In the late 1800’s the Moraine Pinnacles were a popular picnic destination. I have mentioned in past articles, while picnicking at the Pinnacles, Orville and Wilbur Wright would lay a blanket down and not only enjoy the scenic overlook but observed the birds on the wind drifts coming up from the cliffs. The Wright Brothers weren’t the only people that had superb comments about this Moraine area.
According to the Dayton Herald newspaper article from Wednesday, April 29, 1891, the Herald writer talks about President Benjamin Harrison. “California is making a handsome display of its flowers for the President Harrison. We beg to say that if he would stop long enough in the Miami Valley, we will agree to furnish a climate equal to that of the Golden State, with forest and field unsurpassed in loveliness. At this time of year California is a little chilly, and southern Ohio this year merely excels itself. We should take the Presidential Party a drive down the eastern side of the Miami River (through Moraine) to as far as Carrollton, cross the river there and return through “the Narrows” and “Pinnacles”. The landscape has no ocean view, but plenty of the wide Miami, but such fields of wheat and budding forest trees, studded in a carpet filled with the tiny flowers of early spring, that his oratory would come like water over the “falls of Lodore”. The writer goes on to say, “the President (Harrison), why he would forget he had ever seen California”.
Just a week later, a May 6, 1891, Dayton Herald article states, “a man who went to collect botanic specimens remarked to a Herald writer that “the country in the vicinity of the Pinnacles is the most picturesque in the valley of the Miami. In the early spring and in the succeeding summer, floral attractions exist there in profusion, and the fishing in the Miami River is excellent”.
In the past 120 to 150 years have the Pinnacles changed? To find out, try hiking the 1.1-mile Wright Brothers Pinnacles Historical Trail and walk in their footsteps. Start at the South Trailhead off the Main Street Bike Bath or begin at the North Trailhead off the Pinnacle Road Bike Path. There are plenty of signs along the trail of vintage photos that the Wright Brothers took along the cliff plus other fascinating archeological finds here.
There is a Moraine connection between famous singer, composer, and record producer Stevie Wonder. Born Stevland Judkins in 1950 in Michigan, he has been blind since shortly after birth. Judkins was a child prodigy who signed with Motown’s Tamia label at age 11 and was given the name Little Stevie Wonder. At age 13, Wonder’s single “Fingertips” was a Billboard No. 1 hit in 1963.
Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th Century, Wonder is one of the best-selling music artists of all time with sales of over 100 million records worldwide. He has won 25 Grammy Awards and one Academy Award.
So, what was Stevie Wonder doing in Moraine on Friday, October 25, 1974? His fall 1974 Tour included a stop in Dayton. Wonder performed a concert at the somewhat new University of Dayton Arena built in 1969. The arena was packed full of people and his keyboard played hits like “Superstition”, “You Are the Sunshine of my Life”, and many more. Performing before Wonder was the band “Rufus” featuring future star Chaka Khan as the lead singer. An advertisement in the Dayton Daily News shows concert ticket prices at $5, $6 and $7 dollars.
Before and after the concert, Wonder stayed at the Holiday Inn on Dryden Road in Moraine less than 2 miles from the arena. In the photos, Moraine Police Officers Wendell Wax and Joe Lawrence posed with Wonder after he exited his tour bus. Moraine PD provided outside security during Stevie Wonders stay at the hotel.
The following day Stevie Wonder said goodbye to Moraine and headed east for a October 26th gig in Charlotte, North Carolina and then on October 27th at the Spectrum in Philadelphia leaving behind Moraine Police and Holiday Inn employees, many memories and stories of his stayover in Moraine.
Hiking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Matt Miller, Breanna Miller, Mallory, Josie & Ellie Miller
Date: March 9, 2026
On a rare sunny, 70 degree March Day in Ohio, we enjoyed a 1.1-mile hike at this Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Park District trail. We have hiked here many times but today was a memorable trek as it was the first hike ever for nine-month-old twin granddaughters Josie & Ellie. We hiked part of the Black Trail, the Red Trail and the North Loop Trail which took us into woods and also out into a prairie with tall grass. Matt carried Ellie and Breanna carried Josie. Mallory ran ahead scampering over creek crossings, searching for fish or hiding behind trees. It was a fun family outing.
It was a beautiful 62 degree day with bright sunshine and a welcome opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and a break from the cold weather. This 2.2 trail took us through tall grasses to a prairie. We must return during the summer as over 200 species of plants and wildflowers (including the endangered Eastern Prairie Fringe Orchid) will be blooming here. On the northwest side of Prairie Grass Trail, a small loop spur trail took us around Dragonfly Pond (Photo #2). Sadly, we hiked by the remains of a large Cooper’s Hawk (Photo #3). Next to the preserve parking lot you can cross Union Road and access the Mad River (Photo #4) where you can fish or kayak.
This National Trail Park District trail was 2 miles out and back trail. The wooded trail was very straight with a small creek on the left. Around .9 miles, a small loop trail took you farther west and around the wetlands before rejoining the straight trail where you head back eastward towards the parking lot. The wetlands area is home to the great blue heron, Cooper’s hawk, beaver, frogs, turtles and ducks.
Situated at the corner of Kettering Blvd. and Marconi Avenue sits a small restaurant building that has had several names through the years. When it opened in 1954, Angelo’s Drive-in featured car hops for people to dine in their car or eat inside at tables. Each table was built with their own juke box controller. Angelo’s was known for their famous “Chickie in a Quickie” plate (deep fried chicken, fries, coleslaw and a hot roll for only $1.00), the “Chubby Boy” double decker hamburger, shrimp & fries. For teens and young adults Angelo’s was a popular place to hang out. With 23 carports, patrons could pull in and order from the microphone box while sitting in their car. A waitress would bring the food order out and collect the money. The fence behind the carports backed up against the backyards of homes on Fulton Avenue. Sometimes when teenage patrons cruised their cars through the parking lot, voices, shouts, or revived engines often became loud, much to the disgust of residents sitting in their backyards or in their nearby homes. Due to occasional fights and telephone calls from neighbors, Moraine Police regularly patrolled the parking lot.
In July 1966, Angelo’s was the site of an unfortunate homicide. A man from Miami Shores got into a fight in the restaurant. Sadly, outside he was shot in the stomach and died later that day.
After sitting dormant for several years, Angelo’s was sold and became Grannies 4200 Place, then resold and renamed 4200 Place. In 2022 it was renovated and reopened as Ms. Bettys Kitchen (Photo #4 & #5) serving delicious homemade soul and comfort food from scratch. Currently a Mexican Restaurant called Taqueria Del Pueblo occupies the building.
Whether or not the homicide has anything to do with the paranormal claims, for years the staff of 4200 Place had a lot of personal experiences at the restaurant, most notable in the basement, that they cannot explain! Several former waitresses stated they had ghostly feelings anytime they went down in the basement alone or they felt they were being watched. Another former employee said when you went down there your hair would rise on your arms or neck and you would feel a presence. Other times you would go down into the basement and food stock items would be spread on the floor with no explanation. Even a service man came running up from the basement one day as he had seen and heard things.
Piquing my interest, I had a brief opportunity on October 2, 2022, to go into the basement for a quick daytime ten-minute ghost investigation. I took photos and took several EVPs from which I obtained no evidence. The basement (Photo #6, #7 & #8) was very clean with a freezer and some shelving, not the crowded storage area from a few decades ago. Still, I wondered what this area would look and feel like in the dark of night. I am looking for a return visit with the P.O.O.P. Ghost Hunting Club to do a night-time investigation.
Does this building, which is now a fine restaurant, have a ghostly presence from the past or is this just an urban legend? You decide.
Dwyer Station was one of many small settlement names that lived and died by the Miami & Erie Canal. A section of the canal ran through Moraine and West Carrollton. On the banks of Holes Creek, it was named after the Dwyer Family, one of the area’s early settlers. Holes Creek is named for the county’s first surgeon Dr. John Hole, a member of the continental Army who moved here in 1797.
Dwyer Station was the site of a grist mill located on the creek and beside the canal. In fact, Dwyer Mill, Alexandersville, and the boat making Danville were all small communities that appear on old 1800’s maps that eventually become the cities of Moraine and West Carrollton.
Dwyer Mill, erected around 1826, was located on the southern border of Moraine and northern West Carrollton where the Interstate 75 northbound exit 47 now is. Farmers made week-long trips to the mill to have their grain turned into flour, sometimes waiting days for a turn. Farmers carried their grist to the mill on horseback carrying axes, food, gun, and ammo. By 1875 the mill flourished as it combined mill and distillery operations. In the 1930’s farmers brought their corn cobs to have them ground into hominy, wheat to make rye or white bread. Locals enjoyed rye, apple bounces and cherry bounces drinks for 12 cents a glass.
The mill at Dwyer Station continued to serve the area farmers until it was demolished to make way for the interstate in July 1960. This southern Moraine area has always been a transportation hub – an aqueduct for the canal, a wharf for boats on the Great Miami River, nearby railroad tracks for locomotives, traction lines for interurban rail cars and lastly, horse, stagecoach and then auto traffic on Dixie Highway.
Sixty plus years ago the area around and across from the Moraine Municipal Building has changed much through the years. Back then Main Street was called Sellars Road. In the 1950’s if you were traveling east on Sellars Road across the old steel bridge (Photo#1) from Miami Shores and had a thirst or were hungry, you could turn right and along the riverbank was the popular and somewhat notorious Bonnie-Lee Café. Built in 1948 locals referred to the bar as Bonnie Lee’s. After the Miami River protective levee was built, the greenspace area from the former Bonnie Lee’s to Dryden Road was turned into ballfields owned by Montgomery County. Athletic Supervisor Fred Armbruster administered county adult softball leagues there for men and women. Locals called the ballfields Stinky Park due to the odors at that time that emanated from the nearby water treatment plant or river. Over time the two ballfields were removed, and the county uses the land for the Western Regional Water Reclamation Facility.
Across the street the Miami Shores Auto Sales was located at the corner of Sellars and Dryden where Proprietor James Hatcher bought and sold used cars (Photo# 2). The site later became a gas station/garage and then today’s Fat Daddy’s Road Hog Convenience Store and Marathon. Behind that area, in the 1930’s a park and greenspace was located along the river but through the years the Riverview Plat housing subdivision grew to over 55 homes.
Just southeast across Dryden Road, many senior citizens remember the old Quonset hut that sat on the land where the future Moraine Municipal Building was built in 1969
It was a rockin’ and a rollin’ good time at Moraine Fire Station #1 on Viking Lane when local talent Sonny Flaharty and his band performed in front of cheering Moraine youth. Many of our Moraine Senior Citizens reminisce about seeing him perform locally in the late 1950’s and the 1960’s. Thanks to the photo provided by Terry Neuberg who was in the audience, it shows the band (left to right Mike Flaharty, Keith Shadowen, Sonny Flaharty, Richard Shaman) performing at the Fire Station. Back in the early 1960’s, at least once a month the Moraine Fireman’s Association would pull all the fire equipment out of the bays and show movies, have holiday parties or have music concerts for the community.
Young Sonny Flaharty at age eight was singing in taverns for money. By the time the south Dayton native and Fairmont High School student was fourteen he put together his first group, Sonny Flaharty and his Young Americans Band. Sonny’s group traveled throughout the Midwest, opening for top musical acts such as the Rolling Stones, The Four Seasons, The Crystals and Bobby Vinton. He recorded “My Baby’s Casual” in 1958 which is in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. From 1963 to 1967, Sonny joined the Mark V. The group played numerous club dates and were a regular fixture at Dayton’s “Diamond Club” where they opened for Little Richard, Neil Diamond, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, and the Ohio Players. They were signed and did records for Phillips Records, Warner Brothers Records and other recording companies. “Hey Conductor” (one of the biggest hits from Dayton ever) and “You Bring These Tears To Me” released in 1967 are their most well-known songs. Over the years, Flaharty played in other bands or on his own and recording rockabilly, rock and roll or middle of the road songs. Sonny’s last album titled “Old Stray Dogs Like Us” was released in 2014. But music is eternal and many Moraine residents remember the good old days when he performed here.
Could the ghost of a legendary gangster be haunting a Moraine Sports Bar? Did you know that former flashy Chicago gangster George “Bugs” Moran has a Moraine connection due to his 1946 robbery and kidnapping crime? Moran is forever linked to Chicago’s infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Mob Boss Al Capone was the leader of Chicago’s south side gang. Bugs Moran was the leader of the north side gang. On February 14, 1929, Capone’s gang (several dressed as police officers) machine gunned Moran’s top seven gangsters in a north side garage (Photo#1). Moran was late arriving or he would have also been killed. After the massacre Capone took control of organized crime and bootlegging in Chicago.
Fast forward to 1946 in Dayton, Ohio. Moran was not the big time crime boss that he once was in Chicago. He needed money and a new city to flex his muscle. Dayton, Ohio was a promising, blooming, industrial city. Along with Dayton bootlegger Al Fouts and Moran’s partner Virgil Summers, the trio of killers followed Silas Tavern bar manager Paul Kurpe, Jr. from Winters Bank on West Third Street. They forced Kurpe’s car off the road, kidnapped him at gunpoint and drove him to a wooded area on Vance Road (Photo#2). Kurpe was led into the woods, bound hand and foot and robbed of the $10,000 bank withdrawal that he was going to use to cash pay checks for workers at the nearby Frigidaire Plant in Moraine. Eventually, he got free and called police.
Within two weeks all three criminals were apprehended by Dayton Police (Photo#3) and the FBI with their trial being a big media sensation in Dayton. All three were convicted to 20 years in prison (Photo #4) where Bugs Moran eventually died in prison of cancer. The end of the story? Not quite.
Fast forward to 2017 in Moraine. City of Moraine employees Dave Miller & Jim Hall received a call from Upper Deck Tavern Manager Tammy Brackney. Brackney stated that during the past several years, Upper Deck (located at the corner of Blanchard Ave. and Springboro in Moraine) has had many paranormal claims, from waitresses feeling cold spots, hearing voices, having their hair pulled, hearing chairs being moved and footsteps. One female employee in the basement saw a full body apparition of a man with the meat slicer (Photo#5) being clearly seen through and behind him. The man wore 1930’s style clothing and a gangster style hat. Tammy was closing the sports bar one night, opened a storage room door & saw a shadow figure of a man. Since the building was locked at the time, a search revealed no other person in the bar. Brackney speculated that the ghost may be Roy Rogers (Photo#6), a patron who was killed in a homicide at the bar in the late 1960’s or a deceased man who once rented an apartment upstairs.
During historical research, Miller spoke with retired Moraine police officers and detectives who had worked the Rogers homicide case and found an incredible fact. Upper Deck Tavern had several different prior names through the years – John Bulls Restaurant & Sports Bar, The Lighthouse and Silas Tavern. Could the gangster looking apparition in the basement be the ghost of Bugs Moran who pulling his last big robbery heist 80 years earlier on the manager of this bar?
Hall, Miller, Brackney and Carin Bell (Photo #7) did a night ghost hunt investigation at Upper Deck on October 4, 2017. Around 2am, a loud slam was heard near the kitchen entrance. Upon investigation, both swinging doors were latched open and could not have made the slamming sound. Hall caught several elevated EMF readings on the first floor but debunked them as excessive wiring. The investigators along with local TV personality & writer Jim Bucher (Photo #8) and his two-man crew conducted a second investigation live on Facebook on October 18th. Tape recorders caught second floor doors being opened and closed while investigators were in the basement. Future investigations will be conducted. Today, few people realize that one of the nation’s top gangsters who battled Al Capone during Chicago’s bloody bootlegging era pulled his final kidnapping crime by robbing a Moraine, Ohio tavern manager. So, it’s funny to think that when patrons visited Upper Deck Tavern and sat eating a delicious burger, they may have not realized that “Bugs” may have not left the building! Recently, Upper Deck Tavern was sold and is being renovated to possibly become a Mexican restaurant. I have heard from a source that the new renovation has stirred up some strange occurrences. I hope that we can return and investigate there soon to see if we can find any evidence of paranormal activity.
