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| Frequently Asked Questions  1. Why is Dayton called the “Gem City?”  Answer:
The “Gem City” name is taken from the following quote from
the August 18, 1845 Daily Cincinnati Chronicle: “The most indifferent
observer will not fail to notice Dayton. The wide streets, kept in
such excellent order, the noble blocks of stores, filled with choice,
and, of course, cheap goods, and, more than all, the exceeding beauty
and neatness of the dwellings…It may be fairly said…that
Dayton is the gem of all our interior towns. It possesses wealth,
refinement, enterprise, and a beautiful country…”2. When was Dayton founded and whom was it named for?
Answer: The first settlers of
Dayton arrived on April 1, 1796. Dayton was named for General Jonathan
Dayton, a general in the Revolutionary War and one of the proprietors
of the land that became Dayton.3. What are the names of the Miami Conservancy dams?
Answer: The five dams of the Miami
Conservancy were built following the 1913 flood. They are Huffman,
Englewood, Germantown, Lockington and Taylorsville.4. What are some of the famous inventions that have come out of Dayton?
Answer: A partial list includes
the cash register, the automobile self-starter, liquid crystal display,
cellophane tape, pull-tab and pop-top beverage cans, microencapsulation,
room air conditioner, carbonless copy paper. There have been so many
inventions in Dayton that it would be impossible to list them all.5. Who was the first person born in Dayton?
Answer: David Hamer, the son of
William Hamer, was born on the site of Dayton in December of 1796.6. How did the city of Fairborn get its name?
Answer: Following
the 1913 flood, the town of Osborn had to be relocated because it
would be submerged following the construction of Huffman Dam. Osborn
moved and was eventually joined with the existing town of Fairfield
and the new city was named Fairborn.7. What are the five rivers in the Dayton area?
Answer: The Miami River, Stillwater
River, Mad River, Twin Creek and Wolf Creek join to form the Great
Miami River.8. Who were the founding families to arrive in Dayton in 1796? Answer: The Thompson, Van Cleve, Gahagan, McClure, Newcom, Grassmire, Davis, Hamer, Goss, Dorough, Chenoweth, Morris and Ferrell families were the first to arrive in what became Dayton. They came to Dayton in three parties, two by boat and one overland. 9. Did Jonathan Dayton, the namesake of Dayton, ever live in Dayton?
Answer:Dayton, a signer of the
United States Constitution, never came to Dayton or Ohio.10. What Daytonian was the first African American to reach prominent national status as a poet and author?
Answer: Paul Laurence Dunbar.BACK TO TOP |
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 Central
Union Telephone Company switchboard, Dayton, October 1912 [Dayton03-05] |