Making His Way With Words-Paul Laurence Dunbar - Dayton OH
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 39° 45.467 W 084° 13.150
16S E 738224 N 4404572
In 1891 Dunbar had been the sole African American graduate at Dayton’s Central High School, where he was a classmate and friend of Orville Wright.
Waymark Code: WM17JXA
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 03/01/2023
Views: 5
TEXT ON THE HISTORICAL MARKER-Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park
Making His Way With Words
Paul Laurence Dunbar
As a poet, novelist, and popular lecturer, Paul Laurence Dunbar used his extraordinary way with words to achieve international fame. In just ten years, Dunbar rose from a job running a downtown Dayton elevator to receiving an invitation to President McKinley’s inauguration.
In 1903, the 30-year-old author returned to his hometown after a decade of living in New York, Washington, D.C., and Denver. In 1891 Dunbar had been the sole African American graduate at Dayton’s Central High School, where he was a classmate and friend of Orville Wright.
At the age of 18, Dunbar began a newspaper for African Americans, the Dayton Tattler. Wilbur and Orville printed the paper at their nearby print shop.
(Inscription over the photo at the bottom left of the marker)
In the 1890s, Dunbar was one of the first African American writers to be widely read by whites.
Dunbar’s first published book of poems, Oak and Ivy, sold for a dollar each. When asked why such a small book had such a hefty price, he replied, “A book sells on its merits, sir, no on its size.”
Civil Right Type: Race (includes U.S. Civil Rights movement)
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