Tag Archives: Dayton history

The Story of David T. Chambers

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Note: Due to the current events across the country in regards to the hurricanes and flooding, we thought we’d share some stories we have previously posted, detailing the heroism from the Dayton Flood of 1913.

The chain of events that started Dayton’s Great Flood started on March 21, 1913, with a rainstorm. Over the next few days, more rain came, ultimately weakening the levees and flooding the already oversaturated soil. Water rose quickly, and as gas lines were destroyed, a fire started downtown that destroyed most of a block.

As these events were happening, twenty four year old David T. Chambers of North Dayton could not stand by and watch without helping. From the safety of his home, which was located above the flood waters, he could see the damage being caused by the rising waters.

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Dayton Flood Facts

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Note: Due to the current events across the country, there are a lot of questions about the potential for flooding in the Dayton Area. Our next few posts will address those concerns, and share a little bit of the history regarding floods in the Dayton region.

  • It is believed that the weather conditions leading to the 1913 Dayton Flood were caused by the eruption of Mount Katmai and its daughter volcano Novarupta in Alaska in 1912. Novarupta emitted enough fine ash into the atmosphere to cool the climate of the Northern Hemisphere that winter. This storm caused the Great Tornadoes of Omaha before striking Dayton.

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Miami Conservancy District

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Note: Due to the current events across the country, there are a lot of questions about the potential for flooding in the Dayton Area. Our next few posts will address those concerns, and share a little bit of the history regarding floods in the Dayton region.

The Miami Conservancy District was organized in 1915, in response to the Great Dayton Flood. The MCD built levees, straightened the river channel, and built 5 dams to control flooding in the Miami Valley. The Miami Conservancy District was the first major watershed district in the nation. The district and its projects are unusual in that they were funded almost entirely by local tax initiatives.

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Vulcan Tool Corporation

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The Vulcan Tool Company was founded in Dayton in 1916, by several toolmakers as a small tool and die shop, and was purchased by Lee Amos Jones the following year. The company quickly expanded operations into the First World War and continued after. Some financial difficulties were experienced during the Great Depression, but Vulcan Tool bounced back during World War II, being one of the many Dayton companies that produced items for the war effort.

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Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948)

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In honor of what would be Orville’s 146th birthday, here are some facts about the younger Wright Brother:

  • Orville was a snazzy dresser – Orville wore well-tailored suits, wingtips, and “snappy argyle socks.”

  • Orville loved playing the mandolin. In fact, he played it so often that it drove his sister Katherine to say, “He sits around and picks that thing until I can hardly stay in the house the point of madness.”

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Gustave Wiedeke

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If you’ve visited Woodland Cemetery, you may have seen this life-size, imposing monument of a man, its statue often startling guards at night. The man’s specifications and dimensions in stone match his exact measurements in real life, with careful attention to every detail, from the buttons on his suit to his piercing eyes.

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Dayton Firsts Part 12

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  • First Telegraph Message – Received in Dayton on September 17, 1847.
  • First United Brethren Church – The first United Brethren church in Dayton was organized in 1847, in a small room in the Oregon Engine House. Their first church building was erected in 1852, at Sixth Street and Logan Street, later being purchased by the city and converted into a city prison.
  • First Gas Company – Chartered February 4, 1848, by Daniel Beckel, Peter Voorhees, Daniel Stout, I.F. Howells, David Winter, J.D. Loomis, J.D. Phillips, Valentine Winters, John Mills and Daniel W. Weelock.
  • First Hebrew congregation – The first Hebrew congregation was organized in 1850. They met in the old Dayton Bank building until 1863, when they purchased the old Baptist house of worship.

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Natalie Clifford Barney

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“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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Miamisburg Mound

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Located at 900 Mound Street, Miamisburg Mound pre-dates Dayton – but it is very important to Dayton History. Here are some facts:

  • The Mound is actually a burial mound, and it is one of the largest conical mounds in North America, and is the largest conical mound in Ohio.

  • The Mound is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

  • Mounds like this served as cemeteries, and may have also marked boundary lines for tribal territories.

  • The Mound is 65 feet tall. It was originally 68 feet tall, before an excavation attempt in 1869.

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