Dayton’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Dayton. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Dayton was founded in the 1860s. A town site plat was filed by Jesse N. and Elizabeth Day on November 23, 1871. The city was officially incorporated on November 10, 1881, and was named for Jesse Day.
Dayton has the oldest train depot in Washington state, dating from 1881, and the oldest continuously used courthouse, operating since 1887. The historic community of Baileysburg was situated about one mile southeast of Dayton, at the junction of North Touchet and South Touchet Roads.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the town underwent a $3 million restoration program, repairing the historic depot and historic courthouse, adding pedestrian amenities to Main Street, and creating a National Historic District.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Dayton’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dayton’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewInsurance office. Dayton, Washing…, 1941: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Dayton
See all 4 →
Dayton, decade by decade
1990s
18 historic places in Dayton
Dayton has 18 listings on the National Register, and they protect 155 historic buildings, because South Side Historic District alone counts 93.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 1974Oregon Railway and Navigation Company Depot-Dayton (formerly Dayton Depot)
Listed 1975Columbia County Courthouse
Listed 1986A. H. Bishop House
Listed 1986Andrew Nilsson House
Listed 1986Dexter House No. 1
Listed 1986Dexter House No. 2
Listed 1986Dr. Marcel Pietrzycki House
Listed 1986Frank Flintner House
Listed 1986Grover J. Israel House
Listed 1986J. A. Thronson House
Listed 1986Jacob Weinhard House
Listed 1986John Brining House
Listed 1986Mancel Kelley House
Listed 1986Mill House
Listed 1993Guernsey-Sturdevant BuildingListed 1986South Side Historic DistrictListed 1986Washington Street Historic DistrictListed 1999Downtown Dayton Historic DistrictThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Insurance office. Dayton, Washington. The majority of the wheat farmers in this section carry crop insurance (1941) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (4) and the National Register (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.