- Stepladder – John Balsley, 1862.
- Ice Cream Cone Dispenser – Alexander McLaren, 1919.
- Electric Furnace for cars – Charles L. Lee, 1923.
- Air Conditioner (window/wall units) – Robert R. Candor, 1943.
Woodland Cemetery Series: Matilda Stanley – Queen of the Gypsies
Matilda Stanley holds records. She holds one record for being the person held in Woodland’s receiving vault the longest, one for being the most loved Gypsy queen recorded, and also the only known gypsy funeral to be presided over by an “outsider”, Reverend David Berger. At an estimated 15-25k people, Matilda’s funeral is also the biggest one to have been seen in Dayton.
Matilda married her husband Levi in Berkshire, England and together with their families, moved to the United States in 1856. They chose Dayton as their summer headquarters, heading south every winter to live in warmer weather, the procession down Main street a spectacle.
Because record keeping was not very stringent, Matilda’s exact date of birth can only be guessed as sometime in 1821. Her date of death is more concrete, confirmed as January 15, 1878. Woodland held her body in the receiving vault until September of that year, in order to give friends and family time to travel from all over the world to attend her funeral.
Local Street Names – Part 4
Curious about the names of streets around Dayton? Here’s a few namesakes:
- Eaker Street: Mary Belle Eaker, a local philanthropist who gave her home to the YMCA.
- Gummer Avenue: named for Henry R. Gummer, a co-founder of the Gem City Stove Company.
- Gunckel: named after Lewis B. Gunckel, a politician, congressman, and attorney.
- Harries Street: J. W. Harries, a local brewer.
Ermal Fraze
If you have consumed any beverage from a can, you can thank Ermal “Ernie” Fraze for inventing the pull-top tab used to open it.
Continue reading
Continue reading
Hometown Eats – Part 2
Some of our favorite local restaurants:
- India Oven – Indian Cuisine
– 39 South Springboro Pike, Miamisburg
– Lunch Buffet
– Try the Mango Lassi
Calvary Cemetery
Although predominately a Roman Catholic cemetery, all faiths are welcome at Calvary Cemetery. Currently it is the final resting place for roughly 75,000 people including 6,000 people exhumed and moved from the former St. Henry’s Catholic Cemetery, which was located at Main Street and Third Street.
Dayton Inventions – Part 2
It’s that time again! Dayton is known for the airplane and the cash register, but there are so many more inventions that came from our great city:
- Electric Cash Register – John H. Patterson, 1906.
- Custer Invalid Chair – Levitt Luzern Custer, battery-powered in 1919, gasoline-powered in 1939.
- Night Photography – Brigadier General George Goddard, 1926.
- Freon Refrigerant – Thomas Midgley Jr., 1928.
CareFlight
CareFlight’s history in Dayton has personal meaning to Dayton Unknown.
In 2003, after a serious car accident, I(Sara) was transported via CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital. Although I don’t remember the flight or many of the details of that night, I was able to formally meet the pilot, Wade, and the CareFlight Nurse, Cathy at the 20th anniversary celebration of Careflight in September of 2003, just one month after our first encounter.
Sara with CareFlight Nurse, Cathy and Pilot Wyatt.
Fun Facts about Dayton – Part 3
Here’s some more fun facts about Dayton we’ve learned during our research:
- The Private Fair statue on Main Street just south of Monument Avenue in downtown was almost a statue of the Goddess of Liberty, but ex-Civil War soldiers protested, and requested the goddess instead be a statue of a soldier. Private George Washington Fair of Dayton was the model for the statue, which was erected in 1884 – the original location at the intersection of Main and Monument.
- The statue of President McKinley in Cooper Park (behind the Dayton Library on Third Street and St. Clair) was built from funds raised and donated by local schoolchildren.
Dayton Unknown Spotlight: Bea
On July 12th, we hosted Dayton Unknown’s first (but not last) Scavenger Hunt, with one of the prizes being a feature in the blog. We are happy to announce the winner, Bea, in the category of “Most Literal.”
Bea’s submission for, “Funny Face or Pose with a Tree.”
Dayton Unknown 