A new acquisition in University of Dayton Archives and Special Collections tells the story of a long-ago commemoration of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. On June 26, 1909, people gathered for the installation of a granite and bronze monument that traveled by train from New York to Woodland Cemetery in Dayton. The dedication ceremony is described in its commemorative booklet, “Paul Laurence Dunbar: Laurel-Decked,” which is now available at UD.
After Dunbar's death on Feb. 9, 1906, his friends and fellow scholars formed a national Dunbar memorial committee to fund a memorial in his hometown of Dayton. The Rev. Davis Wasgatt Clark of Boston, committee president, established a bank account, and by 1909, readings, lectures and community outreach had raised the funds for a memorial monument and a hilltop cemetery plot. The plot was deeded to Dunbar’s mother, Matilda, who was also buried there after her death in 1934. The monument, located a short walk from UD’s campus, still stands today.
The dedication ceremony featured remarks by Clark; William Sanders Scarborough, president of Wilberforce University; and the Rev. Henry Francis Colby, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church in Dayton and a member of the board of trustees of Denison University. The Philharmonic Society of Dayton sang three Dunbar poems set to music by Ernest Blumenschein. The booklet in UD’s collection was Scarborough’s personal copy and notably features his signature on the cover. The publication includes the speeches made by Clark, Scarborough and Colby, as well as personal anecdotes, a bibliography and photos of the poet, his mother and the monument.
A digitized copy joins other UD collections available in eCommons that engage with Dunbar’s work, life and memory:
- The Paul Laurence Dunbar Music Archive, established in 2014 by music professor Minnita Daniel-Cox, vocal area coordinator in the Department of Music
- The research and performances of Herbert Woodward Martin, professor emeritus of English
- Art and design students’ work exhibited at Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar at the Dayton Metro Library in 2023
The acquisition of the program also complements UD’s Dunbar Initiative, a five-year digital humanities and faculty and curriculum development effort funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and led by Daniel-Cox and Ju Shen, associate professor of computer science.
One Day, One Dayton is April 8: Support the University Archives and Special Collections
The purchase of this booklet was made possible with donations to the University Archives and Special Collections Fund. As UD students, faculty, staff and wider community continue to engage with Dunbar’s legacy, the generosity of donors extends opportunities to explore historical sources.
Project Credits
- Lead and blog author: Henry Handley, associate professor and assistant director, Marian Library and Special Collections
- Digitization: Ryan O’Grady, digital projects manager
- Cataloging: Chris Tangeman, special collections cataloger