Bomberger

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Let's start the new year with a look back. Most residents of St. Anne's Hill travel past Bomberger Park every day, but how many know it's history?

First, who was this Bomberger? According to DaytonHistoryBooks.com, there were at least two notable Bombergers...

William Bomberger was born in Philadelphia, April 7, 1779. His parents were Quakers, and in that faith he was reared and lived until his death. When eighteen years of age he was shot by the accidental discharge of his gun while hunting, and from the effects of the wound was always a delicate man, although he lived to be seventy-seven years of age.

He came to Dayton about 1806 or 1807. He was a quiet, peaceable citizen, upright, honest, and conscientious in all things. He held the office of treasurer of Montgomery County for fourteen years. He brought some means with him and bought a good deal of property in the eastern and southeastern part of Dayton, to which he retired in 1842 and spent the remainder of his life, which ended December 19,1855.

In 1810 he married Sarah George, daughter of William George, and had three children: [one of whom was] George Wilson [Bomberger], who died, while Mayor of Dayton, June 6, 1848, in the thirty-sixth year of his age;

Today's Dayton Daily News offered a profile of our new Mayor (who will take office on Monday), and a look back at our past Mayors over the years, including Mayor Bomberger.


Now, let's see how the park has evolved over the years. Here's a Sanborn Insurance Company map from 1913, which is a great resource available from DaytonMetroLibrary.org:



It may have looked something like this:




Here is what the park looks like today, thanks to Google Maps...



... or as seen during one of our many tours!



Eagle Street and some of the surrounding homes were lost to urban renewal, but the result was a larger, more accessible park just seconds away from Route 35. So it is easy to see how times have changed and the park has grown over the years.

For more information about our community, stop by our meeting this Tuesday at 7 pm in the Liederkranz building on High Street. Happy New Year!

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