In the 1930s, there was a little airport in Riverside called the East Dayton Airport. It sat near the present-day intersection of Woodman Drive and Airway Road, in the shadow of the larger Wright Air Field. The small airstrip was abandoned in 1941, and forgotten by many. But not by the folks at the Riverside Historical Society Museum in the Airway shopping center. They have a binder containing pictures and maps of the East Dayton Airport.

The museum includes military displays, information about Riverside families, including Norman Weiffenbaugh, an early mayor of Riverside and the father of Virginia Kettering, a typewriter, photographs of historic sites, a propeller, plus other artifacts.

Before the historical society was organized, Alice Weaver, who will be 93 years old in November and a resident of Montgomery County, was collecting newspaper articles of historic interest. She has some going back as far as the 1700s.

A generous community has donated many of the items in the museum's collection, and several volunteers serve to keep it open.

The museum, located at 4930 Airway Road, is open from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The site is marked by a stone whistle stop, an old railroad signal, placed in the grass just outside the entrance, and a sign overhead.

A portion of the front window displays announcements of community activities.

Judy Horn, president of the Riverside Historical Society, said at first she thought it was strange for a historical society to be in a shopping center.

But over time, "we found it was a great location, between the bank and the post office," Horn said.

"We brought history to where the people are."

The Riverside Historical Society is involved in activities serving the community.

They recently installed a historical marker at the Lewis Kemp House. An annual ice cream social is set for Saturday.

It will be held in the green courtyard in front of is office.

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