Following the worst natural disaster in Ohio history, the 1913 flood, Dayton’s leaders established the Miami Conservancy District (MCD) to ensure that the region would be protected from future flooding disasters.
A system of five dams was developed to prevent catastrophic flooding, including the Germantown Dam, completed in 1920. See About Dam Time for Repairs
To ensure the longevity of the organization and its mission, Colonel Edward Deeds gifted the headquarters building to the Miami Conservancy District in 1915.
The building features many of its original fixtures and staircase and is built from Indiana limestone.
The building remains the home of the MCD and was open to the public in late June. TWIN CREEK TIMES editor and publisher Holly Michael attended the event on Monument Avenue in downtown Dayton.
The event included free burgers from Miamisburg’s Hamburger Wagons, a business that was created to feed people in the aftermath of the 1913 flood.
The MCD offered tours of the building, along with special displays of history.
The sign above shows how railroad tracks were used to haul the heavy construction equipment through Germantown to the site of the dam construction.
This display shows how Twin Creek was diverted while the concrete was poured for the dam conduits that were recently updated, after 100 years.
Dayton’s leaders, including Colonel Edward Deeds visited the concrete tablet that is in place on Conservancy Road, right as you cross the dam.
A whole community of workers lived by the base of the dam, often with their families.
The large building in this photo was a mess hall for workers and remains in place today at the base of the dam.
This trilobite fossil from Huffman Dam is in the Smithsonian. The Boonshoft Museum in Dayton has a cast that was made in the 1920s.
If you’ve read this far, you may be interested in this patch from the MCD. Email [email protected] with your name and address, and we’ll ship it out. (We only have one, so first come, first served.)
The building is across the street from Riverscape along the Great Miami River.
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