Category: Moraine Historical Markers & Moraine History

A long title but a great story! The Dayton Wright Airplane Company on Springboro Pike in Moraine made the nation’s first bomber, the Dehavilland DH-4.  It was used in the tail end of World War I primarily for daytime bombing, observation and artillery spotting.  The plant in Moraine produced 3,106 DH-4s.

The first DH-4 arrived in France in May 1918, and the 135th Aero Squadron flew the first DH-4 combat mission in early August. Unfortunately, the early DH-4s had drawbacks including the fuel system.  These problems led to the title of “The Flaming Coffin”, even though only eight of the 33 DH-4s lost in combat by the US burned as they fell.

Perhaps the most notable mission flown in the DH-4 was the brave attempt by Lt. Harold Goettler (Photo #5) and Lt. Erwin Bleckley of the 50th Aero Squadron to find and assist the famed “Lost Battalion” on October 6, 1918.  During a resupply mission to this surrounded unit, their DH-4 was shot down.  Both men posthumously received the Medal of Honor.

The Lost Battalion was the US 77th Division surrounded by Germans in the Argonne Forest.  Of the 554 soldiers, only 194 were rescued.  The 77th Division was low on ammo, low on food, was under relentless fire by the Germans and was being pelted by friendly fire from American cannons who did not know their location in the forest. The hero, a carrier pigeon named Cher Ami.  Despite severe wounds from German rifles, the pigeon flew 25 miles back to Army headquarters with an important message about the Battalions location.  The pigeon became a WWI hero and is stuffed and on display at the Smithsonian Museum. 

The City of Moraine is fortunate to have a major river waterway flowing north to south through the city. The river has been a focal point of recreation for over 100 years.

The Miami Shores area became known as the “Playgrounds of the Miami Valley” as in the late 1920’s to 1950’s wealthy Oakwood and Dayton business owners and residents purchased lots and built small summer cottages. They came on weekends to relax, cookout, fish, boat and bath. Public docking places were available for launching boats and offering limited boat rentals. Beautiful parkways and a natural swimming pool/hole fed by spring water was promoted. Lot’s were sold for only $95 and up.  Over 5,000 attended a July 4, 1929 promotional event at Miami Shores that featured free peanuts, popcorn, crackerjack and pop.

The Dayton Herald Newspaper July 3, 1930 advertisement promotion sponsored by the The Moraine Development Company encourages people to spend the July Fourth at Moraine Riverview at the Community Recreation Park along the Moraine riverbank on the east side of the river just north of the old steel bridge. This was a greenspace area located where the housing subdivision is across from today’s Moraine Municipal Building along Main Street.  People were invited to the park to relax and picnic on Independence Day. 

A year later in the September 11, 1931 Dayton Herald Newspaper, an article promoted the 1^st Annual Journal and Herald Outboard Motorboat Regatta. The races were held just south of the old Sellars Road Steel Bridge (today’s Main Street Bridge) right on the Moraine/West Carrollton border near Holes Creek. Grandstand seating was provided on the east side of the river with additional parking through the cooperation of the Miami Shores Company by crossing the bridge to the west side of the river.  The boat races were conducted under the supervision of the Miami Valley Boat Club.

These were some of the early special events in the Miami Shores area to promote water recreation and the sales of houses or cottages. Part 2 next month, will look from 1940 through 2021 and how the use of the Miami River for water recreation continued to grow.

A new Moraine Historical Marker was recently erected designating Moraine’s First Schoolhouse. The schoolhouse, located at 3564 Vance Road, is now a private residence but has quite a history.

In 1883, county authorities established District 12.  The first school was held in farmer Felix Yeasal’s living room, located about 200 yards west of the intersection of Vance and Sellars Roads.  The first teacher was Miss Anna Christman who went on to a 40 year teaching career.

In 1885, a brick building was erected on land the township board of education bought from Isaac Lesher and was located on the corner of Vance and Pinnacle Roads at the foot of Pinnacle Hill.  This was Moraine’s First Schoolhouse.  Albert Patterson was the first teacher and had a special helper, a bearded man called the “hermit” who kept a cabin near the school and visited it frequently.  He assisted the teacher and students by starting a fire in the stove each morning during cold weather.  In 1890, attendance at District No. 12 school was 14 pupils and in 1891 only six children attended.

Children at the school were treated to quite a surprise in August 1914.  A story told years ago by former Moraine Mayor Carl Gerhardt, he remembers when his teacher Mrs. Prass heard that the Wright Brothers were testing their new hydro-aeroplane (seaplane) on the nearby Miami River in Moraine.  Mrs. Prass dismissed the class so that all of the students could go down to the river and watch.  Mayor Gerhardt commented on how thrilled the students were to see this rare accomplishment of Orville Wright taking off and landing in the river.

In 1924 the smaller school districts throughout the county were consolidated. Many one and two room schoolhouses were closed and combined into larger modern facilities.  District No. 12 was dissolved and consolidated into West Carrollton Exempted Village School District.  The schoolhouse is now a private residence so the public is asked to respect the privacy of the owners.

This new Moraine Historical Marker is the 16^th erected in the city.  The first ten markers were dedicated in 2015 as part of the City of Moraine’s 50^th anniversary celebration.

Completed in 1845, the 274 mile canal linked Lake Erie with the Ohio River and canal boats brought pioneers, food and goods to the Miami Valley.  The canal ran north-south through Moraine and was located where present day Dryden Road and Arbor Blvd. are.  Boats up to 80 feet in length were towed along the canal tow path by mules, horses or oxen at four or five miles an hour.

Canal Lock #22, which lowered or raised the water level, was located at the corner of Dryden Road and East River Road.

What people don’t know is that a toll house for the canal was located at the corner of Dryden & Kreitzer Roads and still stands today. The structure was a small log cabin but it is located within the house that was built around it. The house has been used by a Moraine business.

The individual running the toll house would collect a fee from people or businesses using the canal boat.

The canal was just west of the toll house. The dried-out canal bed (Photo#2) served as a small sandlot baseball field in the 1960’s and 1970’s for the local kids that lived next door in the mobile home court.

Did you know the world record for flying an airplane to the highest altitude was once set in 1921 by Moraine based pilot Bernard Whelan in a plane built in Moraine? Here is the story.

Trained by the Wright Brothers at a rate of $1 per hour. Whelan toured the country as an exhibition flyer, helping make America aviation conscious. At the outbreak of world War I Whelan became a civilian instructor for the budding Army Air Corps then a part of the Signal Corps. At the end of the war, he joined Howard Rinehart (Photo #1 with Orville Wright) as test pilots at the Dayton-Wright airplane Company on Springboro Pike flying the DeHavilland DH-4 airplane.

The last aircraft designed by Orville Wright was named after him and called the Dayton-Wright OW.1 Aerial Coupe, a four seat touring aircraft. With an unsupercharged engine, light wing loading, a length of 48 feet and an enclosed cabin, pilot Whelan (Photo #2) flew the plane to McCook Field in Dayton, the original site of the Army Air Corps test center. McCook Field was used for the world record attempt rather than Moraine because McCook Field had proper certification by its flight test staff.

Two attempts were made on May 22, 1921. Disappointed over the results of the morning flight, the fire extinguishers, oxygen tanks and other paraphernalia were removed from the plane. On the afternoon test flight Whelan set an altitude record of 19, 710 feet flying the Dayton-Wright OW.1 Aerial Coupe. The Aerial Coupe reached the record altitude after a 2 hour 31 minute flight over Dayton. Three Dayton-Wright Airplane Company mechanics accompanied Whelan on the flight.

Two years later, in 1923, Whelan and Rinehart formed the Rinehart-Whelan Company establishing a pioneering charter service carrying passengers (Photo #4) on cross-country trips, training and photography from their airport called the Moraine Flying Field (Photo #3) . The Moraine Flying Field is located just east of the Northlawn Bridge-Springboro Pike intersection or just north of todays Fuyao Glass America factory. Whelan flew many cross country trips piloting Charles Kettering, Edward Deeds and other company executives on business trips.

At the end of the Civil War, the country faced the unprecedented challenge to care for the tens of thousands of disabled veterans who fought to preserve the Union. Due to president Abraham Lincoln’s appeal to Congtress following the Civil War (1861-1865), several National Homes for Union veterans were established across the country to provide domiciliary care, meduical and hospital treatment for all injuries and diseases. Indigent and disabled veterans received care at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers located four miles north of the new Moraine Historical Marker. The National Home was built with great architectural buildings and grand gardens for not just recovering soldiers, but for patriotic tourists who traveled from near and far to pay respect to the veterans.

Many veterans traveled Soldiers Home Road to reach the “Soldiers Home”. Population at the Gettysburg Soldiers Home peaked in 1884 with 7,146 resident veterans. Over 600,000 tourists visited the home in 1910. Other Civil War road names in Moraine include Union Road and Infirmary Road.

Several Moraine pioneers fought in the Civil War including the Holderman family who lived just north of the Moraine Historical Marker on Caylor Road. Seven men from the Holderman family joined Ohio regiments for the Union Army. One son, Jacob, spent two years at the Soldiers Home recovering from war injuries and weather exposure. The land that Caylor Road is on was originally owned by the Kaylor and Holderman families. Over time the spelling of the road became Caylor instead of Kaylor. In the woods just past where Caylor Road dead ends into WC-Soldiers Home Road is the small Kaylor Family Cemetery (Photo #3 & #4).

The Moraine Historical Marker “Soldiers Home Road” was installed in September 2019 and is located along the Deer Meadow Park To Possum Creek Metropark Bike Connector just south of the intersection of Shank Road and West Carrollton-Soldiers Home Road.

Two of the owners of the Moraine Development Company, Charles Kettering and Colonel Edward Deeds were responsible for rapid changes in the course of history. They formed the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO) and experimented with the starting, lighting and ignition systems for automobiles. After inventing the self-starter, DELCO manufactured the systems.

In 1915, Kettering invented the Delco-Light Set called Little Joe (Photo #1), a small generator that powered many rural farms across the country. Prior to this invention, isolated farms were previously lit by kerosene, candles or gas, if available – to utilize electricity. By 1930, 90% of urban America had the benefit of electricity but only 10% of rural America had been electrified. The generator would run a few hours and store electricity in batteries for use as needed. More than 100 models were built over the years but the 850 watt, 32 volt DC unit accounted for 75% of the production in Moraine. Being a unique 32-volt system, Delco also sold appliances to go with the light generator. The sets were manufactured in the large building on Springboro Pike in Moraine which was previously occupied by the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company.

In 1921, General Motors brought its Frigidaire Division to those same buildings to manufacture the first self-contained refrigerator. The brand was so well known in the refrigeration field in the early 20th century that many Americans called any refrigerator (Photo #3), whatever its brand, a “Frigidaire” – eventually coining the slang term “fridge”.

During World War II, Frigidaire became the scene of wartime production. The facility produced aircraft parts (Photo #4) and components, .50 caliber machine guns and ammunition until peacetime production resumed in December of 1945. After WWII, the plant resumed production of refrigerators. The Frigidaire Company claims the following firsts: electric self-contained refrigerator, home freezer, room air conditioner, 30″ electric range and coordinated colors for home appliances.

The Moraine Historical Marker “Delco Light & Frigidaire” is located on the east side of Springboro Pike just north of Blanchard Avenue.

In the 1820’s during a hike from Urbana to Cincinnati , John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman planted a grove of apple trees just west of Dorf Drive in German Village. On September 23, 2010, honoring the 236th birthday of John Chapman, the City of Moraine rededicated a plaque and planted four second generation apple trees from seeds originally planted by Johnny Appleseed.

Moraine Parks & Recreation hired a Johnny Appleseed portrayer who put on an educational assembly at nearby Frank Nicholas Elementary School. The portrayer and two classes of students from the school attended the ceremony and helped plant the apple trees (Photo #2).

The Moraine Historical Marker “Johnny Appleseed Site” is located at Johnny Appleseed Park, 3060 Dorf Drive across from the Moraine City Garden Plots.

Construction began in 1835 and was completed in 1845. Beginning in Toledo and ending in Cincinnati the canal created a water route from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Boats of up to 80 feet long (Photo #2) were towed along the canal by donkeys, horses or oxen on a prepared towpath.

The canal ran north and south through Moraine where Dryden Road and Arbor Blvd are today. The canal entered from the north at Carillon Park and exited to the south into West Carrollton. Canal Lock #22 was located on the corner of Dryden Road and East River Road. The canal was abandoned for commercial use after the historic 1913 flood damaged it.

The Moraine Historical Marker for the “Miami & Erie Canal” is located at the corner of Dryden Road and East River Road.

Jacob Hammel was one of Moraine’s earliest settlers. He was born near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in 1820. For five years after reaching his maturity he drove a six-horse team hauling freight from Chambersburg to Baltimore and then back to Chambersburg as there were no railroads in operation then.

In 1846 he moved from New Orleans to Montgomery County, Ohio. He was employed one season on a brickyard in Alexandersville (later West Carrollton) and the following year worked as a teamster. In 1848, Hammel purchased a canal boat and trafficked on the Miami-Erie Canal for three months. He then started his own company engaged in the manufacture of bricks for over five years. The brick company was known then as the Crume Brick Company, the oldest known industry in Moraine. After quitting the brick company, Mr. Hammel devoted his attention to farming making a specialty of tobacco.

Hammel owned a large parcel of land in southern Miami Shores in Moraine where the current Moraine Airpark and runway is located. Photo #2 is an aerial view of the land Hammel once owned which was surrounded on two sides by the Miami River which occasionally flooded but created rich soil. Photo#3 is a map showing his parcel of land. He set aside 25 acres for farming and averaged as high as 86.5 cases of tobacco (400 pounds to the case) – a success seldom achieved in this area by the other tobacco growers. According to a publication at that time, “No farmer in Miami Township stands higher in the esteem of his neighbors than Mr. Hammel and few have been more successful in their particular lines of industry”.

Mr. Hammel was married three times and had five children by his second wife Catherine. He died in December 1903 at age 83. His grave marker is located at the Zion Memorial Church Cemetery on South Dixie Drive (Photo#4). The Moraine Historical Marker for the “Crume Brick Company” is located at the southern dead end of Elter Drive.