New Finds


t the Montgomery County Historical Society, we rely on donations to increase the collections that we use to tell the story of the Miami Valley. We would like to take the opportunity to highlight some of our most recent donations.


Gus Steberl, Jr. Photograph Collections

We have had a recent donation of a large collection
of family photographs taken by local amateur photographer Gus Steberl, Jr. These photographs
mainly span a time from the early 1940ís to the early 1960ís, and document everyday life of the
Steberlís, a typical Dayton family. Photographs of the Steberl children at play with their friends,
family gatherings and school functions as well as family outings and pets show what life was like in the idyllic 1950ís.

Paxar/Monarch Marking Collection

In 1890, Frederick Kohnle received a patent for a machine that would affix pre-printed price tags to merchandise; standardizing what had previously been a job that had to be done by hand. The company that he founded at this time would eventually become Monarch Marking, which is now a subsidiary of Paxar. We have received over forty machines, photographs and catalogs that document the history of this longtime Dayton company.

Dayton Power and Light Collection

We have been fortunate to receive another collection that will greatly help us to interpret Dayton’s business history. The Dayton Power and Light Company’s historic collection is the most recent business collection to be added to the collections of the Historical Society. The DP&L Collection is made up, in large part, of artifacts that were once a part of the DP&L Museum located on Dryden Road. Highlights of the collection include material belonging to Charles F. Kettering and Thomas Edison; one of the first Frigidaire icebox refrigerators; a light bulb that contains water from the 1913 flood; and a gas powered fan. The vast majority of the collection is made up of photographs and motion picture film, which will certainly complement our growing photographic collection.

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