A history of Dayton,
since 1832
Postcards, papers and photographs of Dayton from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Dayton began to be settled in the early 19th century, with a town survey done and a "public well" established in 1832. The post office was established in 1837. It was incorporated on January 13, 1844. A devastating tornado hit the town in 1852. By 1860 the town had male and female academies, a hotel, cotton gin, oil mill, blacksmith shop, tavern, cabinet shop, drug store, and several general merchandise stores. The town also had several large homes, though most are now gone. One of the survivors, the William Poole House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The decrease in agricultural activity over the last century has reduced the population to a fraction of what it once was.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Dayton’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewBARN (WEST, FRONT) - Magnolia Gro…, 1933: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Dayton
See all 2 →
Dayton, decade by decade
CommonsBARN (WEST, FRONT) - Magnolia Grove, State Highway 25, Dayt…1933
CommonsCABINS TO REAR OF HOME - Magnolia Grove, State Highway 25, …1933
CommonsCLOSE UP OF FRONT, FACES WEST - Walton-Bruce House, State H…1933
CommonsCLOSE- UP OF FRONT ENTRANCE - Magnolia Grove, State Highway…1933
CommonsCLOSE- UP OF NORTH END OF FRONT ELEVATION - Magnolia Grove,…1933
CommonsDOOR IN SO. WALL OF S. W. BED ROOM, SECOND FLOOR - Magnolia…19331990s
1 historic place in Dayton
1 place in Dayton is on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as BARN (WEST, FRONT) - Magnolia Grove, State Highway 25, Dayton, Marengo County, AL HABS ALA,46-DAYT,2-14 (1933) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.