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Roz Young Articles

One of Dayton's greatest writers was Roz Young. As a columnist for Dayton Daily News she kept us abreast on what was going on in the Gem City, as well as gave us a personal glimpse of it's past, telling stories of her many years spent in the city.  Dayton Daily News is graciously allowing us to place Roz's articles on our site.  

Make sure to also check out articles written by Howard Burba here
Make sure to also check out the Miscellaneous Articles section here

 

91-Year-Old Says She Flew With Orville
by Roz Young Copyright April 19, 1997
Isabel Pifer tells of how she rode in a biplane with Orville Wright in 1913, when she was just eight years old.

 100 Years Ago Today Dayton Went to Town For Columbus Day
by Roz Young Copyright October 10, 1992
How Dayton celebrated the 400th Anniversary of Columbus discovering America

1913 Flood Survivor Shares Frightening Tale
by Roz Young Copyright March 29, 1994
Harry P. Jeffrey's tale of surviving the flood when he was eleven years old.

1913 Memories Come Flooding Back

by Roz Young Copyright March 20, 1993
Roz prints a letter Amos Crow wrote to his parents shortly after the 1913 flood hit Dayton

1941 School Air Raid Drills Were Much Cause for Alarm
by Roz Young Copyright June 29, 1991
Teachers get confused about air raid vs. fire alarm drills

All Aboard at Six mph
by Roz Young Copyright January 11, 1977
When public transportation began in Dayton in 1876

Another 200th Anniversary
by Roz Young Copyright September 17th and 18th, 1971
A set of articles concerning the old Robert Patterson log cabin moved here from Lexington, KY and then moved back again

Another Glimpse of "Bubbo" Wright
by Roz Young Copyright October 15, 1996
Nicknames and how Orville Wright was sometimes called 'Bubbo'.

Aullwood Garden Filled With a Marvelous History
by Roz Young Copyright September 28, 1991
 A little story about Marie Aull and a tree in her garden that sprouted in 1741.

Banker Worked Hard To Keep D&W On Track
by Roz Young Copyright November 30, 1996
Valentine Winters bought the Dayton and Western interurban line in 1900. The line ran until 1937.

Barney Family Articles
by Roz Young Copyright 1995

Roz wrote a series of nine articles on one of the most influencial families of Dayton.

Battery D, 134th Field Artillery, 37th Division of WWI
by Roz Young Copyright 1991
Over a period of three months in 1991 Roz wrote several articles on Battery D, 134th Field Artillery, 37th Division of World War I. They have been collected here.

Bessie and Lizzie
by Roz Young Copyright October 21, 1972
 A few incidents involving Lib Hedges, including how she lent money to a now well-known department store.

Bicycle Enthusiasm Sparked Friendship with the Wrights
by Roz Young Copyright September 6, 1997
Two stories of how Art Stevens's love for bicycles helped develop a friendship with Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Book Brings Dayton's Past To Life
by Roz Young Copyright October 12, October 18 and October 26, 2002
A three-article series on the story of the American Steam Laundry business

Celebrate July 4th with a Toast to Benjamin Van Cleve
by Roz Young Copyright May 2, 1992
Van Cleve was chairman the first time Dayton celebrated the Fourth of July, which took place in 1809

Charles Kettering Made Dayton Site of Feverish Medical Research
by Roz Young Copyright December 3, 1994
Kettering received the Chevalier Legion d' Honneur, France's highest civilian award, for his work in fever research.


Christmas in the Parlor
by Roz Young Copyright December 25, 2004
Christmas was a special time of year, especially the time when the tree caught on fire...

Clark Knew How to Design a Business
by Roz Young Copyright May 2, 1992
A short history on Roland Originals and the loyalty of his employees

Cooper Female Academy
by Roz Young Copyright August 31, 1996
A short history on a 19th century private school for the more privileged girls in and around Dayton.

Credible Story About Booth Uncovered By Dayton Editor
by Roz Young Copyright February 8, 1992
A story of how John Wilkes Booth may not have died after shooting Abraham Lincoln

Daniel Cooper Articles
by Roz Young Copyright 1994
Roz wrote four articles about the savior of Dayton, Daniel Cooper.

A Day of Horror
by Roz Young Copyright March 19, 1994
A man recalls his experiences during the 1913 flood when he was 11 years old.

The Day Women Ran the 'News'
by Roz Young Copyright June 5, 2004
March 30, 1901, marked the day that the entire editorial staff of the Dayton Daily News was composed entirely of women.

Dayton Civic Leaders Take Matters Into Own Hands
by Roz Young Copyright June 18, June 24 and July 2, 1994
A group of businessmen come together to make sure the streets of Dayton were finally paved.


Dayton Company Lifted Spirits of Many During Dry Season
by Roz Young Copyright June 26, 1993
Dayton's name became famous across the country as the center of the mail-order whiskey business

Dayton Missed Opportunity to Manufacture Horseless Carriage
by Roz Young Copyright April 2, 1994
How Dayton businessmen turned down the chance to build automobiles in 1897.

Daytonians Tell Their Story
by Roz Young Copyright October 3, 1992
Readers chime in to tell "the rest of the story" about racial discrimination and a spelling bee.

Dayton's Visionary
by Roz Young Copyright March 2, 1996
In 1896 John H. Patterson made predictions of what Dayton would be like in the future - many of which came true.

Downtown Clock A Reminder of '21 Competition
by Roz Young Copyright November 18, 1995
Why the Callahan clock was moved to the Reynolds and Reynolds building (now at Carillon Park). 

Dr. Harter's Iron Tonic Was An Elixir of Life For Dayton
by Roz Young Copyright September 19, 1992
How supposedly 80,000 people came to Dayton to celebrate the the opening of a patent medicine company

Dr. Rose Had Just the Right Cure
by Roz Young Copyright July 11, 1992
A strange doctor and his even stranger medicine and habits

Dunbar Chronicled 'A C.H.S. Episode'
by Roz Young Copyright October 5, 1996
Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote a poem about a con artist that tricked some Central High School students out of their money.


Even Famous Daytonians Didn't Escape Devastation
by Roz Young Copyright November 1, 1997
Orville and Bishop Milton Wright lost a number of personal items during the 1913 flood.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
by Roz Young Copyright October 24, 1992
The day the Young Women's League took over the Dayton Daily News for a fundraising event.

Farewell Old Friend
by Roz Young Copyright January 11, 1992
A last goodbye to Rike's Department Store/Lazarus

The Floods and THE FLOOD
by Roz Young Copyright March 22, 2003
Roz recalls of how Dayton had plenty of warnings before the big flood of 1913

Flood of Memories
by Roz Young Copyright March 23, 1996

Thyrza Brown Trant describes in a letter to a friend how Dayton suffered after the 1913 flood. 

Friend's Death Spurs Old Regrets
by Roz Young Copyright November 9, 2002
Roz remembers a trip to Ireland with Evangeline Lindsley

A Generous Man
by Roz Young Copyright June 26, 1990
The many contributions of Adam Schantz to the city

Glimpse into the Past
by Roz Young Copyright July 26, 2003
Roz remembers what Dayton was like in 1940

Gypsie Tribes Fascinated While Evoking Suspicion
by Roz Young Copyright April 5 & 12, 1997
Stories about the gypsies that lived around the Sulpher Grove area in Dayton.

Halls Are Decked - Dressed Up for the Holidays
by Roz Young Copyright December 12, 1992
Roz reports on Christmas happenings at the Dayton Arcade, which became the last year it was open.

Here's How It Was Really Reported
by Roz Young Copyright 1970
How the report of the Wright Brothers first flight was handled by Dayton newspapers at the time. Published in NCR World September-October 1970.

How Do You Spell Success
by Roz Young Copyright August 22, 1992
A spelling bee in 1875 helped raise money for the Widow's Home

Ill-Fated Interurban Car Was On Its Inaugural Run
by Roz Young Copyright November 23, 1996
The tragic tale of a Dayton-Xenia Railway car losing its brakes and crashing in 1900.


Industrialist's Biography Spotlights Dayton
by Roz Young Copyright November 4, 1995
Warren Webster's biography tells of a Dayton long past and explains why Dayton is no longer an industrial city.

Interurban Commuting
by Roz Young Copyright February 8, 1997
Milton Caniff used the interurbans for 5 years, going back and forth from Ohio State University to Dayton.

Klan Played Role in 1920s Gem City
by Roz Young Copyright October 18, 1997
The rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan in Dayton.

A Letter From the Past
by Roz Young Copyright July 7, 1979
Roz reprints a letter written in 1884 by a man who watched the unveiling of the Soldiers Monument downtown


The Little Engines That Could
by Roz Young Copyright October 20, 1990
The steamless locomotives of NCR

Losing Miller's Market Is Like Losing A Friend
by Roz Young Copyright March 23, 2002
When the Millers ran a market on 6386 Far Hills Avenue

Mabel Beck's Story Part of Wright Brothers' Story
by Roz Young Copyright November 20, 1993 - March 12, 1994
A series of articles that deal with Mabel Beck, who was Orville Wright's lifelong secretary

Market Day Brought Bustle to Downtown
by Roz Young Copyright November 30, 2002
When buyers and sellers jammed Dayton's streets 100 years ago

Matriarch Murder
by Roz Young Copyright May 8 and May 15, 1993
Mary Knight is found guilty of murdering her mother, Catherine Hark, in 1895

Memories From Steele High
by Roz Young Copyright August 8, 2003
Fond memories of the school in the 1930s, including the school cheer

Mrs. Hedges' House
by Roz Young Copyright 1967
Dayton's most famous madam of the "red light" district, Lib Hedges.  The article first appeared in the Summer 1967 issue of the Montgomery County Historical Society Bulletin

Mystery of John WIlkes Booth Continues
by Roz Young
Copyright September 12, 1992
A man claimed he spoke to Booth well after he supposedly died. Booth told him he had been hired by Andrew Johnson, the man who succeeded Lincoln in office, to kill the president.

A New Story to Add to the Wright Archives
by Roz Young Copyright December 17, 1994
Someone writes in to say they watched the Wright Brothers fly at a state fair in Pennsylvania in 1908

Nurturing Experience
by Roz Young Copyright December 5, 1992
How a poet was impressed with the Young Woman's League, and why a famous beekeeper from Oxford came to Dayton to spend his last days.

Obese Dayton Judge Made Big News in 1874
by Roz Young Copyright March 16, 1996
How an ex-
judge got stuck in a hole in a fence while trying to get away from members of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. 


Old Thumper Hymns Still Get the Blood Flowing
by Roz Young Copyright February 24, 1990
Favorite old hymns, including “Shall We Gather at the River?”

One Good Clock Story Deserves Another 2 or 3
by Roz Young Copyright January 6, 1996
How the clock on top of the old Callahan Building was saved from destruction.

Orville Shows Rightful Indignation at Museums' Handling of Early Planes
by Roz Young Copyright September 30, 1995
Two letters help explain why Orville was going to give his 1903 airplane to a museum in London instead of the Smithsonian.

Paddling a Perfect Panacea
by Roz Young Copyright April 30, 1994
How a little discipline stopped a noisy problem in Roz's classroom


A Parlor Production
by Roz Young Copyright December 21, 1991
Christmas gathering when Roz was young included singing, poetry recital

Patterson Got the Most Out of Life by Being a Man of Very Few Words
by Roz Young Copyright April 4, 1992
A tale about John H. Patterson, founder of NCR

A Picnic in the Park Leads to Pop-Top Can
by Roz Young Copyright December 23, 2000
A forgotten bottle opener inspires Ermal Fraze to invent the pop-top and pull-top can

Platt Iron Works
by Roz Young Copyright December 28 & 30, 1976
The story of Platt Iron Works and how well their products held up

Police Collar Clergyman for Murder
by Roz Young Copyright July 24, 1993
In 1891 Rev. Charles M. J. Clark is accused of murdering his wife in order to marry someone else

Poor Albert Frantz - Bessie Little's Sad Story Brings Back Memories
by Roz Young Copyright October 6, 2000
The murder of Bessie Little is remembered in a song

Preserving Past was a Monumental Affair
by Roz Young Copyright May 18, 1991
The installation of Pvt. Fair on Main and Monument Avenue in 1884

Readers Recall Long-Long Memories with Help of Local History Column
by Roz Young Copyright October 26, 1991
Memories include the funeral of John H. Patterson

Readers Share Tales of Gypsies, Interurban
by Roz Young Copyright March 15, 1997
A mixture of stories on the Stanley gypsies, the interurban, and the rivalry between Johnsville and New Lebanon.

Relative's Request Rings Up 'No Sale'
by Roz Young Copyright May 8, 1999
Roz remembers lessons she learned from her parents during the Great Depression

Release of Census Data Evokes Memories of Youth
by Roz Young Copyright April 27, 2002
Graduating from Steele High school in 1930 was quite an event

Rest In Peace
by Roz Young Copyright December 1, 1990
Bessie Little's grave marker is restored 

Riddle Ancestor Solves Questions Concerning Van Cleve's Murder
by Roz Young Copyright April 28, 1992
How John Van Cleve was murdered by an Indian ambush.


Rike's Arkay News Celebrates Big Birthday
by Roz Young Copyright February 21, 1978
Rike's employee newsletter, called the Arkay News, celebrated 50 years of being in print in 1978

Saving Brown School History
by Roz Young Copyright June 28, 2003
Memories of a special teacher and the plan to save the relief walls of the school

"School Days" A History Lesson in Survival
by Roz Young Copyright January 18, 1992
A book on the history of the schools in Dayton bring back fond memories

September 1896
by Roz Young Copyright September 14, 1991
September 1896 was a busy one, with the murder of Bessie Little and Dayton's Centennial celebration

Shakers (and Movers)
by Roz Young Copyright July 29, 1978
How Melba Hunt, who would go on to create the Kettering-Moraine Museum, started the Shaker festivals in Ohio

Sister Aimee's Revivals
by Roz Young Copyright August 14 and August 21, 1993
Sister Aimee came to Dayton to heal the sick and make the blind see

Spring Brings Memories of 1913 Flood
by Roz Young Copyright March 22, 1979
Little tidbits of talk about the 1913 flood.

Staking a Claim to Fame
by Roz Young Copyright July 19, 2003
Daytonian Paul Shivell, author of eight volumes of very beautiful poetry, is remembered

Stanley Tribe of Gypsies Articles
by Roz Young Copyright January 4, 11, 18 and 25, 1997
The King and Queen of the Gypsies bought land here and are buried at Woodland. Stories involving them, and other local gypsies, are told.

Steve Canyon Turned 50 This Year
by Roz Young Copyright July 19, 1997
The year 1997 marked the 50th anniversary of the Steve Canyon comic strip by Milton Caniff.

The Story of the Bessie Little Bridge
by Roz Young Copyright September, 1990
Over a period of five weeks in 1990 Roz wrote several articles on the murder of Bessie Little. They have been collected here.

Streetcars Left Memorable Tracks
by Roz Young Copyright December 26, 1992
A short history of Dayton streetcars, going back 140 years.

Thanks to Deeds' Deed, NCR Cashed in on Invention
by Roz Young Copyright July 28, 1990
How Deeds and Kettering made the electric cash register possible

Thanksgiving Day Memories Make Us Even More Thankful
by Roz Young Copyright November 21, 1992
Thanksgiving traditions in the 1890s.

Their Story is Our Story
by Roz Young Copyright August 1, 1992
A review of a great book called Daytonians - Their Story. The book is full of memories of Dayton 50 or so years ago.

Thirst For Knowledge
by Roz Young Copyright February 17, 1990
Roz recalls a students' "dry" sense of humor

Unruly Student Grew Up to be President
by Roz Young Copyright September 13, 2003
Roz's student was none other than Ramon Estevez, also known as Martin Sheen

A Walk Through Woodland Can be Memorable Journey
by Roz Young Copyright May 23, 1992
A book came out that year that celebrated Woodland's 150th anniversary.

Warm Memories of School Furnace
by Roz Young Copyright January 11, 2003
The smells, the soot and the teacher who smoked

What, Never?
by Roz Young Copyright December 28, 1972 and January 3, 1973
Roz searches for why Dayton is called the Gem City

Where Are They Now?
by Roz Young Copyright April 13, 2002
A crush on Peter Grant of the 50-50 Club leads to an on-air kiss

Without 'Principal' Character, It's Just not a Christmas Play
by Roz Young Copyright December 19, 1992
A neglected school principal makes life a little difficult for Roz

Young Poet Became Well Versed in Lunch at the League
by Roz Young Copyright December 5, 1972
A story about a young poet, and another about the man known as the "father of beekeeping".

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