Our Story

The Dayton Project: Historically

The Dayton Project began in 1943 when Charles Allen Thomas was recruited by the Manhattan Project to coordinate the plutonium purification. 

Thomas established the project in the abandoned Bonebrake Theological Seminary (Unit III), and was eventually moved to the Runnymede Playhouse on the grounds of the Talbott family estate (Unit IV).

It was here that he undertook to produce polonium, with the goal of finding how it could serve as the initiator for the atomic bomb that was being developed as part of the Manhattan Project. While most Manhattan Project activity took place at remote locations, the Dayton Project was located in a populated, urban area. The researchers were successful and work done in Dayton resulted in the initiator for the atomic bomb. The Project ran from 1943 to 1949, when the Mound Laboratories were completed in nearby Miamisburg, Ohio, and the work moved there.

Present Day

We named our venture after this fascinating story from Dayton's colorful past. We will be exploring and discover more of this rich past and celebrating through our designs and clothing!