Dayton Historical Society

04/23/2026

The Dayton Rotary Club is turning 100 years old. In doing the research for the program, they did not realize how deeply connected they were to the rich history of their town. The Rotarians seek to give tribute to the founding fathers’ roots in farming, ranching and agriculture.
Rotary President, Dr. Luke Chachere and Rotarian, Dr. Jessica Johnson will be presenting a program to the Dayton Historical Society on Monday, April 27. “The 20 charter members were true leaders, not only in Rotary, but in the community, the school, and in the local churches. They were a close -knit group of men, bound by strong values, driven by vision, and passionate about the town they called home,” stated President Dr. Chachere. Everyone is invited to attend the DHS meeting to hear about the club’s charter members, the service projects throughout the years, view memorabilia, learn about their history, and to reminisce stories. The meeting will take place at Parker Hall, located behind The Old School Museum at 6:00 pm.

SEE YOU MONDAY EVENING.

03/30/2026

Dayton Historical Society’s monthly meeting being held Monday, March 30, 2026 will feature Daytonite Janette Goulder-Frick as guest speaker. A retired employee of Boeing’s Space Exploration division in Clear Lake, she will be speaking about Chris Roosa and the Moon Tree project from which a tree was planted at Dayton’s Community Center.
The eldest son of Apollo 14 mission astronaut and pilot Stuart Roosa, Christopher Roosa became familiar with Dayton since his parents were friends of Daytonites Bob and Mary Beth Jamison.

Janette’s interest in the subject stems from having worked in Boeing’s space exploration division for 10 years as an information systems project manager in Clearlake, Texas where she managed a staff of software engineers, reported project status to NASA management and made business trips to Cape Canaveral as needed.

01/09/2026

The Dayton Historical Society will hold our first meeting of the new year on Monday, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m. at Parker Hall.

This month’s guest speaker will be Cathy Harbour, and she will tell the tale of the courthouses of Texas, including the seven courthouses of Liberty County.

All are welcome to the meeting, and anyone interested in the history of Dayton and the surrounding areas is invited to come.

Parker Hall is located behind the Old School Museum, 111 W. Houston St., Dayton.

01/09/2026

The Dayton Historical Society is holding a marker dedication in memory of Danny Bode, beloved friend, historian, educator and past president of the DHS. The community is invited to join at the Dayton Community Center on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. as we honor our late friend.

12/02/2025

Dayton Historical Society officers for 2026-27: Treasurer Cynthia Miller, Secretary Mary Ellen Conner, President Russell Payne, First Vice President Larry Wadzeck, Second Vice President Ailene Parker, and Museum Curator Caroline Wadzeck.

10/19/2025

Rags to Riches: Louis Friedman

Dayton Historical Society will hear a program at their next meeting about an important early Dayton businessman named Louis Friedman, who immigrated to the U.S. from Hungary in 1887 and was living in Dayton before 1895. He established the first mercantile store in Dayton that he called Friedman’s Store. He began his business with $5,000 worth of merchandise and in a few short years, developed it into a department store well-known throughout southeast Texas. It boasted six separate, distinct departments: dry goods, butane gas sales, hardware, lumber, building materials, and planing mill. It was Dayton’s largest store for years.

Friedman was also an important civic figure in Dayton and was known for his honesty and generosity. He passionately loved America because of the opportunities it afforded him and his family and people said of him that they never knew anyone more patriotic. Friedman and his wife Annie, who was also active in the community, had seven children. Later, their entrepreneurship took them to live in Houston, but they never forgot the place that gave them a great start in life.

The Society will meet on Monday evening, October 27 at 6:00 p.m. at Parker Hall, located behind The Old School Museum on Houston Street. They cordially welcome the public to join them to hear about one of Dayton’s great success stories that will be presented by Caroline Wadzeck.

09/18/2025

DISD Superintendent to speak at next meeting

Dr. Travis Young, Dayton’s new Superintendent of Schools but not new to Dayton, will provide the program to the Dayton Historical Society on September 29. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at Parker Hall, located behind The Old School Museum. Dr. Young will provide updates on the current status of district initiatives. He will also reflect on his first 90 days serving as Superintendent, highlighting progress and insights. His focus will include student enrollment, accountability measures, and fostering a strong sense of belonging within our school community, emphasizing Bronco PRIDE. The public is cordially invited to attend this informative meeting and bring any questions you may have to ask about Dayton’s schools.

09/09/2025

Dayton City Manager Derek Woods encourages you to come spend some time exploring the exhibits at The Old School Museum in Dayton. It’s open for visitors on Saturdays from 10 – 2 and it’s free of charge. The friendly docents are ready to welcome you and help you find the answers to these questions:

· Who was Dayton’s 1st Mayor? (it’s not who you think). There’s a photo gallery of all of Dayton’s Mayors and DISD Superintendents.

· When was the Dayton Volunteer Fire Dept. founded? How much did it cost to outfit a Dayton firefighter in 2017? (much more than you’d think)

· Who were the brave men who wore the displayed service uniforms in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm?

The museum is located at 111 W. Houston Street (behind Walgreens) – we look forward to seeing you soon!

08/21/2025

The next meeting of the Dayton Historical Society will be Monday, August 25, 6:00 pm, at Parker Hall located behind The Old School Museum. The program will highlight the Dayton ISD Sports Hall of Fame inductees who have also been inducted into their college HOF. Be sure to come hear about some of Dayton’s finest athletes.
Pictured is Rick Eggleston, a 1985 Dayton High School graduate and 2018 Dayton ISD Hall of Fame inductee who was also elected to the SHSU Athletic Hall of Honor in 1999.

07/17/2025

42nd Anniversary Meeting of Dayton Historical Society
Honoring Mary Beth Jamison - Founder of the Society

Date: Monday, July 28
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Place: Parker Hall

Review of DHS highlights through the years
Appreciation of our museum docents
Hot dog dinner served

Your attendance requested

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