The Town of Dayton is one of the oldest settled communities in Rockingham County, and is the County's second oldest incorporated town. The Dayton area was first settled in the mid 1740s, when because of the fertile land and abundance of fresh spring water, settlers located along Cook's Creek.
The village grew as farming families who traced their roots to England, Scotland and Ireland arrived. By the 1780s, Mennonite families began settling in this lush, fertile valley and added much to the cultural make-up of Dayton.
Dayton was a cultural center for many years. In 1878, the publishing firm, first established by Joseph Funk in Singers Glen, was moved to Dayton by his grandsons. The Ruebush-Kieffer Printing and Publishing Company was the largest publisher in Virginia at the turn of the century, specializing in music.
Dayton with its twenty-six houses was incorporated May 20, 1852, soon after the completion of the Warm Spring-Harrisonburg Turnpike. It was incorporated again in March 1880 because of continued growth. The town government was enlarged from a Mayor and trustees to a Mayor and Council, and a Town Sergeant and Clerk were appointed.
The Dayton of today still bears many signs of its rich past and history. For those who call the Shenandoah Valley and Dayton home, as well as those who come to visit, there is much in the present and future to be proud of, as well.
The real beauty of the town is its people. Dayton is a blend of families who can trace their ancestors to a time when this community was just a stop on the Warm Spring Turnpike to those who have in recent years brought cultural richness of their own to the town.
© Town of Dayton
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