Category Archives: Local History

This Day in History – September 22nd, 1942

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On September 22, 1942, Tony Stein enlisted in the Marine Corps. Tony graduated from Kiser High School in 1939 and worked for General Motors in the Delco Division before enlisting.

As Dayton’s only WWII Congressional Medal of Honor Winner, Tony earned the honor by his heroic actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima. While in battle, Tony went from one enemy pillbox to the next, killing 20 enemy soldiers. His gun was shot out of his hands not once, but twice. When Tony ran out of ammunition, he ran back to the beach for more, carrying a wounded fellow soldier with him. Tony removed his shoes and helmet to help him move quicker. When Tony dropped the soldier off at the beach, he grabbed ammo and ran back into action, dropped off the ammo, then returned with another injured soldier. Tony repeated this cycle many times, ultimately rescuing eight soldiers. The Marine Corps still honors him through the Tony Stein Workout.

Tony died on March 1, 1945. He was killed after volunteering to locate enemy machine gun placements that pinned down his company at Mount Suribachi. Tony was buried with honors in Calvary Cemetery in Dayton.

For the full story, check out our story Tony Stein – Dayton’s Superhero.

This Day in History – August 29th, 1876

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On August 29, 1876, Charles F. Kettering was born in a farmhouse near Loudonville, Ohio. After graduating high school, Kettering taught at rural schools to save for college tuition. He enrolled at the College of Wooster but had to drop out due to problems with his eyesight. He returned to teaching until he enrolled at Ohio State University, but again he had to drop out due to his eyesight. After a brief stint as a lineman, Kettering returned to Ohio State, this time graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical and electrical engineering.

As an engineer, Kettering invented an electric cash register that eliminated the need for a hand crank, developed the first self-starting auto ignition system, and organized the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco). Kettering had more than 140 patents.

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All-Day Kindergarten in Kettering

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This fall will start the first year of all-day Kindergarten for Kettering Schools. Voters approved the school levy by a ratio of 55 to 45.

The levy will also enhance other areas of the Kettering School system, such as:

  • Security Cameras and Door Barricades
  • Background Checks for Volunteers
  • More Mental Health Services
  • Additional School Resource Officers
  • Expanded Career Readiness Expansion

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Mark Dennis

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Although the Dennis family accepted the coffin with the flag draped over the top, they were not convinced it carried the remains of Mark.

Mark V. Dennis was the youngest son of Charles and Vera Dennis. His father Charles had a sense of humor and decided to give Mark the Roman numeral V as a middle initial since he was the fifth child. Shortly after graduating high school in 1964, Mark enlisted in the Navy, training to be a medic. Mark hoped the medic training would help him in his aspirations to become a missionary after his military service. Although he was initially stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Wasp, he asked to be transferred so he could help with the effort in Vietnam. He was assigned as a medic and acting chaplain to a Marine unit fighting during Operation Hastings. On July 16, 1966, thirteen men boarded a C-47 Chinook helicopter before it lifted in the air. As it was flying over the Quang Tri Province, the helicopter was shot down by enemies.

Mark DennisSource

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Smith Gardens

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“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden


Smith Gardens, located in Oakwood, is an enchanting little garden. In the 1930s the garden was planted by the owners of the land, Carlton and Jeanette Smith and is now a city park. According to the Oakwood Historical Society, in April 1996, Ohio Magazine called Smith Gardens the “finest tiny public garden in Ohio. It’s like a secret treasure on an ordinary side street.”

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July 20th, 1969 – 50 years ago

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“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong, July 20th, 1969

This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of men first walking on the moon. The Apollo 11 spaceflight was launched from Florida on July 16th, 1969, and the first man to set foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong, from Wapakoneta – about an hour north of Dayton.

Neil_Armstrong_pose                                                         Source: Wikipedia

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Lower Miami Cemetery

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The Lower Miami Cemetery is located in Jefferson Township on Germantown Street. Land for this cemetery was first sold to the Baptist Church of the Brethren by Eli and Samuel Noffsinger on January 28, 1846. Although formerly owned and operated by the Lower Miami Church, they are now only connected through name.

Originally called Holler Cemetery due to the first families buried there, it became Lower Miami Cemetery in the early 1900s. Many of the people buried there were connected through marriage and church.

Sara’s own personal connection to the cemetery is countless family members buried there. Her genealogy tree can match up with many of the tombstones in that cemetery.

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This Day in History – June 27th, 1872

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Paul Laurence Dunbar was born on June 27, 1872 in Dayton, Ohio on Howard Street. His parents were former slaves who escaped from Kentucky, then met in Dayton after the war. He published his first works in 1892 while working as an elevator operator. Overall, Dunbar wrote twelve books of poetry, four books of short stories, five novels, and a play before his death in 1906.

My lady love lives far away,
And oh my heart is sad by day,
And ah my tears fall fast by night,
What may I do in such a plight.

Why, miles grow few when love is fleet,
And love, you know, hath flying feet;
Break off thy sighs and witness this,
How poor a thing mere distance is.

My love knows not I love her so,
And would she scorn me, did she know?
How may the tale I would impart
Attract her ear and storm her heart?

Calm thou the tempest in my breast,
Who loves in silence loves the best,
But bide thy time, she will awake,
No night so dark but morn will break.

But though my heart so strongly yearn,
My lady loves me not in turn,
How may I win the blest reply
That my void heart shall satisfy.

Love breedeth love, be thou but true,
And soon thy love shall love thee, too;
If Fate hath meant you heart for heart,
There’s naught may keep you twain apart.

Wright Library Zine

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Back in April we mentioned that to celebrate their 80th anniversary, Wright Library published an art and literary zine made up of poetry, short stories, essays, and art focusing on the Miami Valley, the Wright Brothers, and more.

We submitted written pieces to the zine and were both lucky enough to be selected for publication in the zine glide, which was published as both a hard copy and a digital copy. There were so many entries that an additional online zine, glide on was made available as well.

You can read our stories here:
The Man Who Sent Wilbur on the Wright Path by Sara Kaushal
The Missing Benches by Bethany Kmeid

While at the reception and open mic for the event, we had the honor of meeting Jeff Wilson, Author of Ohio Legends!

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World A’Fair and Sideshow 14

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It’s that time of year! We recently got to attend the 46th annual World A’Fair and Dayton Sideshow 14!

World A’Fair – we had so much fun this year we didn’t take that many pictures, but please enjoy pictures from previous years!

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Sideshow 14

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Also, in light of Monday’s storms that have deeply affected the area, our friends at Gem City Tonight are taping on location at Hannah’s Bar at 121 North Ludlow Street tonight starting at 5, and hosting a fundraiser for the Dayton Tornado Disaster Relief. Anything you can bring will help; toiletries, monetary donations, canned goods, etc.