On a map Trotwood looks like a vast expanse of area.  That is because Trotwood merged with Madison township.  Much of that land is open country still, though there are suburban developements scattered about, more closer to Dayton.

 

The place started out as a railroad stop on the Dayton & Western, the first railroad west of Dayton...to Richmond and Greenville.  Later this became part of the Pennsylvania Rairoad, their passenger mainline west to St Louis. 

 

Trotwood proper is the "old town".  An old railroad town, perhaps even a bit of a railroad suburb.  The place reminds me very much of the outer 'railroad suburbs' of Chicago like Winfield or Bartlett or Itasca, or at least what they used to be like before being overwhelmed by sprawl.  You could take Trotwood and move it up to Chicagoland and back 30 years and give it commuter rail service and this is what those outer burbs would have looked like. 

 

As it is this is one of Daytons hidden suburban gems.  It really is mostly untouched by sprawl, though there is some 1950s developement attached to the old pre WWII suburb.  Heading out of town to the south and west there is no subdivisions or commercial development and you are in open farm country.

 

So, Trotwood....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

..a little farmers market thing downtown....

 

 

...chech out the pressed metal siding made to look like stone on this baby:

 

 

 

 

Trotwood side streets....

 

 

 

 

busy street heading west out of town...

 

 

 

19th century neogothic church, but with a newer vestibule and steeple..

 

 

This is Wolf Creek.  Channelized in Dayton, it is free-flowing around Trotwood, around the south of the old town. There is a real nice park along it where they have a fairly large jazz festival in the summer....

 

 

 

This is one of those vernacular Dayton "urban I houses", usually found on tight urban lots in the old 19th century working class neighborhoods of Dayton, here in a more open setting:

 

 

...wow!:

 

This is a real old farmhouse, set way back in its lot...

 

 

 

 

The Iams family, of whom that Iams who founded the pet food company came from, lived here.  I think the owners where the grandparents of the pet food Iams...

 

 

The house has a collection of Ohio pottery and china....

 

 

..and furniture made by Dayton furniture makers...

 

 

rear of the Iams House..

 

 

Heading into downtwon Trotwood from the west (the Iams House is to the south)

 

 

is where one can catch the bikepath. The railroad is now a bikepath up to Airhill, Brookville, Bachman, Wenger Lawn, and Verona.  It doesn't continue into Dayton, though.

 

 

 

We'll follow the bikepath north to Airhill for some country road riding in western Montgomery County....on to Airhill...

Such a gem! Idyllic small-town Ohio. I'm excited to see rail-trails really getting a foothold in Ohio and Indiana, too.

I had no idea. I always think of Salem Mall and all the other crap in that area when I think of Trotwood.

I had no idea. I always think of Salem Mall and all the other crap in that area when I think of Trotwood.

That is exactly what I was thinking.  Who knew?

Yeah, looks nicer than the image of Trotwood in my mind.  Thanks for the pictures!

yeah everyone says thats where the mall is and thats it. who knew?

 

i liked this one ---it's cute & clever on a budget:

 

 

I moved to Dayton before the Trotwood/Madison Twp merger, so I guess I see the Salem Avenue/Salem Mall area as its own area, not so much part of Trotwood.  For me Trotwood was pretty much the old town you see in the pix, plus the surrounding subdivisions and some small strip development.

 

Legally, with the meger, about half of Drexel is now part of Trotwood, too.

 

Heh, the other Trotwood.

Thanks for the pics of Olde Trotwood, the one real Trotwood-ites remember and love.  I know people who lived in those houses, worked out of those businesses.  It is now gone forever.  Jeff, you ought to do a story/post on the demise of Trotwood - because it is a sad story that should be told.  I grew up and graduated from high school there, back in the day (early 80's people!!!)...moved away (NC) and returned to Ohio (Vandalia and then Centerville) 15 years later. 

The Trotwood I knew is now long gone.....die hard Trotwood families moved to Brookville...those fleeing Trotwood but longed for the hometown atmosphere moved to Vandalia.  The rest fled South (schools are good down here, kids make you pay attention to those things). 

Again, thanks for the info you placed out here.  You brought back a lot of great memories!

It really would be an interesting story... i am sure that they saw some AMAZING growth during the mall era, and with the decline of the mall...what's next??? 

 

Trotwood with a historical context...interesting to say the least...

 

(I am from vandalia, as well)

My parents live there now (excuse me, Butler Township I must get that one right) and I also have a sister and a brother who live there now.  Funny, my mom says I should just tell people I am from Vandalia, NOT Trotwood!  Makes me angry, cause it WAS a great place! Oh well.  For now I say "Go Elks" (and being from NORTH of Dayton I thought that would NEVER happen!)

I also graduated from Trotwood-Madison (1984). It's a shame to see what's happened around Salem Mall, but at least Old Towne Trotwood stills seems to be doing OK.

Interesting, I  was told trotwood is hood...

^Depends what part of Trotwood.  Those pictures aren't near "the hood."  Take a trip down Salem and you'll see more of it.

yeah, "Trotwood" is now pretty huge.  There is another part of "Trotwood" called Drexel which quite a bit different from the area in these pix or the Salem Avenue area.

 

I know they are trying to redevelope the Salem Mall site and surroundings, but I think this Old Town area could be a great "New Urbanist" style development as a mix of infill and new stuff...if anyone has read Peter Calthorpes' book on what he was doing in California, with small towns outside of Sacramento (I think Rocklin)....well, those places are not that different from Trotwood, and his concepts could be applied here pretty easily.