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South Dayton Station - June 2015Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0
–Not graded
History · South Dayton

South Dayton’s post office opened in 1862, and 52% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1880.

1862first post office
0on the National Register
52%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How South Dayton began

When was South Dayton founded?

1862

The South Dayton post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 318 in 18802020 census: 541164 years
Founding year: the first South Dayton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about South Dayton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of South Dayton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19003 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1954. Watch South Dayton change.Old housesHalf of South Dayton’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 727 in 1950; 541 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Dayton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how South Dayton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

South Dayton on the map, 1900 to 1954

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of South Dayton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

South Dayton on the 1900 USGS mapSouth Dayton on the 1941 USGS mapSouth Dayton on the 1954 USGS map1900Cherry Creek sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of South Dayton.

The story

How South Dayton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of South Dayton.

Read it all →

The community was also known as "Pine Valley"; the name Pine Valley was later used for the name of the local school district (shared with neighboring Cherry Creek), the campus of which is situated southwest of the village. The arrival of the railroad in 1875 promoted the growth of the village, which incorporated in 1915.

Possibly the most famous event to occur in South Dayton is that a revelation is reported to have been received by the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith, in the home of Freeman Nickerson on October 12, 1833, known as Section 100 of the Doctrine and Covenants. At the time the settlement was within the town of Perrysburg.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about South Dayton in 1901

Passages that mention South Dayton, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Dayton, which he laid out the following year. Soon after making this purchase he built the old Ewing Homestead at the South East corner of Maple street and First st., now owned by Frank S. Peek, a photograph of which is shown in this book, and moved his family to South Dayton. He laid out the villa…
Historical and biographical history of the township of Dayton, Cattaraugus County, New York1901 · page 178Read the page →
Read the text

Dayton, which he laid out the following year. Soon after making this purchase he built the old Ewing Homestead at the South East corner of Maple street and First st., now owned by Frank S. Peek, a photograph of which is shown in this book, and moved his family to South Dayton. He laid out the village in lots of good size and regular formation with fifty feet of frontage and one hundred and fifty feet of depth, fronting upon Avide streets. He planted Maple trees on both sides of the streets on the lot lines and midway between them. The present beauty of the village is an evidence of his

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
On April 10, 1875, Mr. Wickham sold to Robert F. Ewing 32 acres at $150 per acre. The village was then plotted and laid out into lots. Mr. Ewing owning one third and ]Mr. Wickham two-thirds. This was the beginning of Pine Valley of South Dayton proper. On this plot X. L. Rowe put up the first store…
Historical and biographical history of the township of Dayton, Cattaraugus County, New York1901 · page 172Read the page →
Read the text

On April 10, 1875, Mr. Wickham sold to Robert F. Ewing 32 acres at $150 per acre. The village was then plotted and laid out into lots. Mr. Ewing owning one third and ]Mr. Wickham two-thirds. This was the beginning of Pine Valley of South Dayton proper. On this plot X. L. Rowe put up the first store, located in the park near the depot, a picture of which is here shown. Mr. Wickham erected a grist mill, the present hotel and about thirty buildings. Mr, Ewing erected a store, which was occupied by Ben. L.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

South Dayton, 1900 to 1950

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1945Born hereBill Bergey is born here
  4. 1946Born hereBruce Bergey is born here
  5. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 727
By decade

South Dayton, decade by decade

Today3 recent
NYLE Switching in2016NYLE Switching inUntitled photo2015Untitled photoNew york & lake erie2009New york & lake erie
Every building

South Dayton, building by building, 1913

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

South Dayton fire insurance map, 1913, sheet 11913Sheet 1 of 3
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

South Dayton, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 727

Peaked at 727 in 1950; 541 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on South Dayton’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in South Dayton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Bill BergeyAmerican football player · b. 1945
B
Bruce BergeyAmerican football defensive end · b. 1946

Questions about South Dayton’s history

What year was South Dayton founded?

The South Dayton post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.