Bringing Dayton History To Life

DAYTON - Three groups in Dayton are working hard to uncover, document and educate the community on the history of the area. This is a look at each of those three groups and an explanation of their history, what they have already accomplished and their visions for the future.

Dayton Historic Preservation Commission

In 1992, the Dayton Historic Preservation Commission was created.

"Our purpose is to educate and identify historic homes," said Kathy George, the chairwoman of the commission.

The group works hard to evaluate historic homes in Dayton and get them listed on the state and national historic registers. George said by doing this, they can better protect these historic buildings and raise awareness of just how many historic homes the small town has. Also, George said a major component of their job is to be a resource for history and preservation for the City of Dayton. They help the city with reviewing designs and recommend guidelines concerning historic structures and districts within the city limits.

"I look at it as we are a resource group rather than a regulatory group," she said.

Before the commission was formed to serve the mayor and the city, volunteers took on the task in 1985 of surveying all of Dayton's historic properties. George said it was a huge job because there are more than 200 historic properties in the city limits.

The homes were surveyed and listed on the registers over the years and then the Downtown Historic District was formally created, which included 29 historic properties. Later, Washington Avenue was dubbed a historic district as well, with 13 properties.

There are even more properties in Dayton that are historical, but can't be added to the registers because they have been altered so much the real historic elements are gone, George said.

The most recent historic district created by the group is the South Side district with 70 historic homes.

Since the district was created, George said the group has become more than ever a resource for the city.

The group's current ongoing project is updating the state database for homes in Dayton that have already been surveyed. George said this is a job that will take years and the group will need to fill a couple of vacancies on the commission. There are seven positions total on the commission and there is currently one vacancy. In 2012, two members' terms will expire.

The commission needs people who are architects, builders or people who have knowledge of historic homes. Or, volunteers need simply to be interested.

"It's certainly something one can learn if they have a real, honest desire," George said.

For information about volunteering on the commission, talk with Trina Cole in City Hall.

Dayton Historical Depot Society

The mission of the Historical Depot Society is to use local historical buildings, the historic depot building and the Boldman House, as centers for education and interpretation, said Ginny Butler, a volunteer. Also, the buildings host community events and activities.

The depot ceased its operations as a railway station in 1972. It was restored and reopened in 1981 as a heritage building museum through the efforts of the Historic Depot Society. The building is on the state and national historic registers and it is the oldest surviving railroad station in the state.

Since the society has been operating it, the depot runs several community events each year, including Speeders that run on the track during All Wheels Weekend, Evening at the Depot each August, Historic Home Tours, an Art Walk and Christmas Kickoff.

The Boldman House, built in 1880 for Mrs. Gladys Boldman, now plays host to events including Gladys Boldman's 100th Birthday Party and Art in the Garden. The society received the house as a gift from Boldman's estate in 2000.

The society spent 10 years restoring the house and recreating the 1912 gardens according to Gladys Boldman's wishes. The house was gifted to the society along with an endowment that ensured its perpetual care, Butler said.

The society also received a caboose from Union Pacifi c Railway in 1994 and has maintained it since.

The most recent addition is the Pioneer Cemetery Association, which the society took on in 2010. It is the third oldest cemetery in the state after the Fort Walla Walla and Whitman Mission cemeteries. The association still owns the cemetery and the society manages the endowment and maintains it.

Society President Jennie Dickinson said they are hard at work on the depot. The group just finished re-roofing the balcony of the building. Before that, they added the boardwalk and the courtyard.

Next, they are planning to update their brochures for the depot and the Boldman House.

In 2012, a new exhibit of historic train photos and possibly model trains will adorn the depot. Overall, the society is coordinating and training staff and making sure their historical focus isn't lost among all of the community events, Dickinson said.

Blue Mountain Heritage Society

The Blue Mountain Heritage Society was created in 1999 to help save the Lewis and Clark Trail State Park from closure, said board member Elizabeth Thorn.

"We had quite a good influence on that," she said. "It's still there."

Now, the society operates the Palus Museum. Its primary focus is the native people of the area.

"This area has some of the very oldest human remains," she said.

The society works to collect local artifacts and tell the story of the exploration of the area. All of their artifacts tell the story of how people lived and evolved.

The group also brought the Sacajawea bronze sculpture to town.

Another main project is the restoration of the 1900 Smith Hollow Schoolhouse. The society moved the schoolhouse one year ago to a lot on Commercial Avenue.

The group added a solid foundation and is restoring it and adding an addition to the back. The original addition was left behind in the move. The schoolroom will become a museum of old schoolhouses in the area. The addition, which was originally the space where community events were held at the schoolhouse, will become a place for rotating displays of other country schools. The remodel will also include the addition of a handicapaccessible restroom.

On the same lot on Commercial Avenue, Thorn said they would also like to reconstruct a historical pioneer log cabin they have in storage, and possibly build a new building for the Palus Museum.

The society's budget comes from private funds and public grant money, Thorn said. There are about 145 contributing members and fundraisers are held throughout the year.

A board of eight officers oversees the society's operations and projects and those interested in becoming members simply need to fill out a form.

She says they'll need more volunteers, especially when it comes to scraping and painting the schoolhouse.

"We're going to want lots of elbow grease and muscle," Thorn said with a laugh.