October 17, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie
Dayton, Ohio
We drove to Dayton, Ohio today to visit the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park so I could get the stamp and sticker in my National Park book.
I didn’t know that Paul Laurence Dunbar’s house was available for touring as part of this National Park. We arrived too late to actually see the inside of the house or the grounds. It closed at 4:00 pm.
Who is Paul Laurence Dunbar you ask?
He was an American poet, lyricist, essayist, and novelist of the late 19th century who was born in Dayton, Ohio.
He was born on June 27, 1872, to parents who were slaves in Kentucky before the American Civil War.
He was one of the first African-American writers to establish an international reputation.
One of the poems I especially like of his is called “Dreams.”
What dreams we have and how they fly
Like rosy clouds across the sky;
Of wealth, of fame, of sure success,
Of love that comes to cheer and bless;
And how they wither, how they fade,
The waning wealth, the jilting jade —
The fame that for a moment gleams,
Then flies forever, — dreams, ah — dreams!
Suffering from tuberculosis, which then had no cure, Dunbar died in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 33. It’s a shame that he died so young.
Thanks for reading and joining me for another history lesson.