Then & Now: Springfield Tent and Awning, early entrepreneurs

Around 1880, the Dial family came to Ohio from Illinois and settled in Dayton. The elder Dial, Absalom, worked as a salesman, and following his death in 1886, his young son, George Hooker Dial began work as an awning maker.

Credit: HANDOUT

By 1898, George struck out on his own, briefly working in Columbus before moving to Springfield to start the Springfield Tent and Awning Company, originally located on W. Main Street.

George moved to Columbus in 1910 and continued in the tent and awning business, but the original Springfield business remained. They made awnings, tents, flags, and camp furniture, often showcasing the awning work they did for many residences around town.

Credit: HANDOUT

Today the business and building are gone but would have been located just east of Mader Electric Motor, in their parking area.

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