Dayton's Downtown

Dayton's Downtown. . , A Thriving Town Center, At the beginning of the 20th Century, Dayton was a bustling town - with seven general stores, three blacksmiths, and at least three doctors. The Waverly Hotel was situated near the center of downtown, and guests in the community were also welcomed at several other private inns. A town lamplighter is said to have walked the streets each evening as the sun set., The heart of the downtown endured two major fires: one in 1903 and a second one in 1911. Each time, buildings were reconstructed or were replaced by newer architecture., Some Manufacturing Firms 1890s to 1930s, Helms Brothers Carriage Works . George W. Hedrick Carriage Company . M. A. Layman, Buggy Maker . Virginia Organ Factory (1882-1888) . Specialty Harness Co. . Blossers Hatchery, Some Merchants and Druggists, Bank of Dayton . Dayton Drug Co. . W. H. Carpenter . George E. Sipe . I. S. Ewing . James M. Price . J. H. Rhodes and Co. . Rhodes, Fout and Co. . W. H. Weller . Boggs and Weller . S. Keats Kieffer (printer) . Dayton Cigar Mfg. Co. . Weller and Gilkeson . Rhodes and Weller . Weller and Fishback . S. L. Cootes (general store) . The Cottage Market (George Shreve) . Monger and Earman (stoves, heating, lumber) . R. H. Detamore (painter and paper hanger) . J. L. Thompson (real estate) . Wm. K. Fishback (meat market) . W. H. Sheppe (druggist) . J. M. Stinespring (general store) . Dayton Drug . W. H. Andrew (tinner) . Kirby Coffman (general merchandise) . Layman and Dixon (livery stable) . Dayton Bakery, The Ruebush-Kieffer Company: 131 Years, The Ruebush-Kieffer Co. was established in Singers Glen shortly after the Civil War under the name Patent Note Co., by Aldine S. Kieffer, grandson of Joseph Funk, and Ephraim Ruebush, who married Funk's granddaughter. Because of the printing firm's growth and the problems of shipping and receiving in a remote location, the firm purchased land Dayton in 1878 and was soon located in a newly constructed frame building on Main Street., Both the name and the owners of the company changed several times over the years, but its "Ruebush-Kieffer" title is the most well known. Within a short time after its move to Dayton, the company was turning out thousands of music books using the shaped-note system. "The Musical Million", a monthly periodical featuring music, advertising and information on singing schools, was an immediate success, and thousands of monthlies were mailed into the South as well as west of Virginia into adjoining states., In 1895, the Chesapeake Western Railway completed its tracks through Dayton to Bridgewater, and with the opening of the rail line, the Ruebush-Kieffer Co. had easy access to receiving paper and ink, and freight service to ship their books. They no longer had to take them by freight wagon into Harrisonburg., In 1906, the printing company built a large three-story building on College Street, and the firm was soon the largest music publisher in Virginia. Shaped-note music went into a decline shortly before World War I, giving way to the round-note system. Beginning about 1909, several different companies all related to the Ruebush family published out of the Ruebush-Kieffer facilities: The Ruebush-Elkins Co.; S. Keats Kieffer, Printer; Joseph K. Ruebush Co., and Shenandoah Press. By the late 1930s, all except Shenandoah Press had ceased publication. Shenandoah Press was operated by James L. Ruebush until the late 1980s, and upon his death, it was sold outside the Ruebush family. In early 2009, the press closed, ending a 131-year printing tradition in Dayton., (Captions):, George W. Hedrick Carriage Co. on Main Street;, The 1903 fire devastated the triangle area and beyond, including the destruction of the United Brethren Church. The church was soon rebuilt., The Ruebush-Kieffer Co. grew to become the largest music publisher in Virginia, promoting the shaped-note system of singing. Employees (bottom photo) are shown with lead type, which was still set by hand.