Museum Guide News

Carillon Historical Park is a 65-acre open-air history museum that serves as the main campus for Dayton History, with over 30 buildings to visit. We share the amazing stories of how Dayton changed the world! The Historical Park is in existence due to the generosity of Colonel Edward Andrew Deeds (1874–1960) and Edith Walton Deeds (1869–1947).

In the 1930s, while traveling in Bruges, Belgium, Edith, an accomplished musician, found inspiration in magnificent carillon music, and she dreamed of sharing this music with the people of Dayton. Edith’s dream became reality through the construction of Deeds Carillon—her most visible legacy to the community she loved.

In 1950, Carillon Historical Park’s Museum complex opened with the purpose of showcasing the region’s industrial innovations, transportation achievements, and Dayton’s contributions to world progress. Since construction first began on Deeds Carillon in 1940, the dreams of Edith and Edward Deeds have evolved into a beautiful 65-acre campus—designed by the Olmsted Brothers (the famed landscape architects responsible for Central Park)—containing dozens of museum buildings and countless artifacts. The Dayton region’s remarkable story continues to inspire visitors from around the world.

Here are the Things to Do and See at the Park!

Heritage Center of Dayton Manufacturing & Entrepreneurship - learn about innovation and invention! By the turn of the century, Dayton had more patents, per capita, than any U.S. city, and one-sixth of the nation’s corporate executives had spent a portion of their career at legendary Dayton company National Cash Register (NCR). Beginning in the mid-1800s, Dayton established itself as a center of manufacturing and entrepreneurship. Early Settlement Area Walk into life as an American settler! Consisting of Newcom Tavern (Dayton’s oldest standing building, ca. 1796), the William Morris House (ca. 1815), the Hetzel Summer Kitchen (1817), Newcom House (ca. 1841), the Watervliet Shaker Building (ca. 1819), and Locust Grove School No. 12 (1896), Carillon Historical Park’s Early Settlement Area recalls the early days of Dayton—a city that would grow and evolve to eventually change the world. The Wright Brothers National Museum, come discover Dayton’s rich past and see the original Wright Flyer III! Dayton is the birth place of the Wright brothers. Come and learn about them! The Print Shop Visit our fully-operational 1930s letterpress print shop! The Carillon Historical Park Print Shop is the nation’s only fully operational 1930s letterpress job shop in a museum. With authentic 1930s printing equipment and furnishings, the Print Shop harkens to a time when Dayton had 77 printing companies, ranging from one-person operations to McCall’s, which produced 4 million magazines daily, including Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, Reader’s Digest, Redbook, and Popular Science.The James F. Dicke Family Transportation Center Climb aboard one of the old trains in the world! The James F. Dicke Family Transportation Center houses the 1835 B&O #1, John Quincy Adams (the oldest existing American-built locomotive), a breathtaking Barney & Smith parlor railcar, an authentic Conestoga wagon, and many other exceptional transportation-themed artifacts. The Great 1913 Flood Exhibit  Learn about the Great 1913 Flood and how it shaped Dayton today! The Great 1913 Flood was Ohio’s worst natural disaster; waters reached 20 feet in low-lying areas and rushed up to 25 miles-per-hour. Gas lines broke, fires roared across town, and the Great Miami River swelled to more than a mile wide on either side. While over 1,400 horses died, the region only accounted for 361 human casualties, largely due to NCR’s massive relief efforts. History on the Hill & Moraine Trails Walk the trails and learn about the Moraine’s geological history! The History on the Hill Interpretive Center tells the story of the land on which Carillon Historical Park sits—its geological history, its settlement by the prehistoric Hopewell people, and its use as a segment of the Miami and Erie Canal. Featuring a number of exhilarating tunnel slides and the Archeology Adventure Zone, History on the Hill has become a popular spot for guests of all ages.

Along with these historical exhibits and musuems the park is also filled with entertainment, special events and festivals year-round. Come and see the rich history of Dayton, OH and how it help shape our Country! 

Open: Mon - Sat: 9:30am - 5:00pm, Sun: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
https://www.daytonhistory.org/