The Dayton Historic Depot has a new manager

DAYTON-I recently knocked on the door of Dayton's Historic Depot at 222. E. Commercial Street. Kristina Blake, the new Manager of the Depot as of June 13, greeted me in period costume clothing. She's fully into her latest post.

She wasn't dressed up for just our interview, however.

"I'm going to be in period clothing all the time at work. I want visitors to feel they've walked into another time." Blake said. Talk about getting your history on.

"Actually, it's a whole package deal," she says. "I get to live in a small town, work with nice people, and do what I really love. It's such a peaceful environment compared to what I've done before."

Blake has always been a historian at heart, a voracious reader and visitor of ghost towns and restored barns. In addition to a lifetime of work in the criminal justice system, historic preservation has always been more than a hobby.

"I've always been fascinated with what came before us, what's left, what's still standing.," she said.

In her new position, Blake hired Helen Peoples as the manager of Dayton's Boldman House Museum. The museum, together with the Newland/Pioneer Cemetery and the Depot, comprise the three historic properties under the stewardship of the Dayton Historical Depot Society.

Blake is busy brainstorming ideas for new programs and experiences at the Depot. At the forefront is her concern for generating interest in history among young people. She envisions class tours during the school year when students will walk into a tableau of local volunteers in costume, chatting and waiting to buy tickets for the train. And she wants to encourage all visitors to be thoroughly tactile.

"I don't like the don't-touch rule," she says. "If you let people touch things, it makes it so much more real to them," she explained, pointing to a collection of shaped sticks used to pass messages through the window to arriving trains and the period typewriter, which still works. She looks forward to watching visitors thumb through the registration book for guests of the old Columbia Hotel, which burned down in the late 1890s.

"I don't like everything to be behind glass where people can't touch and experience history because it makes it off-limits."

Blake emphasizes that the Depot wasn't just a train station in the late 19th century; it was also a place for folks to gather. The new manager wants to continue that tradition. The tree-covered grounds are perfect for tea parties, art displays, and even murder mystery events. As always, the Depot stands ready to host unique special events, including weddings, birthdays, and retirement parties, for a fee that helps keep the Depot running.

Check out http://www.daytonhistoricdepot.org, or the "Dayton Historic Depot" Facebook page for more information on upcoming events and opportunities to volunteer.