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| Landmark #8-57 | Montgomery County | Visited: October 19, 2019 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | The house that Paul Laurence Dunbar purchased for his mother in 1904 after returning to his home town of Dayton! |
| What makes it historical? | THE SIGN SAYS: The first African-American to achieve prominence as a poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar was born and raised in Dayton, the son of former slaves. Working as an elevator operator while he established himself as a writer, Dunbar published his first book of poems, Oak and Ivy, in 1893. His third collection, Lyrics of a Lowly Life (1896) with an introduction by another Ohio-born author William Dean Howells, gained Dunbar widespread critical acclaim and popular recognition. Widely published in contemporary journals and literary magazines, Dunbar employed both turn-of-the-century African-American dialect and standard English verse to give a voice to the themes of everyday discrimination and struggles for racial equality. Tuberculosis cut his life short at age 33. Dunbar’s body of work includes twelve volumes of poetry, four books of short stories, a play, and five novels
OTHER TIDBITS: Mr. Dunbar went to high school with the Wright Brothers and had them publish his first newspaper called the Dayton Tattler! His youth in Dayton inspired the settings of several short stories and a novel! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| How do I find it? | Listed Directions: 219 N Paul Laurence Dunbar St Dayton, OH 45402 Annotations: From Cincinnati: ~54mi (87km) — 0.9hrs |
| When should I go? | The House is open Friday through Sunday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM except on big holidays! |