Webster Station in Dayton in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company

— Patterson Boulevard Canal Parkway —

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 4, 2024

1. The Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company Marker

Inscription.
The Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco) was founded in 1909 by Charles Kettering and Edward Deeds, and is best known for pioneering automobile innovations, such as the anti-knock fuel additive and the electric ignition self-starter switch. In 1915, Delco built a large research, production, and office building at 335 East First Street (A). Delco also used older buildings in the vicinity as research and office facilities. Research for the fuel additive was carried out in the old A.W. Nixon Tobacco Warehouse (B) at 144 Canal Street. The success of Delco brought other businesses, including the General Motors Frigidaire plant, to the district.

[Caption:]
The aerial photograph of Dayton from the mid-twentieth century shows part of the industrial district looking southeast from Monument Avenue. Patterson Boulevard replaced the Miami Erie Canal, and many of the canal buildings were removed to make room for newer industries such as Delco. Other canal buildings were razed to accommodate parking lots.

Erected 2017.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce

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• Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the The Miami & Erie Canal series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.

Location. 39° 45.719′ N, 84° 11.212′ W. Marker is in Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is in Webster Station. It is at the intersection of North Patterson Boulevard and East 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north on North Patterson Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 251 E 2nd St, Dayton OH 45402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Miami Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dayton, Ohio, 1854 (here, next to this marker); The Canal Building Legacy (here, next to this marker); The Canal Basin, 1887 (here, next to

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 4, 2024

2. The Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company Marker

this marker); The Canal and Dayton's Flourishing Industrial District (here, next to this marker); Canal Buildings of the Past (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Canal Buildings of the Past (here, next to this marker); The Canal and Industrial Growth (within shouting distance of this marker); From Vision to Reality (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dayton.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 17, 2024, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 980 times since then and 134 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 17, 2024, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.