Category Archives: Local History

This Day in History – October 3rd, 1920

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On October 3rd, 1920, the Dayton Triangles beat the Columbus Panhandles in what was the first game of the NFL.

The American Professional Football Association, renamed the NFL in 1922, was formed in Canton, Ohio on September 17, 1920. The first game was played right here in Dayton, Ohio.

Workers from local factories such as Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco), Dayton Metal Products (DMP Co), and Domestic Engineering Company (Deco, later renamed Delco-Light) made up the roster of the team. The three factories formed an industrial triangle, which lead to the name of the team.

The first game was played at Triangle Park. During that game, Triangles Player Louis Partlow scored the first touchdown of the NFL and Triangles Kicker George “Hobby” Kinderdine kicked the first extra point. The other touchdown of the game was scored by Francis Bacon, with another kick by Kinderdine. With a 14-0 victory, the Dayton Triangles won the first game of the NFL.

Asahel Wright

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While driving through downtown Centerville, you may have noticed a little sign on the side of the road denoting the Asahel Wright Museum.

Asahel Wright was born in 1786 in New Hampshire and moved to Centerville with his parents in 1814. In November of 1814, Asahel leased a farm of seven acres of land from Aaron Nutt, located near the southeast corner of Far Hills and Alex-Bell Road. Later, in August of 1816, he then purchased a portion of Lot # 3 of the Nutt Platt for $150, making the first recorded purchase of the property.

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The Night Run starring Dion McElrath

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Another Late Night show is coming to Dayton! The Night Run starring Dion McElrath will be premiering soon on DATV!

We had a chance to sit down with the host, Dion McElrath, to talk about the show. Born and raised in Dayton, Dion is a long-time lover of all things Late Night, and during our chat, he regaled us with many interesting trivia facts about all of the Late Night greats. And now with The Night Run starring Dion McElrath, Dion hopes to join those names with his vibrant young energy, and he wants us to know that he won’t be the run-of-the-mill Late Night host.

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The Murder of Jesse Kelsey, Jr.

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Born in 1829 to one of Centerville’s most prosperous farmers, Jesse Kelsey Sr., Jesse Kelsey Jr. was the 9th of 12 children. He married Unity Stokes on September 4th, 1856, and lived on a farm in Centerville on the southwest corner of what is now Spring Valley Pike and Dayton-Lebanon Pike, near the Kroger Marketplace. In September of 1862, Jesse Jr. and Unity were expecting their first child.

On the night of September 7th, 1862, just 3 days after celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary, Unity woke up to see a man standing over her and Jesse Jr. while they slept. She woke Jesse Jr. up, and he shouted at the man, who then fired a pistol at him. Jesse Jr. rushed Unity out of the room to safety and was struck by another pistol shot, and fell to the ground, dead.

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8.4.2019 – One Year Later

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One year ago, tragedy struck Dayton in a way that will remain in our memories forever. Over the past year, we have watched the city heal and rally together in the midst of a lot of trials.Today we would like to honor the victims of the shooting that took place in the Oregon District on August 4th, 2019.

  • Megan Betts, age 22
  • Nicholas Cumer, age 25
  • Thomas “Teejay” McNichols, age 25
  • Lois “Lola” Oglesby, age 27
  • Logan Turner, age 30
  • Beatrice “Nicole” Warren-Curtis, age 36
  • Saheed Saleh, age 38
  • Monica Brickhouse, age 39
  • Derrick Fudge, age 57

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Philip Zenni – Mr. Titanic

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During the icy, dark night hours of April 15, 1912, terrified passengers were crowding the deck aboard the R.M.S. Titanic, attempting to get into lifeboats as they were being lowered, under capacity, into the water. Men were being pushed back from the lifeboats, as the general rule was “women and children first.” Phillip Zenni, a passenger from Syria and the only known passenger heading to Dayton, Ohio, wasn’t buying it. Everyone should get a chance to get off this boat, he thought. Zenni waited until the officer keeping passengers back had turned his back, and once he was clear, Zenni jumped onto Lifeboat 6, made famous by the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown.

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Dr. John Hole

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If you’ve driven around the Centerville area, you may have seen the name Dr. John Hole around town.

Dr. John Hole was born in New Jersey in 1755. In his youth, John was adopted by a prominent doctor so that he could be trained and educated in the medical profession. He went to the University of Berlin and returned to the states in 1775, in the midst of the crisis that led to the American Revolution. John was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and when George Washington commanded forces at Cambridge. John was eventually reassigned to be the personal physician and surgeon under Brigadier General Richard Montgomery.

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This Day in History – June 24th, 1955

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Happy 65th Birthday, Kettering!

On June 24, 1955, an official proclamation from the Ohio Secretary of State elevated the Village of Kettering to an official city.

A few facts about Kettering:

  • Kettering has two sister cities: Steyr, Austria and Kettering, England.
  • Kettering was named after Charles Fitzgerald Kettering, a resident of the community and prominent inventor and innovator.
  • According to the 2010 census, Kettering has 56,163 residents.

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Arthur Morgan

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If you’ve explored Riverscape Metropark, you have probably seen the sculpture representing the Hydraulic Jump Fountain, that is part of the Dayton Inventors Riverwalk. The Hydraulic Jump Fountain was part of the dry dam system developed by Morgan after the 1913 Flood.

 

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Hydraulic Jump Fountain

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Dayton Inventors River Walk

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At Riverscape Metropark, you may have seen several sculptures scattered about. There are seven “over-sized” sculptures – called invention stations – that represent seven of the most notable inventions from Dayton. These are part of the Dayton Inventors River Walk, that celebrates the history of invention and innovation in Dayton. There are also over 150 bricks that commemorate inventions from across the Miami Valley.

The River Walk begins at the northeast corner of Main Street and Monument Avenue, where you will see an 8×8 brick medallion in the pavement. This medallion announces that Dayton is the “Innovation Capital of the World,” due to the fact that Dayton has had more inventions per capita than any other city in the United States.

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Besides the seven main Invention Stations, the bricks commemorate several other inventions and innovations:

  • cellophane
  • digital watches
  • Freon
  • the cracking of the Enigma Code in WWII

 
If you’re interested in walking around the Dayton Inventors River Walk to get a little bit of excerise, check out our post, Exercise Dayton: Riverscape Inventors Walk. We have also hosted a Photo Walk at the Inventors Walk!