- On February 25, 1879, Susan Koerner Wright, mother to Wilbur and Orville, gave birth to twins. Unfortunately, Ida and Otis were not long for this earth. Otis lived for 13 days, and Ida lived 18 days. They were buried at the Old Greencastle Cemetery. In the year 2000, an excavation of the twins’ grave searched for remains, but only found some wood fragments that could have been from a casket. Soil was collected from that part of the grave, roughly enough to fill a three pound coffee can, and buried at the Wright Family plot in Woodland. The marker from the twins’ grave was moved and placed next to the family monument.
- Dayton’s first known murder occurred on November 20, 1806. John Aiken beat his wife, Rachel, to death. He was arrested and held at McCollum’s Tavern. John was dead before he could appear in court. It was possibly suicide, but records do not exist to confirm what happened
The fun facts below came from the book Ohio Legends Volume 1, written by our late friend Jeff Wilson
- Eliam Barney and Ebenezer Thresher founded the Barney and Smith Car Company in 1849. Their factory in Dayton produced the finest railroad freight and passenger cars in the country. When Barney started the company, Dayton didn’t have any railroads! The first railroad cars had to be delivered by canal boat and horse drawn wagons
- The Wright Brothers made their own printing press from buggy parts and a discarded tombstone.
- Buckeye Bigfoot – the most recent sighting of Ohio’s Bigfoot was in 2012 in Xenia. It was described as a “shaggy beast with glowing eyes” and matched a 1995 sighting in Youngstown.
- Dayton’s leading newspapers refused to report the story of Wilbur and Orville’s first flying machine because they thought it was a hoax.
Clemens “Clemmy” Focke
Clemmy and his mother had just left early mass and headed to his grandmother’s house for a visit. When they arrived, Clemmy joined his younger brother Edward outside while their mother and grandmother headed into the house. The boys played outside for a bit and some other boys from the neighborhood joined them. It was hot outside and one of the boys suggested they go take a swim.
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1936 “Treasure Hunt” for Dayton History Facts
- Presiding Judge: Hon Francis Dunley
- Associate Judges: Isaac Spinning, Benjamin Archer, John Ewing
- Officers:
- George Newcom, Sheriff
- Benjamin Van Cleve, clerk
- James Miller, coroner
The court opened July 27, 1803, but there were no cases, so court adjourned that evening. Most of the male population of Dayton had turned out for the opening, and it was met with great excitement. The judges and lawyers slept in one room of the tavern overnight and left together the next morning to open court in Xenia. The next session of court was not held until November 22, 1803, and it was held until a tree behind the tavern. Sheriff Newcom was needed to control the crown gathering to listen to testimony from witnesses and jury deliberation.
2. Dayton was almost called Venice. Before Dayton was settled in 1796, Maj Benjamin Stites, John Stites Gano, and William Goforth had made plans for a settlement to be named Venice. It was located at the mouth of the “Tiber”, as they called Mad River at the time. They had agreed to purchase the land from John Cleves Symmers for 83 cents an acre and a contract was signed. Unfortunately for the men, Symmes had some issues with the government and the Native Americans in the area and the troubles forced them to abandon the plan for Venice.
3. The first town election was held on the first Monday in May 1805. The select council of the town was comprised of the seven trustees, with the president also serving as the mayor.
4. The first county election was held in 1802. Jerome Holt, County Sheriff, gave notice to Daytonians to convene at Newcom’s on April 1, then elect by ballot a chairman, a town clerk, three or more trustees, two or more overseers of the poor, three fence viewers, two appraisers of houses, a lister of taxable property, a sufficient number of supervisors of roads, and one or more constables.
100 Years of Esther Price Candies
Although the business got its start in 1926, Esther Price’s roots as a candy maker go back to a 7th grade Home Economics class. After partnering with her classmate to make fudge the first time, Esther kept her share to give to her mother, but decided instead to eat that share and make more when she got home. A love affair with candy was born.
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Sara’s 4th Book!
It was also a big day for Sara – she signed the contract for her fourth book! Unsolved Dayton will be coming in 2027!
If you have any unsolved cases from the Miami Valley you have always wondered about, please let us know! You can comment here, or reach out to us via our Contact Us page!
A Wedding and a Funeral
Andrew arose on the morning of April 28th at 6:30, ready for a long day of both happiness and sadness. As he dressed and prepared for his wedding, his uncle arrived and noticed three packages on the porch. His uncle brought the three packages in, believing them to be wedding presents. Andrew’s sister and two of his aunts gathered around the table as he began opening presents. The first package Andrew opened was a wedding gift, and the second was a cardboard box wrapped in brown paper. As he began opening the box, it exploded. The blast blew a hole three inches by 6 inches in the table, knocked out chunks of plaster from the ceiling and walls, and damaged furniture and light fixtures. The explosion was heard several blocks away.
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Happy 2026!
As always, if you have any questions or story suggestions, please don’t hesitate to send them our way through the Contact Us page!
2025 Holiday Hiatus
As Dayton Unknown does every year for the holidays, we are going to take a break for the rest of the year to enjoy time with our families.
We are always accessible through the Contact Us page, Dayton Unknown on Facebook, and by email – daytonunknown@hotmail.com. Don’t forget to check out our Instagram as well, at @daytonunknown!!
We’ll see you all in 2026!
Fox Terrier Saves Family
The fire appeared to have started in the dining room, but it is unclear how it started.
Have You Seen this Bench?
Dayton Unknown 