The School House
Carillon Historical Park
Discovering the history of Dayton is fun and easy at the Carillon Historical Park. There are so many different buildings to go into and see, it takes quite a while to see everything there. Among the many attractions, the park’s first stop is the family education center which also houses the museum store, a research room, and archives. The next stop is the school house, Locust Grove School House Number 12. It was built in 1896 and served as a one roomed school house at the corner of Possum and Bird Roads near Springfield. The school house was rather small but makes a big impression. The desks got larger as they get father from the front and they were made out of wood. The room was lit by oil lanterns and was decorated very patriotically. The Newcom Tavern was next to the school house and is the oldest building in Dayton. It has two floors which held a living room, a family room/kitchen, and an upstairs bedroom. The tavern held several church services and council meetings. The William Morris House is right next to the Tavern. It is a small one-roomed house with a table, cooking ware, a bed, chairs, and an attic. There is a wood chopping area in the back of the home. The next stop on my tour was Deed’s Barn, a replica of the Colonel Edward Deed’s barn that housed the invention of the electric self-starter. With in the barn was a movie and several displays which showed the development of transportation in Dayton . The Sugar Camp/WAVES Cabin is located next to the Barn and was used for the National Cash Register Company employees. This cabin was one of 60 cabins used to house 600 WAVES for a code breaking project at NCR. WAVES stands for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. The Print shop housed several working printing presses that were actually in use at the time of my visit. It is a 1930’s style shop with period equipment that prints everything for the park right there. The man working in the shop showed us around and told us how the machines worked. Next to the print shop was Sun Oil Station. Its original location was at the intersection of Brown Street and Warrant Street. This station was from 1924 and exhibited clear glass cylinders that helped customers drain gasoline into their cars. The Bowling Green Station was a small building that housed several period automobiles. On one side it had cars,. furniture and other equipment, the other side had a small window and long bench where travelers would wait to catch their trains. My next stop was viewing the John W. Berry, Sr. Wright Brothers Aviation Center. This building was rather large and showcased several exhibits explaining the story of the Wright Brothers’ Flyer III aircraft. Both Orville and Wilbur worked for years to make the Flyer and were ecstatic when the flight worked and exceeded their expectations. The Gristmill is a major attraction for visitors of Carillon Historical Park. On a hot day, the water can be very appealing. The sound of the large wheel turning the water is accompanied by the sound of the giant flour grinder. The purpose of the mill is be powered by water so the machine can grind flour more efficiently.
The Print Shop
