Montgomery County Historical Society (Ohio)

Although the Dayton Historical Society is known to have been formed in 1897, organized interest in Dayton history goes back twenty years earlier to "The Pioneer Association of Dayton," which was formed Nov. 25, 1867 and lasted until 1888. After the first Centennial, on Sept. 30, 1896 the Dayton Historical Society was formed through the efforts of James O. Arnold. The meetings were taking place at Newcom Tavern (the first building to be erected in 1796), which was in the possession of the Historical Society until 1964. The Dayton Historical Society changed its name to the Montgomery County Historical Society in the late 1960s to reflect the expanded scope of the Society. The Society is still active, governed by a Board of Directors and staffed by professional museum personnel and still focuses on information about local history with exhibits, library, artifacts and other events in the Miami Valley.

From these records the widespread activities of Daytonians to transform the wilderness into a civilized and modern industrial city are well represented. The records include: 1) The minutes of both the Pioneer Association of Dayton and the Dayton Historical Society from 1867-present. 2) The Scrapbooks of James Oliver Arnold, first secretary of the Society from 1867-1905, who wrote several newspaper articles on local history and preserved many important artifacts such as 19th century currency and coins, photos and original legal documents. 3) The correspondence of prominent Daytonians, showing the efforts to preserve the Newcom Tavern, Dayton's earliest permanent dwelling, as well as the Old Court House, where President Abraham Lincoln addressed Daytonians during his 1859 presidential campaign.

In America, historical societies reflect the dominant forces in the community at large, and were the country's principal repositories of manuscripts through the early twentieth century. In the 1950's however, conflicting and overlapping collecting fields produced a burst of competitive collecting with new types of collecting agencies such as colleges and universities. Despite all these however, historical societies still remain the leading agencies for including in their collections the best original manuscripts that trace the history of this country. Although the Dayton Historical Society is known to have been formed in 1897, organized interest in Dayton history goes back twenty years earlier to "The Pioneer Association of Dayton." This association started as a result of a series of historical articles published in the Dayton Daily Journal after Major William Dennison Bickham took over the Journal in 1866. These articles were connected with the history of Dayton's early days and Major Bickham suggested that a society should be formed to preserve these recollections of the old settlers. As a result of this, on November 25, 1867, the Dayton Daily Journal published an article asking "the old folks" to meet at City Hall on November 30 to organize the society. The invitation was open to "all persons born in this county before 1820 or having immigrated to Dayton prior to that date." The first society was formed on that day with 37 members, and the first president was George Holt. A committee was appointed to write by-laws and annual meetings were held at Newcom Tavern on the first day of May, since Montgomery County had been organized on that day in 1803. According to the minutes of the meetings, "the object of the Association shall be for the collection and preservation of the traditions, incidents, experiences and records of the first settlements and early settlers of Montgomery County." Membership was $1.00 for enrollment and $.50 annually thereafter. The Association was successful for a number of years. However, since many of the members were aged, the death roll grew, fewer people were inclined to attend, and around 1888 the society was disbanded. On August 26, 1896, a centennial celebration was held in Alexandersville and all neighboring counties participated. Colonel E. A. Parrott represented Dayton and gave an address on the history of Dayton. According to Ms. Edith Davies, guest lecturer at the Historical Society on Feb. 24, 1942, this presentation might have been the inspiration for the founding of the Dayton Historical Society one year later. According to historian, John Farris Edgar, the Society was formed through the efforts of James O. Arnold, who also was the first secretary of the Society.

For the centennial anniversary of Dayton in 1896, the citizens of Dayton had organized a committee with John H. Patterson, chairman, Judge C. W. Dustin, treasurer, and Mr. Chester DeLong, secretary, to restore and preserve the Old Cabin, also known as Newcom Tavern. The Old Cabin was built in 1796 by Colonel George Newcom, one of the first settlers in Dayton after the Treaty of Greenville (1795). During the year of the treaty, the New Jersey Land Company, under the leadership of Jonathan Dayton and including as partners Generals Wilkinson and St. Clair and Colonel Ludlow, employed surveyors to lay out a town site between the two Miami rivers. The Newcom Tavern, the first building to be erected, was built by Robert Edgar, who was paid by Colonel Newcom seventy-five cents a day for this task. The house originally consisted of two rooms, one upstairs and one downstairs. The original location of the building was at the southwest corner of Main and Water (later Monument) Streets, and it stood there for almost a century. The size of the cabin was doubled two years after it was built. The cabin served as Dayton's first school, first church, courthouse, council chamber and store. It was best known as a crossroads tavern in the Northwest Territory for all wagon men and drovers. The importance of this original building was realized in 1894 when architect Charles Insco Williams tried to raze it to make way for an apartment building. The logs beneath the clapboards were found to be those of the old Newcom Tavern. In 1896, through the efforts of the Centennial Celebration Committee, the building was moved to Van Cleve Park on Monument Avenue, with expenses paid by John Patterson. The Daughters of the American Revolution raised money to restore it. In 1896 it was opened as a public museum and many relics were donated by Daytonians during that time.

After the celebrations of the Centennial, the Centennial Committee under the guidance of James O. Arnold decided in a resolution passed September 30, 1896, to organize the Dayton Historical Society. The first meeting took place at the Log Cabin on April 1, 1897. The formation of the society was to "collect and preserve everything relating to the history and antiquities of Ohio and especially of the County of Montgomery and the City of Dayton and the dissemination of knowledge." The first president was Judge C. W. Dustin, Vice President was John H. Edgar, corresponding secretary was W. A. Phelps, recording secretary was James O. Arnold, and treasurer was George W. Rogers. The Newcom Tavern was in the possession of the Historical Society and various committees were formed to care for it (relics committee, house committee, building committee, etc.). Later the Society employed people to care for the cabin; one of these was Charles Sullivan, a curator from 1938-40[?]. In 1934 the Beaver Fund was established when $10,000 was donated by Frederick P. Beaver to preserve the building. Miles Standish Kuhns was a trustee of the Fund from its inception until the Fund was dissolved in 1956. In 1963 the building was moved one more time to its present location in Carillon Park. Responsibility for the Newcom Tavern was transferred from the Historical Society to Carillon in 1964. The Dayton Historical Society changed its name to the Montgomery County Historical Society in the late 1960s to reflect the expanded scope of the Society. The Newcom Tavern was for many years after its construction a center for community activities, but before long city officials realized the need for more space. In 1805 the first brick house was built by Hugh McCullum and some of the rooms were rented to the County. In the same year the County built its first official courthouse on land donated by Daniel C. Cooper. This was replaced by a larger building on the same site in 1817. The city was growing, however, and in 1844 a committee was appointed to plan for yet a third courthouse building. The committee consisted of Samuel Forrer and Horace Pease. Mr. Pease conceived of a Greek Revival architectural style for the new building, inspired by a picture of the Theseum appearing in a book entitled The Antiquities of Athens from his personal library. This concept was faithfully rendered by the architect Howard Daniels, although he included many Roman features in the interior of the structure. The resulting building has long been considered one of the most original expressions of the Greek Revival style in America. The stone used in the construction of the building was limestone or "Dayton marble." The first railroad to enter Dayton was built for the purpose of transporting stone to the construction site from Beavertown when Mr. James O. Arnold was the director of the railroad. The dedication ceremony for the new courthouse, the third to be built on the same site since 1805, was held on April 12, 1850.

Within seven years of its completion, comments were already being heard that the new courthouse was too small and that a larger one was needed. Over the years there were proposals to raze the building or to sell it, but organizations such as the Montgomery County Historical Society (especially under the presidency of Roy G. Fitzgerald), the American Institute of Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation were vital agents in rallying public opinion on behalf of preserving the building. Since 1963, the Society headquarters has been housed in the Old Court House. Its facilities there include a museum, a library, archives and a lecture hall.

The Society is very active, governed by a Board of Directors and staffed by professional museum personnel (four full-time and four part-time) plus many volunteers. The more than one thousand members of the Society receive a monthly newsletter, The Columns, which focuses on information about local history, new exhibits at the Old Court House Museum and other events in the Miami Valley. Members are also invited to participate in seminars, lectures, tours, historical reenactments, and exhibition openings.

The library has a good collection of books, pamphlets, newspapers, photographs and other sources of information about Dayton and Montgomery County. Some of the larger photo collections are the Albert Kern Collection, the Lowe Brothers Paint Company Collection (including papers) and the Dayton Power and Light Flood Photograph Collection. The Society itself publishes books on local history and reprints of older works of value. Educational programs, such as motion pictures dealing with preservation history and archeology, lectures, special classes and workshops, and guided tours are offered on a regular basis. Annual fund-raising programs include the "Gala," with dinner, dance and auction, and the "Antique Appraisal Day." In 1992 the Society organized the "Dayton Ducks," a baseball team similar to the team organized by the Ohio Historical Society called the "Muffins." These teams play baseball as it was played in 1860, e.g. without gloves, base stealing or high salaries.

Over the years the Society has accumulated some 100,000 artifacts; many temporary and permanent exhibits are on view in the Court House as well as at other sites. Sometimes the Society loans artifacts to other institutions or, for its own exhibits, gets special loans from places such as the Smithsonian Institute or the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Historical Society also administers the Patterson Homestead, which is a Federal Style farmhouse built in 1816. The house is located on eight acres of land in Kettering, all that remain of a 2,038 acre farm. The farmhouse was the birthplace of John H. Patterson and his brother Frank, who co-founded the National Cash Register Company (NCR).

In 1955, NCR constructed a meeting room adjoining this historic house, which is available for rent by civic, cultural and educational non-profit groups. The Patterson Homestead was restored in 1992 under the supervision of Kirby Turner, then director of the Historical Society. The Society also is involved in preserving other architecturally unique buildings in the Dayton area. The stated goal of the Society is to continue to expand the collecting and recording of the history of Dayton and Montgomery County and to use the information in exhibits, publications and educational programs.

People mentioned in this collection who were involved with the Pioneer Association and/or the Dayton Historical Society are James Oliver Arnold, Miles Standish Kuhns, Roy Gerald Fitzgerald and Charles Ferguson Sullivan.

James Oliver Arnold was born in Dayton on January 29, 1838, and died on March 16, 1905. His father, Gorton Arnold, came to Dayton from Chenango County, New York, in 1820 and married Rita Ann Oliver in 1837. Gorton, at the age of sixteen, apprenticed himself to Thomas Morrison to learn the carpenter trade. Thomas Morrison was a contractor and builder who in 1839 was foreman for the construction of the old Third Street Bridge (a wooden covered bridge). In 1832 Gorton purchased a farm in what is now Dayton View and built a homestead which his son James occupied after his father's death. James attended the "Twelve Boys School" a private school for sons of the well-to-do, and then went to the Dayton Academy School. He married Thirza Conklin of Huntington, Long Island in 1855 and had three children: Frederick M., Jesse O., and Carrie E. James O. Arnold was in the "homing manufacturing business" (real estate and construction) with his father, who owned the G. Arnold and Son Company. Starting in 1871, he was also director of the Dayton View Street Railroad Co. and was connected with various other railroads in Dayton. He worked for the Financial Manager of the Dayton S. E. Railroad as secretary and auditor. He was one of the incorporators of the Dayton View Hydraulic Company in 1867 and developed the suburb of Dayton View. He also owned a grocery store at First and Main Streets. James O. Arnold was not only well educated for that time, but was very active in many civic organizations. Through his efforts, the Dayton Historical Society was organized as well as the Miami Valley Cremation Society. He was founder and president of the Dayton Cremation Company. He was a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Order of the United American Mechanics and the Montgomery County Horticultural Society. He was an author and a poet. His writings include: Advanced Thought on Electrical and Spiritual Voltage (1902), Social Sciences (1898) and a song "The True Colors that Never Run" (1898). He was an editor of the Dayton Daily Journal, the Dayton Daily News and the Evening Press, writing columns on local history and Dayton's pioneer days. He was elected to the Dayton City Council in 1896. He was Secretary of the Dayton Historical Society from its founding in 1897 until his death.

Miles Standish Kuhns was born in Dayton, OH on November 14, 1877, and died June 20, 1972. He was the son of Daniel Yeager Kuhns and the former Leonora McFall. His grandfather, William Kuhns, was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1801 and came to Dayton probably in the 1850's. His grandmother Julianna was born in 1808 in Weiblingen, Wurtemberg, Germany, and came to America with her parents in 1816, then settled in Lancaster. Both grandparents met in Lancaster where they were married. Daniel Yeager Kuhns, the father of Miles Kuhns, worked with "Farmer's Friend," a company that manufactured farm equipment. He was a superintendent in the plant. They had five children, one daughter, Flora, who never married, and five sons: Jessie, Ezra, Charles, Albert and Miles, the youngest. Miles went to Dayton public schools and after graduating from Central High School, Dayton, he worked for the Dayton Blank Book and Printing Company as an apprentice bookbinder. In 1906 he married Etta Bond from Clark County and had two children, Elizabeth and Miles Edward.

He was offered a job with the Gem City Building and Loan Association. While working there, his employer, Oscar Bard, who was also a lawyer, encouraged him to enter law school. He took the opportunity and without any formal college education got his law degree from Ohio Northern University in about 1908, after attending law school for one year.

According to his son, during that time the Bar Association did not require a law degree nor any formal schooling in law to be admitted to the Bar. Instead, many lawyers got their training by working in a law office, referred to as "reading the law." This practice disappeared sometime before World War I. Mr. Kuhns took his bar examination and was admitted to the Bar in 1908 or 1909. He continued working at the Gem City Building and Loan Association for the rest of his life as the House Lawyer but he also practiced general law on the side.

Miles S. Kuhns was involved in politics for several years. In the early 1920's he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives and in the late 1920's to the Ohio Senate, representing the Montgomery County District. He also ran unsuccessfully for Domestic Relations Judge in the mid 1920's.

Miles Standish Kuhns had a great interest in Civil War history and local history and was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He was a member of two State Commissions, the George Rogers Clark Commission for the establishment of the park in Clark County and the Anthony Wayne Parkway Commission for the establishment of the parkway from Greenville north to Toledo. He visited almost all the battlefields of the Civil War, frequently accompanied by his family. He was an avid reader of history and had a fairly large library in his home, especially of books pertaining to local history from the time before Ohio became a state. He also kept a diary from an early age. According to his son, Miles Edward Kuhns, there are entries referring to the early flights of the Wright Brothers. Miles Kuhns also wrote a personal account of the Great Flood of 1913.

Roy Gerald Fitzgerald was a lawyer and congressman. He was the son of Michael Gerald and Cornelia Maria (Avery) Fitzgerald and was born at Watertown, New York, on August 25, 1875. He died on November 16, 1962, in Dayton. His father was a business executive who moved to Dayton with his family in 1890. Roy G. Fitzgerald attended schools in Watertown and Dayton, attended special college courses in economics and read law in the office of John M. Sprigg of Dayton. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1896 and engaged in general practice as a partner in the law firm of Sprigg and Fitzgerald which later became Fitzgerald and Sprigg and still later was dissolved. Fitzgerald continued to practice independently until his death. He was a Republican who was elected four consecutive times to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1922 he introduced a constitutional amendment to give Congress jurisdiction over the labor and working hours of children under 18. Although his amendment was passed in 1924, only twenty states had ratified it by 1938, the year in which Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act which included the regulation of child labor. In Dayton he secured the location of Wright Field (now part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base). From 1910 until his death he was director of the Merchants National Bank and Trust Company. He was president of the Montgomery County Historical Society for twenty-two years and helped preserve many landmarks in the area, especially the Old Court House. His correspondence relating to the preservation of this structure is found in this collection. During his presidency a six million dollar bond was issued to build a new courthouse with the condition that the Old Court House building be kept intact. During that time the Old Court House became the headquarters of the Montgomery County Historical Society. He was married twice, in 1900 to Caroline Wetecamp and in 1935 to Alverda J. Sinks. He had three children by his first marriage.

The last person mentioned in this collection is Charles Ferguson Sullivan. He was the son of Stith Mead Sullivan, a lawyer who came from an Irish family that had settled in Virginia, and Amy Harriett Broadwell. His father was married three times; his mother was the second wife and from this marriage seven children were born. Charles was born September 28, 1866, in Dayton and went to Dayton schools. He married Bertha DeFrees Allen, a schoolteacher from Troy, on July 17, 1895. They had three children: Theodore Allen, Harold Broadwell and Ruth Lindsay (Ruth died very young). In 1903 Charles was a contractor and foreman during the building of the new concrete Third Street Bridge (1904-1905) and after that he began contracting under his own name. He also was a rural substitute carrier for the Dayton Post Office for 26 years (1912 - 1938). After he retired, he worked for one season (1938 - 1939) at the Newcom Tavern as curator (however, it is evident from the Collection that he was working at Newcom Tavern until 1940). He loved music and when young his family had formed the "Jolly Set," a literary society which frequently gave concerts at their home. He had a great interest in local history and upon his retirement wrote many articles recalling events in Dayton's history. Some of these articles were used by Mr. William Hamilton, Director of the Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library from 1936 to 1956, in various children's programs, and some of them were presentations that Mr. Sullivan made to the Dayton Historical Society. Mr. Sullivan's wife died at the age of 50, and he moved to Idaho to live with his son Harold. He continued writing from there. When Harold died unexpectedly two years later, Mr. Sullivan returned to Dayton where he died in a nursing home on August 31, 1951.

It is evident from the material in this collection that the Montgomery County Historical Society has contributed a great deal of work and effort to the preservation of the history of Dayton. The history that is recorded in these pages reflect the heritage and lifestyle of this city. People who have lived in Montgomery County have compiled as accurately as possible the historical materials and it is evident from all this material that Dayton has come a long way since its humble beginning on the banks of the Great Miamis River. The Newcom Tavern as well as the Old Court House are still standing as witnesses to the elegance of this city. The area possesses a splendid history, a history rich with the contributions of those who have lived, worked and died here.