Dulahan Song Has Dayton History, Flood Connection

I spent a large percentage of last weekend at Riverscape MetroPark in Downtown Dayton because it was one of my favorite festivals of the year: Dayton Celtic Fest.

The festival began in 2002 and features incredible Celtic music across multiple stages, cultural performances, and a wide variety of authentic merchandise and food and drink vendors.

But I also only recently learned that one of the local bands has a cool Dayton history connection relating to the Great Flood of 1913 and National Cash Register (NCR).

That band is Dulahan, founded right here in Dayton in 2001 and was played at every Dayton Celtic Fest. Frontman Kyle Aughe wrote a song based on stories his father told him of his grandparents surviving the 1913 flood.

He added the backstory of NCR president John H Patterson’s major efforts to help with the flood recovery, including actually building boats to rescue many stranded Daytonians from the floodwaters. As Aughe explains:

“My father told me stories that his parents shared with him of their harrowing experience of surviving the 1913 Flood in Dayton, Ohio. In writing this song I combined those stories with the back story of John Patterson, the controversial magnate of the National Cash Register Co., who quickly transformed his local factories into small “John Boat” building operations. These small boats allowed many stranded residents to be rescued from the flood waters by fellow citizens.”

The song is called ‘Mr. Patterson’s John Boats,’ off their album Little Bits of Truth.

There is also a great acoustic solo version by Aughe you can watch on Dulahan’s Facebook page.

Images Showing NCR’s Role in Flood Rescue, Recovery, and Cleanup

Patterson turned the NCR complex on Stewart Street into an emergency shelter and hospital, organizing local doctors and nurses to provide care while the grounds became a temporary campground for residents left homeless by the flood. Factory buildings also served as the Dayton headquarters for the American Red Cross and Ohio National Guard relief and rescue efforts providing food and shelter, and a makeshift morgue. NCR employees also built the 300 flat-bottomed rescue boats that inspired the song’s title.