Category Archives: Local History

Dayton Firsts Part 10

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Time for some more firsts!

  • First Canal boat – The first canal boat built in Dayton was christened the Alpha and was launched on Saturday, August 16, 1828, at 2 p.m. The first canal boat to arrive in Dayton with the formal opening of the canal was the General Brown. It arrived at the landing near the present site of the main branch of the Dayton Metro Library on January 26, 1829.
  • First Mayor – In 1829 a new charter went into effect in Dayton. Under it, the chief executive of the city became referred to as the Mayor, instead of the President of Council. Under the new charter John Folkerth was made the first Mayor of Dayton.

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If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?

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“When your mother asks, “Do you want a piece of advice?” it’s a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.”

From her youth, Erma loved to read and write. At Christmas, when kids her age asked for toys and dolls for Christmas, Erma asked her parents for what she cherished most: books.

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Local Street Names Part 6

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Curious about the early roads of Dayton, and their namesakes?

  • The following streets were named after the towns they went to: Troy, Bellefontaine, Wilmington, Belpre, Germantown, Xenia, and Salem (later changed to Clayton).

  • King – William King, an early settler of Dayton.

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Dayton’s Last Hanging

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Harry Adams seemed to be on the right path for the first time in his life. Born as Francis Daniel Spealman, he had a tumultuous past involving running away from home and a life of crime, including jail time. Finally, using his acquired skill as a shoemaker, he was able to land a job as a cobbler for St. Mary’s School in Dayton. Although he was known to enjoy the drink, the consistent work kept him out of trouble. That is, until he met a woman named Lou Huffman.

Huffman was proprietor and madam to a house on Pearl Street in Dayton’s Red Light District. It did not take long for Harry to fall in love with her and move into her house. He helped Huffman operate her business and was available to her every beck and call.

It was during this time that a soldier named Henry Mulharen (also spelled Mulharon) was making his way to Dayton after receiving a $50 pension (a sum equivalent to nearly $900 today). Mulharen planned to visit the Soldier’s Home to get treatment for an injury he received as a soldier in the Civil War. Mulharen and a friend of his, a man named Woodward, met Adams at the brothel, where he introduced them to Jennie Smith, one of the girls working there.

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Dayton Firsts Part 9

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Happy New Year, Dayton! We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. Now it’s time to get back into the grind! As it’s the first Friday of the month, we have some more Dayton firsts for you!

  • First Stage Line – the route for stage coaches between Dayton and Cincinnati was started in 1818, by a Mr. Lyon.
  • First Sewing Machine – Brought to Dayton by an S. N. Shear, on October 11, 1851.
  • First Lion – The first lion to be exhibited in Dayton was shown on April 22nd, 1819 in the barnyard at Reid’s Inn, which later became the site of Loew’s theater (at 125 North Main Street). The first elephant ever seen here was shown at the same place on April 11, 1820.

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Dayton Fun Facts Part 1

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Occasionally in our research, we come across a really interesting fact, but there isn’t enough for a full story. We like to compile these into lists to share. Here are a few!

  • Mad River, the former Wayne Township (now Huber Heights), Wayne High School, and Wayne Avenue are all named for Major General “Mad” Anthony Wayne.
  • Abraham Lincoln credits the first mention of his presidential race to Dayton, Ohio.
  • On March 30, 1901, the Dayton Daily News was run by a women-only editorial staff. Local historian Charlotte Reeve Conover approached James M. Cox and asked him to allow the Young Women’s League to run the paper for one day to raise money for a new building. Despite predictions of failure, the paper not only went to press on time, but the demand was so high, they had to work overtime to compensate. The ladies received a check for $1,800 for their efforts.

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The Sad Tale of James Murphy

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Jan 31, 1875: Barlow Hall, which was located at the corner of Fifth Street and Pearl Street, hosted the wedding of August Scheckelhoff and Agnes Neehaber. August worked at The Champion Plow Work, along with Colonel William Dawson. Colonel Dawson volunteered to be the Master of Ceremonies for the wedding.

James Murphy, member of the notorious “chain-gang” and well-known hooligan, showed up with a few of his fellow gang members, wanting to get in. When Colonel Dawson turned them away at the door, they threatened him. Later that night, they attacked him. In the midst of the scuffle, Dawson was stabbed. He bled to death in the street before medical help could arrive.

Police could only find one clue, a cap near Dawson’s body. After a few hours, the cap led them to the home of James Murphy. Another man, Lewis Meyers, was arrested as an accomplice. The public was outraged; and the police had to get special guards to protect Murphy from a lynch mob. After his trial, Lewis Meyers was convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to two years in prison. But James Murphy was tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang.

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Dayton Firsts Part 8

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  • First Girls’ School – Opened in March, 1815, by Mrs. Diomecia Sullivan on the west side of Main Street, south of Third Street.

  • First Show – A display of “wax works and figures,” on February 13, 1815.

  • First Fire Engine – Came from Philadelphia and through Cincinnati, and arrived in Dayton in the spring of 1826.

  • First Milliner – The first millinery store was opened by Ann Yamans in June 1815. She advertised her supply of goose feathers, and announced that military gentlemen could find her shop on Main Street, south of Second Street, with a full stock of plumes and decorations.

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Bucket Brigade Murder

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At one point in Dayton History, we did not have a paid fire department, but a “Bucket Brigade.” Volunteers essentially stood in line and passed buckets of water from one to another to put out a fire, and in later years, to fill the hand pumped engine that spurted water onto the fire – an early model of the present day fire truck. Early Dayton employed this technique, with a team of volunteer fire fighters and fire wardens.

On the morning of September 10, 1893, a fire alarm rang out and as normal, the entire town lined up to see. Charles Greene, one of the city’s fire wardens, had the duty of organizing the team to line up in order to fight the fire. In the midst of this madness, Greene noticed that one of the volunteers, Matthew Thompson, was not lined up properly, standing a distance away from the group. Greene yelled for Thompson to get in line. As Thompson refused, the two men began to argue, culminating in Greene first knocking Thompson’s hat off with a splinter of wood he had nearby, then after more words were exchanged, smacking him on the head with the piece of wood.

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The Man They Had to Hang Twice

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August 13, 1853 – It was a riderless horse and wagon that started the search. Two gentleman having a conversation on the street corner noticed the horse casually strolling by with a wagon attached, nobody at the reins. Thinking there must have been an accident, the men stopped the horse and turned it around, and rode with it. Shortly after, they made a grisly discovery: two bodies were discovered savagely beaten in the woods on Stoddard’s farm.

The bodies were identified as Elizabeth Young and her son, James. Investigation of the scene pointed to a struggle, followed by difficult deaths for both Elizabeth and James. Among the evidence were a broken hair comb, drag marks, and bloody leaves. The cap James wore was found 30 yards away from his body.

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