Project in Progress!

Dayton History has been selected as one of 10 recipients of a grant from the History Fund, the Ohio Historical Society’s competitive matching grant program for history.  The funds received from this grant will allow us to rehouse the majority of negatives and photographic prints in the William Preston Mayfield/Marvin Christian Collection into acid-free storage materials, thereby preserving the collection for future generations to enjoy.  This significant image collection spans more than six decades and documents life in the Dayton region and surrounding areas.  Points of interest in the collection include the world’s first photograph taken from an airplane in flight at Huffman Prairie in 1910.  Additionally, the collection captures the early days of aviation, famous visitors to the area, aerial views of cities around the region and countless businesses, factories and people.

The William Preston Mayfield Photograph Rehousing project was made possible in part by a grant from the Ohio Historical Society’s History Fund.  The History Fund is supported exclusively by voluntary donations of Ohio income tax refunds and designated gifts to the Ohio Historical Society.  www.ohiohistory.org/historyfund