Carillon Historical Park is a 65-acre open-air history museum
that serves as the main campus for Dayton History.
We share the amazing stories of how Dayton changed the world!

Mon - Sat: 9:30am - 5:00pm
Sun: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
937-293-2841

1000 Carillon Boulevard
Dayton, Ohio 45409

ArtiFACT Friday- January 9, 2015

ArtiFACT Friday- January 9, 2015

Mystery at the Museum …

Here’s a detail image of this week’s mystery artifact. Do you know what artifact is pictured here and which building you can find it in at Carillon Historical Park? Post your guess on our facebook page, or e-mail your submission to info@daytonhistory.org with the subject listed as “ArtiFACT Friday,” for a chance to win a FREE Family Membership for a year! For complete contest rules, please click on our Arti-FACT Friday Contest link on our home page. For those of you sleuths, who want a sneak peek at next week’s Mystery at the Museum artifact photo, pick up a FREE copy of the Dayton City Paper next Tuesday!

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday

ArtiFACT Friday – January 2, 2014

ArtiFACT Friday – January 2, 2014

Mystery at the Museum …

Here’s a detail image of this week’s mystery artifact. Do you know what artifact is pictured here and which building you can find it in at Carillon Historical Park? Post your guess on our facebook page, or or e-mail your submission to info@daytonhistory.org with the subject listed as “ArtiFACT Friday,” for a chance to win a FREE Family Membership for a year! For complete contest rules, please click on our Arti-FACT Friday Contest link on our home page. For those of you sleuths, who want a sneak peek at next week’s Mystery at the Museum artifact photo, pick up a FREE copy of the Dayton City Paper next Tuesday!

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday

ArtiFACT Friday- December 26, 2014

ArtiFACT Friday- December 26, 2014

Santa’s Sleigh for the RTA…

It’s safe to say that Dayton’s system of public transportation has come a long way over the last century and a half. Public transportation has existed in Dayton since before the 1840s, when people had to travel by stagecoach.  In 1869, the Dayton Street Railway Company established its first horse-drawn streetcar line and with the advent of the automobile, the city continued to make improvements and upgrades to the public transportation system. By the early 1930s, Dayton’s residents could step aboard brand new electric trolley buses. This efficient, reliable form of public transportation continues to be utilized today by the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, both in the city and surrounding areas. Pictured here, is one such trolley bus which was decorated for the holidays.  This photograph is from Dayton History’s Image Collection.

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday

ArtiFACT Friday- December 19, 2014

ArtiFACT Friday- December 19, 2014

Santa Visits the Factory…

Throughout his career, NCR founder John H. Patterson was known for his innovative ideas and business acumen.  In 1893, Patterson built a first-of-its-kind training facility for his employees on a hillside overlooking Dayton. Sugar Camp, as it was known, began as a summer community of tents, which were replaced by Adirondack style cabins in the 1930s, for the National Cash Register Company’s sales staff. During WWII, the facility was host to more than 600 U.S. Navy W.A.V.E.S, who were part of a top secret project based at NCR to build the Bombe, a code breaking machine that cracked the German enigma code. When not working, the W.A.V.E.S would find time to relax and celebrate.  Pictured here are several of the gals, gathered around a Christmas tree in one of the cabins. This photograph is from Dayton History’s Image Collection.

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday

ArtiFACT Friday- December 12, 2014

ArtiFACT Friday- December 12, 2014

W.A.V.E.S at Christmas…

Throughout his career, NCR founder John H. Patterson was known for his innovative ideas and business acumen.  In 1893, Patterson built a first-of-its-kind training facility for his employees on a hillside overlooking Dayton. Sugar Camp, as it was known, began as a summer community of tents, which were replaced by Adirondack style cabins in the 1930s, for the National Cash Register Company’s sales staff. During WWII, the facility was host to more than 600 U.S. Navy W.A.V.E.S, who were part of a top secret project based at NCR to build the Bombe, a code breaking machine that cracked the German enigma code. When not working, the W.A.V.E.S would find time to relax and celebrate.  Pictured here are several of the gals, gathered around a Christmas tree in one of the cabins. This photograph is from Dayton History’s Image Collection.

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday

ArtiFACT Friday- December 5, 2014

ArtiFACT Friday- December 5, 2014

A Crowd Gathers at the Old Court House…

Dedicated in 1850, the Old Court House was for many years the center of law and local government for Montgomery County. But it has been so much more. It is where local citizens have gathered to celebrate their triumphs, mourn their tragedies and come together for community action.  It has also been the center of festive holiday gatherings for generations of Daytonians, as seen in this December, 1913 photograph of Dayton’s Christmas Celebration.  This photograph is from Dayton History’s Image Collection.

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday

ArtiFACT Friday – November 28, 2014

ArtiFACT Friday – November 28, 2014

The Patterson Memorial…

The John Henry Patterson Memorial is located in Hills and Dales MetroPark.  Situated on the crest of a hill inside the scenic park, the granite monument includes a stately bronze sculpture of John H. Patterson astride his horse, Spinner. The piece is then flanked by two allegorical figures on either side; one side representing education and industry and the other side representing progress and prosperity. Designed by sculptor Guiseppe Moretti and dedicated on May 26, 1928, the monument cost $92,000.00. The monument committee thought it would be fitting tribute to place the monument in Hills and Dales Park because Patterson had donated 325 acres of land to the City of Dayton in the early 1900s for the purpose of rest and recreation. This photograph is from Dayton History’s Image Collection.

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday

ArtiFACT Friday- November 21, 2014

ArtiFACT Friday- November 21, 2014

Leo the Lion…

Steele High School, opened to students in 1894, was built at a cost of $325,000 which, at the time, was an unprecedented amount. Consequently, there were no funds for the decoration of the interior of the facility.  Shortly after its opening, the students and faculty alike banded together to form the Decorative Art Association.  The fee for membership was five cents a month and these dues were collected by the students and placed in an account for the purchase of artwork.  Within two decades, the group had purchased upwards of a hundred photographs, paintings and casts; including the magnificent bronze lion, nicknamed “Leo,” for the purposes of beautifying the school’s grounds.  “Leo” was dedicated in December, 1908, and though raging waters temporarily knocked him off his pedestal, the sculpture managed to survive 1913 flood.  Several decades later, when it was determined that Steele High School would be demolished, the majestic bronze lion was moved to the grounds of the Dayton Art Institute, where it can be seen today.  The piece was restored to its original condition in 1986 by the Steele High School Alumni Association. This photograph is from Dayton History’s Image Collection.

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday

ArtiFACT Friday- November 14, 2014

ArtiFACT Friday- November 14, 2014

Private Fair Soldiers’ Monument…

Over the centuries, Dayton and its citizens have had much to be proud of: legendary industrial prowess, world-renowned feats, inventive genius and homegrown heroes are just a few examples of the city’s celebrated past. Like most other places, Daytonians have created monuments, memorials and various other landmarks to celebrate these incredible achievements. One such monument is the Private Fair Soldiers’Monument which currently consists of a bronze casting of a lone civil war soldier mounted on a limestone pillar, situated in downtown Dayton.  Originally dedicated in July of 1884, in the center of the intersection of Main and Monument Streets, there have been conflicting reports as to whom the soldier is modeled after.  With the advent of the automobile, the monument’s original location became problematic, causing a bottle neck in traffic flow, so the statue was moved to Sunrise Park in 1948.  In 1991, as part of a Main Street redevelopment plan, the monument was returned to Main Street, just a few yards south of its original location. The monument was designed by Eleftherios Karkadoulias and originally featured a carved Carrera marble statue.  Unfortunately, over the years, acid rain had damaged the statue so a bronze replica was made and re-installed as part of the downtown redevelopment plan.  The original marble figure of Private Fair was installed and re-dedicated, in 1993, under a shelter at the Veterans Administration Hospital so as to protect it from further damage by the elements. This photograph is from Dayton History’s Image Collection.

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday

ArtiFACT Friday- November 7, 2014

ArtiFACT Friday- November 7, 2014

A Photo Opportunity of Historic Proportions…

The Wright Brothers Aviation Center at Carillon Historical Park is home to more original artifacts relating to Wilbur and Orville Wright than are displayed anywhere else in the world.  Among these one-of-a-kind items is the 1902 Korona V camera used to take one of the most reproduced photographs in history, the snapshot of Orville Wright piloting the Wright Flyer on the first flight.  Taken at approximately 10:35 a.m. on December 17, 1903, on a sand dune near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the photo has come to symbolize one of the great forward steps in human progress.  After Orville Wright’s 1948 death, the camera was owned by his beloved nephew, Horace, who later donated it to Carillon Park.

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.

CategoryArtiFACT Friday