Politics Quilt

Ohio History

Journey of Equality

This quilt chronicles the journey of social equality through the legislative and judicial systems. Boxes of text around the outside display judiciary rulings, social protests and boycotts, and legislative bills, including, of course, the Civil Rights Act. The pictures inserted in between each box of information give a uniquely personal view of the journey - from the houses and churches where the day to day struggle took place, to the celebration of each small success. And framed in the center, appropriately, is the White House, the center of the political struggle. On an artistic note, did you notice that small pieces from the outer blue squares are combined to make a frame in the center? Combined with the swirling watercolored fabrics, these repeated colors help unify and brighten up the quilt.

Underground Railroad

Ohio History

The Journey Ends

Our quilt journey continued from the plantation to the Underground Railroad. A green snaking path amid forest browns symbolized the winding and treacherous path to freedom. Markers commemorated the Underground Railroad stations in northeast Ohio, many of them in Cleveland where certain freedom was just across Lake Erie. Old photographs transferred onto fabric made a very interesting representation of these stations. Below, in another portion of the quilt, we see the runaway slaves hiding in the bare trees under the light of the moon, moving stealthily toward the north. It is difficult to even comprehend what these slaves went through for the right to live in freedom.

Instruments

Ohio History

Making Music

We also enjoyed examining a display of traditional African instruments. Many were made and played by African Americans in early America as well. The topmost instrument was fairly recognizable as a xylophone, but the others were more difficult to distinguish. I am sure they all had special names, but sadly I do not remember them. On the right are some kind of morocco or shaker instruments, and the one beside those looks suspiciously like a guitar. I have played a typical guitar, and I really must say I think this one looks as though it could fall apart if it got into my hands!

African Drum

 This instrument is the "Dun Dun Drum" and originates from West Africa. It is also called the African Talking Drum since the drummer can actually change the pitch of the drum. This is accomplished by squeezing and releasing the strings that run the length of the drum, which changed the size of the drum and thus the sound produced. These drums could be used to send messages and announce visiting groups from very long distances.

Ethnic Dolls

Ohio History

Rainbow of Dolls

Moving through time, here is the next generation of dolls. Many still look handmade, though probably sewn on a machine from store-bought cloth. Aren't the Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy just adorable? You might have noticed the extreme range of skin colors of the dolls, from beige and bronze to mahogany and olive brown. In fact, a number of dolls preserved from this time period have overly exaggerated features and skin colors. This no doubt came from the strong prejudice against African Americans at the time. Thankfully, realistic dolls were also made during this time. Despite the skin color, I just had to include a close-up of the Grandma dolly doing her sewing in her little rocking chair.

Grandma Dolly

Bicycle Equipment

Ohio History

Bicycle Equipment

 Here you can see some of the machinery Orville and Wilbur Wright used, located in the back of the shop. The brothers started out their business by repairing friends' bikes. But they soon began to actually build and sell their own lines of bicycles. Their brands, the Van Cleve and St. Claire, were designed by the brothers and, of course, had improved features. The cheapest bicycle cost $50, which would be worth about $1000 now. They offered installment payment plans, as well as discounts for trade-ins. In fact, as we read on a sign there, the Wrights gave one of the trade-ins, a Viking bicycle, to their friend Paul Lawrence Dunbar (remember him?). Talk about entrepreneurs!

Wright Cycle Shop

Ohio History

Bicycle Shop

For our next stop in Dayton, we headed just down the street to the Wright Cycle Co. The brothers were fascinated by bicycles and opened their first shop in 1892. They actually operated in five consecutive locations during the ensuing 16 years. The buildings were almost all located on the same street; they must have constantly needed larger quarters for the flourishing business. The shop above, used from 1895-1897, is the only one still standing. The fifth and last building, in fact, was turned into a machine shop to experiment with building airplanes around 1902. 

Bicycle Counter

The front counter in the Wright Cycle Shop was well-stocked with all kinds of bicycle parts. I could just imagine a grease-streaked clerk standing behind the counter as townspeople filtered in and out wheeling those old-fashioned bicycles with the huge front wheels.

Wright Planes

Ohio History

Airplane Motor

Here is a real motor from one of the Wrights' early airplanes. One of the major problems was getting a motor light enough, yet with enough power to keep the plane in the air. It was pretty amazing! Of course we all know these hours of experimentation culminated in the successful 59-second flight at Kitty Hawk in December 1903. But that was not the first plane built. Check out the model of the 1900 glider in the lower picture below. The wing system worked but it was too large to lift off or control. By contrast, the upper glider, built two years later, featured both a forward elevator and a rudder to allow the pilot complete control of the craft. It paved the way for the motor-powered flights at Kitty Hawk the next year.

1902 & 1900 Planes

The thrill of the first flight at Kitty Hawk was slighty dampened by the ensuing crash and complete wreck of the plane. When the brothers returned home, they practically had to start from scratch. Then they'd test the plane, go back and make adjustments, test again. Making repeated trips from Dayton, Ohio to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina soon became long, tiresome, and expensive. Especially when a cow pasture eight miles from home would do the job. So the Wrights began to test fly planes at a large and secluded field called Huffman Prairie, just outside Dayton. It worked alright, as long as they avoided the barbed wire and trees. In two years they had perfected their planes for the market.

I have in fact visited Huffman Prairie (it doesn't look much different from other fields) but sadly I have no pictures. Well, that is where the story ended at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. Stay with me a moment while we 'cycle' back to the Wright brothers' early days . . . and the bicycle shop.

Wright Notes

Ohio History

Flying Figures

The experience in their printing shop and later in making bicycles sharpened the mechanical genius of the Wright brothers' minds. They worked long hours to figure a way that was mathematically possible to keep a craft airborne. I found this page of notes from their figuring very intriguing . . . although I have absolutely no idea what it means! The brothers built their first plane in 1899 based on this theory and tested it in Dayton. It worked surprisingly well. Taking off on this experiment, they designed a much larger glider in 1900. However, it was a step in the wrong direction: very awkward and difficult to control. A bit discouraged, the Wrights persevered and built yet a new design. Then, of course, it was off to Kitty Hawk to make history.

Poet & Printers

Ohio History

Dunbar Wallpaper

Finally, we reach the three historical figures for which the museum was named. What in the world does a picture of a wall have to do with this? Well, the sample of wallpaper above is actually over 100 years old, and do you know where it came from? The home of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, first internationally-known African-American poet and writer--and native of Dayton. This museum did not have many relics from the illustrious writer, since of course most are still at the Dunbar House, which we visited a while back. (Click right here for more info on Dunbar's life and story.)

But the Wright-Dunbar Center did have many quotes from Dunbar's poems, including one which seemed to lead into our next subject:

"What dreams we have, and how they fly,

Like rosy clouds across the sky."

Wright Printers

How their dreams did fly! Literally. But the Wright brothers did not start their career in the air. As boys, Orville and Wilbur Wright loved to invent and try new things. So it was only natural to open a printing shop in 1889 and publish their own newspaper, The West Side News. You can see a copy of the paper in the exhibit above, as well as some of the commercial orders the brothers did. But there's more: the Wright print shop also printed the Dayton Tattler, published by Paul Lawrence Dunbar himself.

Dayton General Store

Ohio History

Old-Fashioned Shopping

On a lighter note, one room of the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center was set aside as a general store from the early twentieth century. It was amazing to see all the boxes and cans already lining the 'grocery store' shelves! We enjoying posing by the life-size figures dressed in period clothing in the store. We looked a little out of place in the pictures though! I enjoyed examining the variety of colorful cans lining the shelves. There were even bins of (fake) dried fruit waiting to be scooped out.

Sewing Machine

Ohio History

Davis Sewing Machine

A sewing machine was the next item on exhibit at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. The old and intricate machine was amazing to study, as well as the complicated diagram behind it. It was manufactured by the Davis Sewing Machine Company, which was founded in 1868 in Watertown, New York. It capitalized on improvements made to Elias Howe's sewing machine by inventor Job Davis. In 1890, the company was changed ownership and moved to Dayton, Ohio. It employed a large number of residents there and supported local industries. Davis Co. was sold to the National Sewing Machine Co. in 1924, essentially ending the production of sewing machines in Dayton. The factory became the Huffman Bicycle Factory and continued to be a significant manufacturer in Dayton...until it moved to Mexico in 1999. I never dreamed there could be that much history behind a sewing machine.

Dayton Cash Registers

Ohio History

Ritty Register

Despite its name, the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center also featured a number of not-as-famous Dayton accomplishments. We saw them first. You probably don't recognize this photo, but it is the very same cash register that appeared on my blog under another name: the Patterson cash register. Yes, I was confused too, but here's the story:

 

James Ritty owned a dining house in Dayton where the employees were always stealing money from sales. He and his brother began working on the idea of a machine that could record sales. Their first model resembled a clock, the clock hands indicating dollars and cents (imagine that!). They altered the design so that keys input specific money amounts, and patented it in 1879 as "Ritty's Incorruptible Cashier." James Ritty opened a small factory to manufacture his cash registers.

Overwhelmed by running two businesses, Ritty sold the factory to Jacob Eckert (a glass salesman) who formed the National Manufacturing Company. Eckert, in turn, sold the business to John Patterson in 1884. Patterson renamed it the National Cash Register Company (NCR) and proceeded to build his business. He improved the cash register further, adding receipt paper and mechanized components, with the help of inventor Charles F. Kettering. Did you know that NCR was acquired by AT&T in the 1990s? Now it makes electronic cash registers.

Wright-Dunbar Center

Ohio History

Dayton History

While we wait for those chicks to grow and spring to arrive, let's take another trip to Dayton, Ohio. Yes, I know we've already been all around Dayton--the Boonshoft Museum, Dunbar House, Carriage Hill Metropark, Patterson House,--but we have in fact only scratched the surface. Above all these sites, Dayton is most famous as the home of Orville and Wilbur Wright. There are many fascinating places to explore the history of flight within the city. But did you know that writer Paul Lawrence Dunbar was connected to the Wright Brothers? I didn't either until I visited the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center in downtown Dayton. Let's stop there first to learn some Dayton history!

Patterson Irises

Ohio History

More Irises

Yes, I had to do another iris-bow picture! I’ve never seen irises with such unique colors before—or ones so large for that matter. The little yellow ones in the back are irises too, looking a little wilted I think. The garden also featured large yellow irises, forget-me-nots, pink columbine, daisies, roses, hen-and-chicks, and some spiky cactus-looking flowers. Well-weeded dirt and stone paths led amid the foliage. And to think the Pattersons had it at their back door!
PS: See a professional quality photo from the Patterson gardens over at JBeachyPhotography!

Columbines

Ohio History

Purple Bells

These delicate, royal-purple bells hung gracefully against the backdrop of the majestic Patterson house below a brilliant blue sky. Really, they were quite a treat! Columbines aren’t easy to grow, and the plants in this garden were very large. We were actually given a couple purple columbine plants this year, and having four little flowers was a real success!! The little bells on the blossoms are so delicate—it seems like some exotic flower!

Patterson Gardens

Ohio History

Irises in a Row

The Patterson House boasted a beautiful garden in the back. In fact, we actually saw it before touring the house, because we arrived about a half hour before the place opened! There were rainbows of flowers blooming that time of year, including some rather unusual ones. These stunning irises were my favorite—they looked like little bows!

Pink Blossoms

These flowers belong to a small tree that grew near the house. The blossoms are such a deep pink, and so delicate too. The tree almost looked like a sumac at first, but the flowers are much too small. Really, I haven’t the faintest idea what they are. Anybody else have a guess?

Company Workers

Ohio History

NCR Workers Assembling Cash Registers

And last, but not least: the workers themselves. NCR was not a typical factory environment. Mr. Patterson was convinced that happy workers made better machines. After a return of $50,000 worth of defective cash registers in 1894, he began a reform that began with building larger working areas with lots of window for light. The company also offered employee benefits like cheap meals, health care, and a library—revolutionary for its time. The National Cash Register Co. became very successful with these changes, and I think it’s still in business today.

Nat. Cash Reg. Co.

Ohio History

Cash Register Models

Mr. Patterson realized that the cash register would save stores a lot of money if only they would use them. In 1884, John and Frank Patterson bought the National Manufacturing Co. for $6,500, and changed its name to The National Cash Register Company (NCR). They advertised cash registers on the premise that stores would make more profits and lose less money, since employees could no longer steal money from the store. To the right above is an 1885 3-key demo model of a cash register. The one on the left demonstrates the remarkable improvements the Pattersons made to the machines!

Front Steps of NCR

No, you’re not seeing things—this is a picture of 543 cash registers all manufactured on one day at NCR! Needless to say, the Pattersons’ company was extremely successful and grew rapidly. One reason for this was NCR’s sales agents. Mr. Patterson actually had a camp on his estate where he trained future salesmen to standards far above the business world of the time.

Cash Register

Ohio History

Wooden Cash Register

As a toll-collector on the Miami & Erie Canal in Dayton, John H. Patterson was constantly accused of charging higher rates to canal boat captains than other collectors. He developed a unique receipt system on ledgers to show each toll rate paid. Mr. Patterson also owned a coal mining company 100 miles southeast of Dayton. Based on sales, he knew they should be making a profit; however, the business kept losing money. Mr. Patterson purchased a new-on-the-market machine called a “cash register” for $50. Within weeks, the profits soared! Here was a solution for sale clerks and employees with sticky fingers….

Patterson Rooms

Ohio History

Typical Dining Room

Six rooms of the Patterson House were filled with period furniture and décor, while several upstairs rooms displayed models and pictures of their cash registers. The original house was only the two pictured rooms and an upstairs; a large parlor with 20th century furniture was added on later. The house was built by Col. Patterson, and used by three generations of the family, including John H. Patterson’s family. Please don’t ask whose picture is hanging over the fireplace, since I’m sorry I don’t remember what the tour guide told us!

Patterson Sitting Room