Today, the property is used by residents for weddings, receptions, meetings, luncheons, small conferences, retreats, reunions and other social and special occasions.
***
For this edition of Vintage Dayton, we went into the archives for the story of Polen Farm, whose history stretches back to John Bigger Sr. receiving the land after serving in the Revolutionary War.
• TODAY’S FEATURED STORY: Kettering’s Polen Farm traces its roots back to the 1800s and a Revolutionary War veteran
More on places named after people
• Who was Colonel Edward Deeds? Meet the namesake of Deeds Carillon and Deeds Point MetroPark
• Gebhart’s Opera House: Remembering Dayton’s once-grand theater at Fifth and Main
• Who was Ervin J. Nutter? Meet the namesake of Wright State’s Nutter Center
Did you know?
Here are a few great Dayton history facts we’ve learned from our stories:
• The William McKinley monument in Cooper Park was partially funded by several thousand contributions of small amounts from children attending public schools.
A plaque on the monument reads: “This monument is a tribute by the citizens of Dayton and the children of its schools.”
• Teflon was discovered by accident
New Carlisle native Roy Plunkett was working in a DuPont laboratory trying to create non-toxic refrigerant when he discovered Teflon instead.
• UFO reports were once investigated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
The Air Force’s investigation of reports UFOs, starting in 1948, was known as “Project Blue Book.”
• A mini-Woodstock was once held in Eastwood Park
About 25,000 people attended the all-day Hydroglobe Rock Festival headlined by Aerosmith.
We want your help!
Do you have any requests or ideas that you would like to see us cover in this history newsletter?
What about cool old photos or stories of your own?
Let us know and we’ll include them in future newsletters.
A reader recently requested some stories on the history of sports in Dayton. One of the items mentioned was Dayton Speedway, something we wrote about in early 2023.
• Click here for our story: Remembering the glory days of the Dayton Speedway
And if you like what you’re getting each week in the Vintage Dayton newsletter, please consider subscribing to the Dayton Daily News for as little as 99 cents.
Thank you for reading.
Credit: DDN file photo
Credit: DDN file photo