The Dayton Daily News celebrates 125 years
- » 125 years of the Dayton Daily News: From 20-something founder to community pillar
- » PHOTOS: Old black-and-white images that show amazing Dayton history
- » The historic Dayton Daily News building began with ‘build me a damn bank’
- » Dayton’s newspaper history has it all: Unique characters, bitter fights and oceans of ink
- » Timeline: Major events in Dayton-area and Dayton Daily News history
The newspaper cost 1 cent
For that you got 8 pages packed with news. There were five headlines at the top of page 1 on many days.
Home prices
A seven-room frame house with a slate roof could be purchased for $2,250. That included an oak mantel and mirror, basement, iron fences and cement sidewalks.
Grocery shopping
An advertisement for The National Food Co. listed all the items you could get for the total of one dollar. And with that one dollar purchase, you also received your choice of a half-gallon, nickle-plated coffee pot or a four quart, nickle-plated tea pot.
Rike’s and Elder & Johnston
Rike’s department store was already a major player in the clothing goods by 1898. Elder & Johnston (the company that would eventually become Elder-Beerman) also placed advertisements in the paper.
Train schedules
Railroad schedules were advertised in the newspaper. Listings were given for Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway; Erie Railway; The Cincinnati Northern Railroad; Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis (Big 4) Railway; The Dayton & Western Traction Co. and more.
Home remedies
Medical cures were advertised throughout every newspaper, claiming to fix everything including headaches, nerve problems, sinus issues, depression, rheumatism, weak stomach, dizziness, disordered liver, and more.
Fashion
Current fashions included double skirts, gowns made of blue or grey taffeta, apple-green corsages, velvet hats and lace scarfs. Women carrying canes was also on it’s way in.
Sporting events
Fairview Park was the site of a four-day marksmanship tournament, billed as “The real sporting event of the season.”
Streetlights
Cities paid for streetlight electricity by the lamp.
Tax rate
In 1898 residents of Dayton were paying a total tax rate of 24.6 mills. Taxes were used for roads, bridges, the children’s home, a soldier’s fund and more. For comparison, the 2023 total tax rate in Dayton is listed on the Montgomery County website at 116.73 mills, with a large portion of that going towards schools.
Wishlists for gifts
The Dec. 24, 1898 newspaper included a list of children’s letters to Santa Claus. Among the items wished for by the children that Christmas were checkerboards, candy, story books, bicycles, doll babies and more.
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