Deeds Barn and the Self Starter

At the heart of this tale is a modest barn on Central Avenue in Dayton, now recreated in Carillon Park, where the first self‑starting system for automobiles was born. Inside, a 1912 Cadillac equipped with the new starter stands as a tangible reminder of a breakthrough that made cars accessible to everyone. The narrative weaves together the barn’s history with the broader rise of Dayton’s automotive industry.

The story follows two young engineers, Edward Deeds and Charles Kettering, who met while working at the National Cash Register Company. Their complementary talents—Deeds’s practical vision and Kettering’s inventive mind—lead them to transform a hayloft into a bustling workshop, where they experiment with electric motors and ignition concepts. As gasoline cars begin to prove their worth against skeptical electric advocates, the duo’s early experiments set the stage for a device that will soon change how the world drives.