sixpkrt
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Over the weekend, went back to my hometown of Dayton, Ohio to visit with my dad and other family who still live there, and to visit my mothers grave site, as she would have been 90 on 8/2.
Saturday morning we went to Carillon Historic Park, which includes historic buildings and exhibits of employers that once were headquartered in Dayton, as well as biographies of the inventors who once called Dayton their home. Many of these engineering pioneers changed history during the Industrial Revolution, and are recognized for making America the great country it is today.
Later in the afternoon, we went to the Packard Museum. What an amazing place to see. There are so many classic cars in the museum, from the early 1900’s to 1956, when they were last produced. Many of the cars are owned for the displays but there are many others that have been donated to the museum. But it’s not only cars, there are full displays, such as the real life showroom, with general manager and salesmen’s offices included, a full garage that makes you feel like you are standing in the place in 1928, a full library and many pieces of Packard memorabilia.
I’ll post pics of Carillon Historic Park and the Packard Museum in their own threads later.
When we left the Packard Museum, we drove through Dayton into several of the neighborhoods where we once lived. It is quite evident the Gem City, as it was once known, is in a state of decay, with many of these neighborhoods overtaken by crime and drug gangs, abandoned or burned downed housing, shuttered factories, and a lot more homeless people that I ever could have imaged. It is a sad sight to see today.
Before I moved from Ohio, there was a time I remember when everyone was employed, with well-paying jobs, both union and non-union, huge factories like NCR, Delco Moraine, the Inland division of GM, Frigidaire, which later became the Chevrolet S-10 pick-up assembly plant, and so many machine and job shops in every corner of the city, you couldn’t even count them, almost all of whom depended on the Big 3 in Detroit MI for the consistent stream of work they needed. Heck, even the guidance counselors in my high school made sure there were just as many kids going into industrial arts classes to learn a trade or two, as there were of those heading to college, because they wanted to make sure students going into the trades would keep a strong workforce in town. Unfortunately, that has all changed when the Big 3 started to close their factories.
Getting back to the trip, some on here know I grew up in the inner city of Dayton, walking distance to downtown. The Carillon Historic Park, the Packard Museum, and the Oregon District, where the mass shooting occurred, are all within 5 minutes of where I grew up and is where my father still lives.
Sunday morning, we had plans to go to church. The 10:30 mass at Emmanuel Catholic church, his parish, was too late in the day for me, so on Saturday, we decided to go to Holy Trinity church for Sunday mass at 8:30 instead. This church happens to be in the Oregon District.
When I turned on the news Sunday morning from our hotel room, I could not believe what I was seeing, as the reports came in of the massacre that occurred at Ned Peppers bar in the Oregon District. I called my dad and told him to turn on channel 7 news. With a gasp, he said “Oh my God”. I told him, I’d be right over.
We drove through the Oregon District several times on Saturday, as we were driving around Dayton the day before. This neighborhood used to be run-down with many of the poor living in the area. In the mid 1970’s there was a revitalization of the area that had started to take place, because of the historic homes and mansions in the area. They were selling for $1K to $5K at the time. Today, it is a very nice neighborhood, commanding some of the highest property values in the city limits of Dayton. But the bar scene on 5th Street where the shooting happened, seems to be a place where “crime of opportunity” is becoming more prevalent, and most of the local homeowners do not even go there anymore.
I left Dayton 35 years ago because I was constantly being laid off from the many machine shops I had worked. It shocks me how far Dayton has deteriorated, in every aspect, in such a short period of time.
The Pretenders song is based on Akron Ohio, but every time I hear it, it reminds me of my hometown. This song came out in 1984, the same year I left Dayton.
Pics of the Oregon District, Sunday morning, August 4th, 2019.
The second pic is from the corner where Holy Trinity church is located. It was that close!
Saturday morning we went to Carillon Historic Park, which includes historic buildings and exhibits of employers that once were headquartered in Dayton, as well as biographies of the inventors who once called Dayton their home. Many of these engineering pioneers changed history during the Industrial Revolution, and are recognized for making America the great country it is today.
Later in the afternoon, we went to the Packard Museum. What an amazing place to see. There are so many classic cars in the museum, from the early 1900’s to 1956, when they were last produced. Many of the cars are owned for the displays but there are many others that have been donated to the museum. But it’s not only cars, there are full displays, such as the real life showroom, with general manager and salesmen’s offices included, a full garage that makes you feel like you are standing in the place in 1928, a full library and many pieces of Packard memorabilia.
I’ll post pics of Carillon Historic Park and the Packard Museum in their own threads later.
When we left the Packard Museum, we drove through Dayton into several of the neighborhoods where we once lived. It is quite evident the Gem City, as it was once known, is in a state of decay, with many of these neighborhoods overtaken by crime and drug gangs, abandoned or burned downed housing, shuttered factories, and a lot more homeless people that I ever could have imaged. It is a sad sight to see today.
Before I moved from Ohio, there was a time I remember when everyone was employed, with well-paying jobs, both union and non-union, huge factories like NCR, Delco Moraine, the Inland division of GM, Frigidaire, which later became the Chevrolet S-10 pick-up assembly plant, and so many machine and job shops in every corner of the city, you couldn’t even count them, almost all of whom depended on the Big 3 in Detroit MI for the consistent stream of work they needed. Heck, even the guidance counselors in my high school made sure there were just as many kids going into industrial arts classes to learn a trade or two, as there were of those heading to college, because they wanted to make sure students going into the trades would keep a strong workforce in town. Unfortunately, that has all changed when the Big 3 started to close their factories.
Getting back to the trip, some on here know I grew up in the inner city of Dayton, walking distance to downtown. The Carillon Historic Park, the Packard Museum, and the Oregon District, where the mass shooting occurred, are all within 5 minutes of where I grew up and is where my father still lives.
Sunday morning, we had plans to go to church. The 10:30 mass at Emmanuel Catholic church, his parish, was too late in the day for me, so on Saturday, we decided to go to Holy Trinity church for Sunday mass at 8:30 instead. This church happens to be in the Oregon District.
When I turned on the news Sunday morning from our hotel room, I could not believe what I was seeing, as the reports came in of the massacre that occurred at Ned Peppers bar in the Oregon District. I called my dad and told him to turn on channel 7 news. With a gasp, he said “Oh my God”. I told him, I’d be right over.
We drove through the Oregon District several times on Saturday, as we were driving around Dayton the day before. This neighborhood used to be run-down with many of the poor living in the area. In the mid 1970’s there was a revitalization of the area that had started to take place, because of the historic homes and mansions in the area. They were selling for $1K to $5K at the time. Today, it is a very nice neighborhood, commanding some of the highest property values in the city limits of Dayton. But the bar scene on 5th Street where the shooting happened, seems to be a place where “crime of opportunity” is becoming more prevalent, and most of the local homeowners do not even go there anymore.
I left Dayton 35 years ago because I was constantly being laid off from the many machine shops I had worked. It shocks me how far Dayton has deteriorated, in every aspect, in such a short period of time.
The Pretenders song is based on Akron Ohio, but every time I hear it, it reminds me of my hometown. This song came out in 1984, the same year I left Dayton.
Pics of the Oregon District, Sunday morning, August 4th, 2019.
The second pic is from the corner where Holy Trinity church is located. It was that close!
