Dayton Carillon Historical Park Museum: The Gem City’s Gem
On November 9, 2017, I visited the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio. I was born in Dayton, and I have only been to this museum once when I was in elementary school. After returning to the museum nearly ten years later, I realized I missed so much Dayton history that I was not aware of. Dayton has such a major contribution to the world and everyday experiences that many take for granted. Truly, the city has a history rich in progress and creativity, with milestones in inventions and transportation that changed Ohio and the world.
Upon arriving, I spoke with the active volunteer Ned Gauder. He previously worked as a machinist at Heidelberg Distributing Company in Dayton before retiring and volunteering at the museum. He is extremely dedicated to the museum and volunteers 20 days a month. He jokes that this is his new job, and that he does not have to pay any income tax. In one sentence, he described the museum as “a living history of early Dayton.” He said to truly appreciate the museum, it is more suited for adults. For younger children, he concedes, it is most likely a day out of school. When asked about his favorite part of the museum, he was quick to answer that the Wright Brothers’ 1905 airplane was the crown jewel because it is the only place in the world where you can see it.
The Carillon Historical Museum has 39 separate historical buildings. There was a large 150-foot bell tower called Deeds Carillon when I entered the museum. It played a bell tune at the top of each hour. It is the largest carillon in Ohio. I spent most of my time in the Kettering Family Education Center. This was the largest building and housed most of the exhibits and facts. I also spent a lot of time in the Wright Brothers Aviation Center, which housed the Wright Flyer III. The historical park also has a brewing company, watchtower, pavilion, and exhibits dedicated to other Dayton inventions. It took about 10 minutes to walk the course of the park.
Unlike Gauder, I felt that this museum could be suited for all ages. For example, in almost every line of site there was some form of a video, further explaining the texts on the walls. In the World War II exhibit, there was a display explaining the details of the atomic bomb. Additionally, there was a television that explained the details of the bomb in a graphic, with 3-D orientations. This shows how the museum accommodates all age groups — especially children, who are likely more attracted to visuals than large texts.
My favorite part of the museum was the interactive theater. This would be suitable for all ages. It included 5 interactive figurines — including Orville and Wilbur Wright — that talked and moved. When simulating the atomic bomb, the subwoofer shook the ground, and a red light flashed in the theater. While describing the 1913 Dayton Flood, I got wet because the interactive theater simulated rain (Interactive Theater). They also had a working crank and electrical motor that started up during the presentation. Truly, it was a 4-D experience.
My second favorite part was the indoor carousel that was next to the cash register exhibit. Built in 2011, this Mansfield-built carousel features a timeline of Dayton history spanning the circumference of the base. On the poles of each animal, it names a Dayton invention and each carousel figure is Dayton-related. For example, one of the carousel figures a rider can sit on is a box of IAMS pet food that is a Dayton favorite and original. Additionally, this exhibit includes a steam locomotive that you can walk inside and operate the controls (Carousel Exhibit).
Many Dayton-based companies have impacted both Ohio and the world. For example, Lexis Nexis started as a Dayton company in 1955. It was a news and business research service that that provides legal professionals in over 100 countries worldwide make informed decisions and their legal practices more productive.
Dayton had multiple inventors that impacted Ohio and the entire world. I learned about Ohio-born inventor Charles F. Kettering, who developed one of the world’s first air conditioning systems and created the first all-electric starter. He secured 147 patents and was recognized on Time Magazine. He never stopped inventing (Kettering Exhibit). The museum included Deed’s Barn, the two-story barn where Kettering invented the self-ignition starter. It included an interactive figurine of Kettering. While working on his self-starting ignition system, he worked 36 hours at a time. Every adjustment he made, he had to run downstairs and test it on his Cadillac engine. Through his dedication, Kettering completely changed the way that Ohioans traveled.
I also learned about the Price Brothers Company from Dayton. They began manufacturing concrete pressure pipes for the waterworks industry in 1926. They introduced prestressed concrete cylinder pipes with a watertight steel cylinder within the walls (Price Brothers Exhibit). This pipe construction is the most reliable means to transport water and has been used in Ohio and throughout the world.
The museum had an exhibit on John Patterson, who was another famous Dayton resident. Primarily known for his purchase of the cash register patent, he used aggressive marketing and advertising learned from his time at Dartmouth. He was a compassionate employer and provided women workers with coffee and soup (Patterson Exhibit). He also provided workers indoor bathrooms and an on-site doctor. His benevolence became a model for other Ohio employers to follow.
A final Dayton invention that I learned about was the pop-top can by Ermal Fraze. His Dayton Reliable Tool (DRT) company invented the concept in the early 1960s, and Iron City Beer first used this design. Within a few years, nearly all beer companies in Ohio and nationwide used this idea. The DRT continues to supply machinery to produce pop-top cans. Dayton honors Fraze with an outdoor pavilion that hosts many concerts.
The museum had a separate building with multiple exhibits dedicated to the Wright Brothers being first-in-flight. This exhibit also included an interactive theater, with gusts of wind blowing at the audience to simulate flight. From the show, I leaned that in 1896, they made a bicycle shop that many Ohioans bought, notably having a self-lubricating wheel hub. They got their influence for flight from German Lilienthal because he developed a math equation for lift but died while testing one of his gliders. They modified his equations, however, and soon conceptualized a wing-warping method and tested this concept multiple times at Kittyhawk in North Carolina — eventually having success in 1903 with their Wright Flyer. Amazingly, their 1905 Wright Flyer III, considered the perfection of their design, is housed in this exhibit. Then only other Wright Flyer is in the Smithsonian Museum. Their mathematical formula for propeller design is still used today. These famous Ohioans truly solved a problem that perplexed mankind for centuries.
The museum also had an exhibit dedicated to Paul Lawrence Dunbar. An active abolitionist and friend of the Wright Brothers, he worked as an elevator operator. He wrote poetry on downtime at his job. He was the most famous Ohio poet and was internationally recognized as an African American poet. He lived only 33 years but published 400 poems and six novels. He became an inspiration to many Harlem Renaissance authors.
Dayton contributed to many of the national events that defined American history. The Dayton Project in World War II was headed by Dr. Charles A. Thomas. He worked alongside Dr. Robert Oppenheimer in New Mexico to process polonium-210, a radioactive element that was needed for the ignition of the atomic bomb (Cold War Exhibit). The museum also had a display of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia. The agreement took place at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
There were many unique attributes to this museum that one would not find anywhere else in the country, making the park a recommendable site. Firstly, they had an entire room dedicated to James Ritty’s cash registers. The first cash register was invented in Dayton by Ritty, and when James Patterson bought his patent, he made the National Cash Register (NCR) company. By 1917, NCR controlled 95% of the world’s cash register markets. The museum had multiple interactive iPads that you could select any of the 90 registers present in the exhibit, and it would tell you its history. Today, NCR’s self-checkout invention is utilized by countless grocery stores. This includes the invention of the automatic change dispenser and the laser barcode scanner, which many Ohio grocery stores such as Kroger use. Additionally, the museum had an exhibit dedicated to the Dayton Triangles, who played the first NFL game at Dayton’s Triangle Park. The popularity of professional football in Ohio and worldwide started in Dayton. In combination with the interactive theater, carousel, and multiple buildings, the museum has an interactive aspect absent in many historical museums.
If someone enjoys Ohio, American, or world history, the Carillon Historical Park illustrates how Dayton, Ohio, shaped the course of history. This park is a hidden gem in Ohio’s history. The museum even plans to expand. Gauder says that they plan to duplicate the wing that houses the carousel on the other side of the museum. That will be dedicated to Dayton’s sports history, especially concerning the first NFL team, the Dayton Triangles. Even if someone has been to Carillon Historical Park before, I encourage them to see the new exhibits when the wing is completed. I will surely be there. Truly, the museum tells the story of the Miami Valley’s past, present, and future. Hopefully, you may hear the carillon bell tower music when you visit this Ohio gem.