Exploring Dayton, Ohio - A small portion of the Historic South Park and Ghostlight Coffee

Another area of Dayton, we have explored was the Historic South Park part of Dayton. In reality, I explored it and Hubby sat in the car. He told me it was too cold to walk around but it really was not.

I’ve been in the Historic South Park many times because it’s where one of my favorite coffee shops is located. However, it was not until the pandemic that I explored a small portion of it.

As I was trying to find information about this area of Dayton, Ohio, I found out actor Martin Sheen was born in this part of Dayton. His dad had moved to the Gem City to work at NCR which was located close to where this neighborhood.

At one time, the area was called Slidertown. It was a shanty town with the boys who lived there causing damage to the NCR buildings. John Patterson, the founder of NCR, decided to give something for the boys to do instead of causing havoc. He had them start community gardens which began the South Park becoming a beautiful area of Dayton.

In 1984, the South Park was named a Historic area by the National Registry of Historic Places.

An interesting part of the history is the murder story that happened in 1867. Christine Kett, a teenage daughter of German immigrants, was brutally murdered by an ax. No one knew who had committed the murder until 17 years later when her mom confessed, she had done the unthinkable. As she was lying on her death bed, she asked he son never to tell anyone that it was actually her. He waited a few days until he let the authorities know what had happened to his sister.

Since I only walked one of the 24 blocks of the neighborhood, the likelihood of me actually walking by the area where it occurred was small. Guess what, I walked by it and think it was the plot next to where I took the photo of the cat. 

Now onto the photos:

Exploring Dayton, Ohio - The Oregon Historic District

Last August, the Oregon District made national headlines when a mass shooting occurred. Dave Chappelle then brought people together in a HUGE concert a few weeks after the shooting. Big names such as Kanye West and Stevie Wonder traveled to Dayton to give us support and comfort during our time of mourning.

However, the Oregon District should not be known only for the shooting. That’s only a small part of its history.

No one knows why it’s called the Oregon. It’s been the name of that area since prior to Dayton to becoming an official city. During the time after the Civil War, prominent businessmen of the Dayton area-built houses in the neighborhood that surrounds Fifth Street. During the Great Flood of 1913, the Oregon was covered in 10 feet of water which caused people to leave the area.

It was not until the 1960s when they decided to revitalize the area. Some of the buildings were razed at that time while others were preserved. In 1974, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

I’ve been down to the Oregon Historic District several times especially when people have visited me. However, most of the time I just drive through the area while enjoying the architecture but do not stop. Since we are on quarantine and stay at home orders, Hubby and I are trying to find places to walk and visit within the Dayton area.

Last weekend, I encouraged Hubby to stop in the Oregon because he at first made a half-heartened attempt to find a parking spot during our first drive through the area. Boy was he glad we made the stop. We walked through some of the historic housing neighborhood and through the District. While walking around, we found a new restaurant that was open for carry out. We ordered food to take to our next stop so we could have a picnic.

Before I share the photos from this area, I should let you know that the big heart with the words Dayton Strong is where the shooting occurred last August. As I took the photos, I bowed my head and prayed for the lost souls. It was a surreal moment. There was a photo of some kid underneath the heart. The photo was a studio photo taken long ago. I don't know if it was one of the victims or some random photo. I didn't take a photo of the picture out of respect to the those lost souls.

Here are the photos from the Oregon District and the historical neighborhood.

Please explore your area safely - practice social distancing and proper personal hygiene. You'll never know what you'll find.

Have a magical day,
Traci