Ninety years ago, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s home became the first state-owned house museum dedicated to an African American.
And it’s needed a lot of love to keep it in good shape.
Fortunately, the home Dunbar’s mother bought to care for him as he was dying of tuberculosis in 1904 has been through a series of capable hands, the most recent of which has been Ohio History Connection, and its partner, the National Aviation Heritage Area.
In 2022, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown directed $350,000 to the Paul Laurence Dunbar House through the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures grant program. That grant was matched with $350,000 from the Ohio capital budget.
Mackensie Wittmer, executive director of the National Aviation Heritage Area, said visitors may not at first appreciate the amount of work that went into the restoration.
“You might walk by this project and be like, wow, that didn't change at all," Wittmer said. "That's the goal. In historic preservation, we want to restore the property to its authentic state.”
Dunbar achieved global fame in his short lifetime, a fame that has lived on through scholars such as Dr. Herbert Woodward Martin, who died on July 20, and LaVerne Sci, an expert on his life and work and is credited with saving the facility when it had fallen into disrepair in 1989.
Dunbar’s mother, Matilda, maintained Paul’s library and study in their 1906 conditions and showed the home to visitors. The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society (today the Ohio Historical Society) then acquired the house and opened it as a museum in 1938. The Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial became part of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in 1992.
Wittmer encouraged people to visit the renovated facility because of its powerful connection to its former residents.
“If you're making your itinerary for a trip, sometimes you're going to someone's home and the idea of home, this physical, authentic structure made that person who they are,” Wittmer said.
HOW TO GO
- What: Paul Laurence Dunbar House
- Where: 219 N. Paul Laurence Dunbar Street (formerly N. Summit) in Dayton, Ohio.
- When: Open Friday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Tours take place throughout the day, and the last tour of the day is at 3:30 PM.
- Cost: Free
