Sara’s book has been published by The History Press!
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:
Dr. Helen Octavia Dickens Henderson
Even as a child, Helen Octavia Dickens knew she wanted to be a doctor even though she had many odds stacked against her as a black woman born in 1909. Helen’s father was born into slavery then raised by a Union Colonel from the age of nine. After obtaining his freedom, he named himself Charles Warren Dickens, after the famous author he once met. Helen Octavia Dickens was born in Dayton on February 21st, 1909.
Helen’s father Charles had dreams of becoming a lawyer, but when racial prejudice reared its ugly head, preventing his dream, he took a job as a janitor to support his family. He never lost hope in the future for his children and sent them to one of the few integrated schools in the area to get them the best education possible. Daisy Dickens, Helen’s mother, worked as a domestic servant until she married Charles. Despite Charles insisting his wife stay at home, he encouraged Helen to become a nurse. But Helen had different plans. If she could be a nurse, Helen reasoned, she could also be a doctor. “It was what I wanted to do and I didn’t see why I couldn’t do it.” she’d say.
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The Story of Natalie Clifford Barney
In honor of Pride Month, we thought we would re-share the story of Daytonian Natalie Clifford Barney.
“I built a fire to welcome her
And my voice sighed
Aloud her name. To be with her
This night, I would have died…”
Natalie Clifford Barney was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1876, to an affluent family. By age twelve, Natalie knew she was a lesbian. Although society in the late 1800’s was very conservative, Natalie knew she would “Live openly, without hiding anything.”
Natalie developed an interest in the French language as a child. Her governess often read Jules Vern stores aloud to her in French, and she had to learn the language quickly to understand the stories. In adulthood, Natalie was fluent in French, and published most of her work in French.
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Murder & Mayhem in Dayton and the Miami Valley – Coming Soon!
Our very own Sara wrote a book! A few years ago, she was approached by The History Press after they saw the blog!
Delve into the dastardly deeds of the Miami Valley with Murder & Mayhem in Dayton and the Miami Valley! It will be released on Monday, June 28th.
You can purchase from Sara directly at one of the upcoming author events (we’ll update you), or pre-order/purchase the book at the following links:
A Few Weeks Left for the DU Virtual Photo Scavenger Hunt!
Back in February, we announced our Virtual Photo Scavenger Hunt – a chance to get out on your own, socially-distancing, to take pictures using our prompts!
We had a few requests to extend the deadline for submissions, so in April we decided to extend the deadline all the way to the end of June!
Picture submissions can be funny, creative, literal, or any other way you can imagine! We look forward to seeing your submissions! You can follow all the prompts, or just choose a select few that inspire you! All you have to do is take pictures and submit the captioned photos to us at daytonunknown@hotmail.com by June 30th!
Upcoming Festivals 2021
Summer is here and life is slowly returning to normal. With this in mind, here are the statuses of some of the nearby festivals coming this summer:
On for Festivities:
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- Dayton Pride Parade & Festival – Friday, June 4th and Saturday, June 5th in Downtown Dayton
- Jewish Cultural Festival – Temple Israel with be hosting on June 11th as a drive-thru event
- Lebanon Country Music Festival – Friday June 11th and Saturday June 12th on Main Street in Lebanon
- Celtic Festival Ohio – June 19th, 11am-11pm at Renaissance Fairgrounds in Waynesville
- Waynesville Street Faire – June 19th, July 17th, August 14th, and September 11th, Main Street in Waynesville
- Lights in Flight Festival and Fireworks Show – July 4th, 5-10 pm at Riverscape
Clued Upp Dayton is tomorrow!
Just a reminder that Clued Upp Dayton is tomorrow! We hope to see you there!
For more details, check out our post here!
The Night Run – One Year Later
On May 11th, 2020, the Dayton Late Night scene changed forever, when Dion McElrath announced his new show, The Night Run starring Dion McElrath.
We were so lucky to meet Dion and interview him back in August, and share his story. We later then appeared on an episode too!
Since its debut on DATV, Dion and his crew have put out so many fantastic episodes. Check them out on their YouTube channel to watch all of the past episodes!
We’re looking forward to many more episodes.
A World A’Fair 2021 is Postponed
After the 2020 A World A’Fair was postponed, and then cancelled, we were so disappointed. Unfortunately, it seems like that may be the case again. Originally scheduled for Friday May 21st through Sunday May 23rd, the festival has once again been postponed, and will potentially be rescheduled for the fall.
Please enjoy some pictures from past years of A World A’Fair.
Dr. Dudley Keever
On a Ridgeville Ohio farm in 1859, Dudley Keever was born to Quaker parents. Dudley’s father Moses was a doctor serving Ridgeville and Springboro. Dudley attended a one-room schoolhouse, then Miami Valley Institute in Springboro, and then graduated the Miami Medical College in Cincinnati (later the University of Cincinnati) in 1884.
Now Dr. Keever, Dudley started his own practice in Springboro, and then met fellow Quaker Ida Wright, who he married. In 1890, the Keevers moved to Centerville and opened a practice on the northeast corner of Main Street and Franklin Street, where City Barbecue is presently.
