the canal, and that’s how Patterson Boulevard got its name.
  • The Thomas Clegg house on the corner of First and Jefferson is Dayton’s oldest continuously occupied home. Downtown used to be a glamorous place for the rich to live in young Dayton, but the 1913 flood and increasing noise of streetcars and traffic made downtown living less appealing. The house was renovated in the early 2000s for condo use.
  • The Wright Brothers purchased Spruce from Requarth Lumber in Downtown Dayton for the second and third Wright flyers.

Murder & Mayhem in Dayton and the Miami Valley is Out!

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Sara’s book has been published by The History Press!wp-1624473617276.jpg

You can purchase from Sara directly at one of the upcoming author events (we’ll update you), or from the book at the following links: