Five Rivers MetroParks Heritage and History

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Five Rivers MetroParks Heritage and History

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The more than 16,000 acres of land your Five Rivers MetroParks stewards has a rich and diverse histor

The preservation and interpretation of the Miami Valley's natural heritage is at the core of our mission. But telling the story of these special places wouldn’t be complete without weaving in the cultural history that helped shape them—from Native Americans to pioneer settlements and from agricultural development to the growth of cities and suburbs. When we protect our lands, we also protect important remnants of our journey. Your MetroParks contain a rich diversity of historical assets as unique as our parks themselves. When planning a trip to a MetroPark, add some educational aspects to your hike or bike ride by touring these historical features.

10/20/2026

A nice article from Dayton Daily News about the Canning classes at Carriage Hill Historic Farm & MetroPark.

“True freedom is being able to cook your own food, grow your own food, preserve your own food. And I want to be free.”

10/17/2026

We had a full quilting class this past Thursday. The Visitors Center at Carriage Hill MetroPark was abuzz with the sounds of sewing machines, great conversation, and laughter.

10/14/2026

Its National Dessert Day! Today let's look at one of our favorite historic desserts, the apple dumpling. Apple dumplings are the quintessential fall treat for dessert. They appear in the 1851 Eliza Leslie cookbook in the "New Receipts" section. In 1879, Mark Twain included baked apple dumplings on a list of American foods "unmatched by European hotel cuisine". Food historian Bruce Kraig speculated that apple dumplings were popular in the United States because they were "enormously practical in a country where apples grew well and could be dried for year-round use, few individually portioned foods were available, and large boiled dinners required the least tending." So, what is your favorite dessert?

10/13/2026

Good morning and happy Tuesday. It is time for Henry Arnold's 1886 diary. Henry would be the farmer at Carriage Hill in the 1880s. His diary provides insight into the history of the farm and helps guide us.

Monday, October 11, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
53 Fair I helped Emma do the washing, then I helped Henry take in clover seed.

Tuesday, October 12, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
56 Fair I done some chores, & took in my potatoes.

Wednesday, October 13, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
54 Fair I put in some window sash at the tennant house, & mowed my yard.

Thursday, October 14, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
64 Cloudy I went to Dayton with butter, eggs &c. for us & Silas' Rainy & very stormy all day.

Friday, October 15, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
52 Changable I & Henry gathered our winter apples in the forenoon, 22 bushels in the afternoon we worked at the flood gate cribs at the pike.

Saturday, October 16, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
33 Fair I, Henry & Ad. George worked at the flood gate cribs all day.

Sunday, October 17, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
58 Changable I, Maggie & Emma, & Silas' all went to Springfield to John Click's on a visit, & home again.

10/12/2026

Have a peaceful start to your week.

10/11/2026

Farmers were pressing sorghum at Carriage Hill Historic Farm and MetroPark Saturday while staff and volunteers made bean soup and baked some mighty fine cornbread on the hearth.

10/10/2026

The farmers were pressing sorghum at Carriage Hill Historic Farm today.

10/07/2026

Looking for something different to do? Join us on Saturday, October 17th at 12-1:30pm for Watzits and Amusements Autumn Guided Tour. This special tour will be with our historian and will cover a variety of things. First, participants will have an opportunity to see some of our more unusual collections pieces up close. Afterwards, we will adjourn to the historic house for some Victorian Halloween parlor games. We will then finish up with a guided tour and talk on the family cemetery on site.
Cost is $10 per person.
To sign up, go to: https://www.metroparks.org/programs-events-finder/?program_number=X161&api=programs&type=program

10/06/2026

It's time for another week of Henry Arnold's 1886 diary. The Arnold's would be the owners of Carriage Hill Farm in the 1880s. Through their daily diaries we are given a glimpse of what 1880s farm life was like.

Monday, October 4, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
43 Fair I dug a part of our sweet potatoes.

Tuesday, October 5, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
55 Fair I finished digging our sweet potatoes. then I helped Henry take in clover seed.

Wednesday, October 6, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
60 Fair I put up our sweet potatoes for winter use then helped Henry take in clover seed.

Thursday, October 7, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
50 Fair I went to Brandt & fetched 2 Gallons of Sorgum from J. Strimm Then helped Henry at the clover seed.

Friday, October 8, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
52 Fair I helped Henry at the cloverseed all day.

Saturday, October 9, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
56 Changable Sammy & Anna Arnold came here from Silas' then we all except Henry went to James' & from there Sammy & I went to the Sale of Abraham Studebaker property. Returned to James' for dinner then all returned back home again.

Sunday, October 10, 1886; Henry H. Arnold
54 Fair Sammy & Anna was here until after dinner then went home. then I & Maggie went to William Herrings and back again.

10/05/2026

Happy Monday. Enjoy your day.

Address

409 E. Monument Avenue, Third Floor
Dayton, OH
45402

Website

http://www.metroparks.org/Parks/CarriageHill/Home.aspx

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