The Dayton Heritage Museum is located at 714 Sixth Avenue in Dayton, Kentucky, an historic city located along a beautiful bend in the Ohio River and a point of reference since before the Revolutionary War. The museum was started after the building where it is currently located was donated to the city by Charlie Tharp, a local businessman and historian whose insurance business operated for 52 years. Because of Charlie’s photographs, documents, and collections, we are fortunate to have a vast archive of Dayton history, dating back to the first settlers in 1779.

Our mission is to preserve and exhibit the rich history of Dayton. Our goal is to tell the stories of the various aspects of life along this historic river town. The sandbar at the bend in the river stood witness to a battle in 1779 between frontiersmen and members of a local Native Americans. After that battle, the land became the farm of Thomas Berry with his purchase of 1,000 acres in 1796.

From this farm grew two settlements — Jamestown and Brooklyn — in the early 1800s. Brooklyn and Jamestown merged in 1867 and incorporated as the City of Dayton. We honor this history and exhibit it for the benefit of the larger community.

Equally important to our mission is to educate and inform the children of Dayton. We provide tours and access to records for school and community projects. We provide oversight for students who are required to fulfill their community-service hours. We provide a place to honor the memorabilia and artifacts of our citizens, both past and present. We also offer internships for high school and college students interested in community development and organization.