A group of girls wearing identical dresses and ribbons in their hair wait to go on stage with the Inland Children's Chorus in 1942. A photographer in the wings captured the smallest among them standing on a table adjusting the bow on the tallest.
The chorus, which began during the Great Depression, was the only corporation-sponsored children’s choir in the United States. It was a point of pride for the Dayton community for more than three decades.
Traffic stopped in all directions as men scaled the ladder of a fire truck to reach the top of Dayton's Civil War Soldiers Monument at Main and Monument Streets.
The monument, unveiled in 1884, was carved in the likeness of Pvt. George Washington Fair, a carpenter and bricklayer born in Dayton who mustered into the Union Army in 1861 and out in 1865.
A stunning image of downtown Dayton's Liberty Tower, taken in 1931 while under construction, is a novel look at the city's skyline. Dayton's only Art Deco setback skyscraper is designed to have a "setback" at vertical intervals, giving it the look of stacked blocks.
The building had the highest vantage point in the city during World War II and was used as an air raid lookout. The Liberty Tower’s code name through the war was “Dog Easy 77.”
It's hard to believe the reason a crowd is gathered around a cage in one of the galleries of the Dayton Art Institute. The enclosure, situated among the works of art, was home to a monkey named "Skipper."
“Skipper” and a menagerie of animals lived inside and on the grounds of the museum. The zoo was used to draw the public to the art museum during the gloomy 1930s.
A second image taken at the Dayton Art Institute in 1973 captured a trio of eighth-grade students sitting on the back of Leo the Lion, the bronze sculpture that gazes over the city.
The sculpture was originally designed as the mascot for Steele High School and unveiled at Main and Monument Streets in 1908.
For 150 years the Dayton Police Department has served the community. Along the way changes in peacekeeping technology have been documented on film.
A favorite captures Dayton Police Chief Rudy Wurstner and five law officers — grim faced with guns drawn — posing for a photo in 1930. Their backdrop was the “Bank Flyer,” a customized Cadillac with impenetrable tires, bullet-proof glass, a reinforced bumper and radiator shield and special racks to hold automatic weapons.
Hallie Quinn Brown was photographed in a dramatic pose holding a razor-sharp blade over her head. The famed elocutionist, author and activist, was the daughter of former slaves.
A graduate of Wilberforce College, Brown returned in 1893 as a professor of elocution. Her oratory skills were not only entertaining, but a voice for social change. She lectured about temperance and advocated for African-American civil rights and women’s suffrage.
ABOUT THIS FEATURE
HISTORY EXTRA is a weekly pictorial history feature showcasing the Miami Valley’s rich heritage. If you have a unique set of historic photos found in your parents’ or grandparents’ attic that depicts the past in the Miami Valley, contact Lisa Powell at 937-225-2229 or at Lisa.Powell@coxinc.com.
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