George Newcom and his family were among the first settlers to arrive in Dayton in April 1796. He paid millwright Robert Edgar 75¢ per day, with room and board, to build what Newcom called the best house in Dayton, and Edgar also provided one deer a week. Built in two phases between 1796 and 1799 at Main Street and Water Street, now Monument Avenue, in what is now downtown Dayton, it is the oldest standing building in Dayton. The right side of the building was the family's home and the left side was the tavern. For about 65¢ a night, a traveler could get a meal and lodging for himself and his horse. Central to community life, the tavern also served as Dayton's first jail, church, general store, and Montgomery County's first court house.