History Of NCR In Dayton

It is not just 1,200 jobs that are leaving Dayton when NCR moves to the Atlanta area, it is losing a huge corporate identity, which is a large part of Dayton’s history.

NCR (National Cash Register) is a homegrown success story. One of the area’s leading figures, John H. Patterson, founded the company in 1884.

The educational displays at the Carillon Historical Park show how NCR helped make Dayton a hotbed for invention and innovation.

Susan Grierson said, “I don’t think it's right. I think they have been here 125 years. I think they should stay here.”

Almost every big name in Dayton’s past has contributed to NCR's success. Edward Deeds and Charles Kettering teamed up to power the cash register with an electric motor.

NCR is one of the companies that fueled Dayton’s grown in the first 50 years of the 20th century. A 220-ton steam engine is on display at Carillon Park and it used to power NCR.

The company served consumers and the U.S. government, introducing the first automated credit systems around World War I and during World War II provided the brainpower to break the German’s Enigma coding system and save thousands of lives.

Moving forward, the company created transistorized computers, liquid crystal displays, bar code scanners and ATMs.

Even with all the successes and innovation in Dayton, the fact that NCR has chosen to move to Georgia seems like a bitter betrayal in some people’s minds.

Monte Baird said, “I do find it to be that because they were here, founded here 125 years ago, now to take and leave here to head somewhere else, what is up with that?"

Dayton may never know exactly why NCR chose to leave Dayton.