Jordan's Post #5: Finberg's concentric circles demonstrated in the 2nd Lincoln-Douglas Debate

            As stated in Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You by Kyvig and Marty, local history does not exist in a vacuum. Local history topics are interconnected with a variety of other subjects that impact each other. Local history can also have an effect at a national level. Finberg argues that history often works as concentric circles; local history can exhibit a ripple effect and have a national impact. An example of this ripple effect occurred in the 2^nd Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Freeport, Illinois. On August 27, 1858, Abraham Lincoln debated Frederick Douglas in a battle for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois. This debate was the 2^nd in a series of seven debates across the major voting sections of Illinois. The newspapers estimated that about 15,000 people showed up to witness the two men in contention for the U.S. Senate seat. The audience could participate by shouting questions and/or applauding during the debate. Lincoln opened the debate and spoke for an hour. Douglas followed with a speech that lasted an hour and a half and the debate was concluded with a half hour speech from Lincoln. The second debate is usually regarded as the most important of these debates because of its national importance. Douglas, during his hour and a half speech, responded to a question posed by Lincoln concerning the ability of citizens to determine slavery’s role in a new state. Douglas promoted the concept of popular sovereignty when he stated, “I answer emphatically, as Mr. Lincoln has heard me answer a hundred times from every stump in Illinois, that in my opinion the people of a Territory can, by lawful means, exclude slavery from their limits prior to the formation of a State Constitution.” This concept became known as the Freeport Doctrine because of the location of Douglas’ speech. The Freeport Doctrine was a major point of contention in the Democratic Party during the 1860 Presidential election. Many believe that this doctrine caused the split in the Democratic Party and resulted in Lincoln’s victory over Douglas and others in the 1860 Presidential election. Finberg’s concept of concentric circles is demonstrated in the Freeport Doctrine. The debate had local, statewide, and nationwide impacts. Freeport was and is a small town in Illinois. The Lincoln-Douglas debate is perhaps the greatest piece of local history that it continues to celebrate. The debate has become the go-to research topic from elementary school and upward and is commemorated in a series of displays and two statues of the speakers in a park near the town’s library. Although the second Lincoln-Douglas Debate is especially meaningful to the citizens of Freeport, the debate also demonstrated immense significance on a national level.

http://www.ushistory.org/us/32b.asp 

http://stephenson-county-il.org/directory/lincoln-douglas-debate-square/

http://www.ushistory.org/us/32b.asp

   

Jordan's Post #4: Cincinnati's interest in the Dayton Gems

            Hockey has never been the most popular sport in America, but it has a significant and devoted fan base. From 1964 through 1980, Dayton had its own minor league hockey team: the Dayton Gems. In 1970, the Gems debated a move to Cincinnati. During this year, the Cincinnati Gardens, a 10,000 seat arena in Cincinnati, expressed its desire to acquire a hockey team. Larry Sadoff, the general manager of the Cincinnati Gardens, didn’t care which league could come to Cincinnati, he just wanted a team. Sadoff explained, “It’s almost that simple. We want a franchise and we’re not particular whether it’s an American League, IHL or what have you. We need hockey in the building.” “Lefty” McFadden, general manager of the Dayton Gems and hockey’s minor league executive of the year, went to the annual National Hockey League meetings with the goal of helping Cincinnati bring in a new team. He recognized that, down the road, this could bring competition to the gems, but he saw the benefits of hockey in Cincy. Two AHL teams needed new homes. One of them was interested in Larry Wilson (long time Gem player and coach) to coach their team if they moved to Cincinnati. Lefty was approached by the Cincinnati Gardens and was asked to move the Gems to Cincinnati. Lefty didn’t want to move, but “if that’s the way the ball bounces, that’s the way it’ll have to be.” The discussion could have been attributed to the uncertainty concerning the Dayton venue for the next season. The Wampler brothers, owners of Dayton’s Hara Arena, had not settled with the Gems on a contract for the next season. The proposal by Larry Sadoff and the Cincinnati Gardens compelled Club President Jack Walker to present the idea to the stockholders of the Dayton Gems. Five major stockholders committed to the move, but the rest needed more time to consider the move. In the end, there wasn’t enough time before the start of the next season for the Gems to make the move to Cincinnati. Jack Walker admitted that this lack of time and public sentiment convinced them to stay for at least one more year. The club had also come to a verbal agreement with the Wampler brothers for the 1970-1971 season. I imagine that Jack Walker and Lefty McFadden had used the interest by the Cincinnati Gardens to pressure the brothers into an agreement.

Dayton Gems Records 1970-1971. MS-107. Wright State Special Collections and Archives. Wright State University: Dayton, OH. 

Articles used...

“‘Lefty’ watching Cincy closely”

“Cincinnati Makes Pitch for Gems”

“Gems to stay in ’70-71-Walker”

Jordan's Post #3: Deeds and Kettering letter

            The turn of the twentieth century was a unique time in Dayton’s history. Dayton was a thriving community of business and innovation. John Patterson had established the National Cash Register Company (NCR) on a new business and sales model that was extremely successful. Two of his subordinates made names for themselves and perhaps surpassed Patterson in fame and accomplishment. Edward A. Deeds and Charles F. Kettering had both worked for Patterson and NCR. Eventually, they both formed Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO). This move helped launch their careers. Deeds became prominent locally through business and particularly through his efforts in the Miami Conservancy District after the flood in 1913. Kettering became known nationally as a great inventor through his more than three hundred patents. These two men were perhaps overshadowed by the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers. It is rare for cities to have been the home of any man as accomplished as these, but Dayton had many during one period of time. The fact is that these great men were in contact with each other. Their close proximity had allowed them to associate with each other. Dayton was not an intellectual island. Rather, great men of business and innovation were often in close contact. This connection greatly benefited Deeds and Kettering. They continued to write and work with each other at various times throughout their lives. In December 1940, Deeds wrote Kettering concerning the death of a colleague named George Smith. Apparently, Smith’s death was unexpected and he had been working on a business transaction that involved both Deeds and Kettering. This letter confirms that Kettering and Deeds were still working together nearly forty years after Deeds had hired Kettering at NCR in 1904. The second half of this letter concerned the upcoming holidays. Deeds wrote that he will spend Christmas with his grandchildren in Hartford and he assumed that Kettering would spend time with his grandchildren in La Grange. Deeds wrote, “If I have kept proper count, we each have three reasons for a Merry Christmas.” Fortunately, they would continue to keep in contact during the 1950s. I would like to imagine that they were good friends until they died about a year and a half apart.

The Kettering Family Papers. MS-363, Box 7. Wright State Special Collections and Archives. Wright State University: Dayton, OH.

Jordan's Post #2: Narrative account of a child during Dayton's Great Flood of 1913

            On March 25, 1913, just like any other school day morning, John Braun was woken up by his mother. As he made his way down the stairs, he could hear whistles and bells making loud noises outside. His mother explained that these alarms were warnings of an impending flood. As a ten year old, all of the commotion was very exciting to John. He expected to go to the school at Holy Rosary, but this day was different. The events of that tragic day prevented John from going to school that day and several days after. Since he lived on Light Street, John and his family were only a few blocks away from the flooding Mad River. John and his father left the house in order to discover the cause of all the turmoil. When they had reached the river, they realized the danger at once. The levee had broken and water began to rush down the street. The pair hurried home in order to warn the family of the imminent disaster. When they arrived at the house, they scrambled to move their possessions from the basement to the higher levels. After successfully completing one trip upstairs with a sack of potatoes, John scuttled back downstairs. As he descended the stairs, he quickly stopped because he couldn’t see the basement floor. John’s father quickly lit a match and, to their horror, the basement was full of water. In a panic, the family scurried to the second floor. John, his parents, his four siblings, and his grandma could all hear the water rising on the floor below. As the water filled the house, they could hear the furniture on the ground floor bumping the ceiling. They looked out their window and they could see the water swirling around the houses in their neighborhood. They saw their neighbors attempt an escape. The neighbors had piled into a motorboat, but, because of the fierce current, the boat overturned and the neighbors disappeared into the muddy waters. As night came and darkness descended, John and his family were filled with horror. In the distance, they could see downtown Dayton ablaze with uncontrollable fires. They could hear screaming and cries for help throughout the night. John’s parents did not know what was going to happen. They determined that if the waters were to rise even higher and flood the house, they would tie the family together and all die together. Although they were hungry and cold, they survived the night. Since the adjacent house was on higher ground, John’s dad knocked a hole in the wall and put down a plank that connected their home to their neighbor’s house. His parents told John that he was the first to cross. They tied a rope around him and he began to balance on the plank. When he reached halfway across, John stopped and looked down at the water. John’s father told him to be brave and encouraged him to push on to the other house. John made it safely across and the rest of the family made it without an accident. They stayed at their neighbor’s house through the rest of the day and night and ate potatoes and raw eggs to avoid starvation. On the third day, they saw some people in a rowboat approach the house. They had enough room for John, his sister Sarah, and his grandma. The rescuers docked somewhere near Valley Street and Chapel Street. Once the whole family was reunited, they found a family to stay with until the waters subsided. When the flooding had finally ceased, John and his father returned to the house to examine the damages. Their neighborhood was a mess. Their home was in shambles, debris filled the street, and mud was everywhere. John was frightened by the sight of a dead horse on the road. When he glanced across the street, he saw the motorboat overturned. The days of late March 1913 were full of tragedy. John couldn’t forget and he carried the memory of the events of those days into his old age.

Harrington 1913 Flood collection, SC-92. Wright State Special Collections and Archives.Wright State University: Dayton, OH.

As we have discussed so many local history topics one idea that resonates with me is the legacy of labor jobs here. The vast majority of citizens here in Dayton have a predisposition to look for Labor jobs. The issue is...the labor jobs aren't here or nearby. What's the historical president for this? What has Dayton done in the past to rejuvenate itself economically?  These are questions I think are important and need to be discussed as a community.