Ohio Historical Marker approved for Cheez-It factory site in Dayton

An official Ohio Historical Marker has been approved to commemorate the original Cheez-It factory in Dayton.

The marker will be placed due east from the original Green & Green Company Factory site where Cheez-It brand crackers were first produced, along Edwin C. Moses Boulevard.

The first Cheez-It logo was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 23, 1921. The snacks were introduced in stores that same year.

The company also made Edgemont crackers, Dayton crackers, Flag crackers and other snacks.

RELATED: Celebrate the Cheez-It! The crispy crackers were invented in Dayton more than 100 years ago

The Ohio Historical Marker program is administered by Ohio History Connection. There are now more then 1,750 markers placed around the state. Approximately 20 new markers are added to the program each year.

The application for the Cheez-It factory marker was written by Dayton History curator Steve Lucht and was approved earlier this month.

“The unveiling of individual markers can vary quite a bit,” said Neil Thompson, manager of media and public relations with Ohio History. “It most likely will be a year or two before this one is installed and unveiled.”

The history of the snack goes back to 1847, when Dr. William Wolf of Dayton determined his patients with dietary restrictions needed a different kind of food. To fill the need, Dr. Wolf created his own food, a hard butter cracker that became known as the Dayton Cracker.

Dr. Wolf’s cracker became so popular it kicked off the growth of the cracker-baking industry in the city. Weston Green and his father, John, purchased Dr. Wolf’s company, The Wolf Cracker Bakery, and renamed it Green & Green. The company would become known for making hardtack, a cracker-like bread, for American military during World War I.

The company developed the Edgemont Cracker line, which made graham wafers, ginger snaps, and in 1921 introduced the Cheez-It.

Thompson said the language for the Cheez-It factory marker is in the beginning stage.

“Because this marker has just been accepted into the program, the text for the marker is not finalized and will not be considered in the public domain until the marker is installed,” he said.

Cheez-Its were in the news last week when it was announced that M&M’s maker Mars is buying Kellanova, the maker of Cheez-Its and Pop-Tarts, for nearly $30 billion.

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