John Morgan and Company Furniture Store

During the 1925 Scopes Trial, the business rented its ten second-floor rooms to journalists, including W.O. McGeehan of Harper’s Weekly. Unlike many of his colleagues, McGeehan often defended Dayton, famously remarking, “If I were fishing for morons, I’d rather cast my dragnet at 42nd and Broadway, New York, rather than at Main and Market Streets in Dayton.” These rooms, added by Morgan after his home was lost to fire, were managed by Scopes’ friend Whitney W. Morgan and became a lively hub for reporters covering the trial.

John Morgan established his business in 1909, making it the first retail establishment in “North Dayton.” Though he passed away on June 13, 1935, at the age of 81, his legacy endures—his store remains a cornerstone of downtown Dayton, still owned and operated by the Morgan family.