Dunbar’s Willow Window
This window depicts the words written in the Negro dialect associated with the antebellum South by Dayton poet and author, Paul Laurence Dunbar, in the poem A Death Song published in 1913. You can also find the poem on the bronze plaque at his grave site in Section 101.
Lay me nigh to whah ’hit makes a little pool
An’ de watah stans’ so quiet ‘lak un’ cool
An’ de little birdies in de’ spring
Ust come an’ drink an’ sing
An’ de chillun waded on dey way tu’ school
You are invited to visit the Mausoleum to view all of the beautiful stained glass windows within at your leisure or join us for a guided tour on Thursday’s June 8, July 13, August 10, September 7 or October 5 at 9:00 a.m. Please RSVP to 937-228-3221.
The Mausoleum is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Woodland Cemetery, founded in 1841, is one of the nation’s five oldest rural garden cemeteries and a unique cultural, botanical and educational resource in the heart of Dayton, Ohio as you will see as you read through this new MostMetro.com series. Visit the cemetery and arboretum and take one of the many tours Woodland offers free of charge. Most of Dayton’s aviation heroes, inventors and business barons are buried at Woodland.
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is located at 118 Woodland Avenue off of Brown Street near the UD Campus. The Woodland Office is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 12 pm. The Cemetery and Arboretum are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. The Mausoleum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information, call 937-228-3221 or visit the Woodland website.
Lt. Bickham received his Medal of Honor for “distinguished gallantry” on May 2, 1902, in the Battle of Bayang, during the Moro Rebellion.
Early Christians used the anchor as a disguised cross and as a marker to guide the way to secret meeting places. It is a Christian symbol of hope, it is found as funeral symbolism in the art of the catacombs. It is also an occupational symbol in sea-faring areas or the attribute of St. Nicholas, patron saint of the seaman, it symbolized hope and steadfastness. An anchor with a broken chain stands for the cessation of life. Anchors are also a Masonic symbol and often found on Mason’s graves as they were a symbol for well-grounded hope.
Thomas Staniland was admitted as a partner in Dayton Marble and Granite Works in 1865. The business was established in 1860 by H. Houghtelin. When Thomas became a partner, the company changed its name to Houghtelin & Staniland and continued under the direction of Mr. Houghtelin until his death in 1873. In 1875, Ira Crawford bought half the interest in the company and the name changed to Staniland & Crawford. The business did monumental work in all kinds of marble and granite and handled all sorts of marble, both foreign and domestic. Their granite work was all done at the quarries, except for the lettering. Mr. Staniland designed all the work and always personally supervised all of it. In December 1881, Mr. Crawford retired and Thomas continued the business on his own.
The Mead monument was once the tallest obelisk at Woodland Cemetery. Today, just a few short feet away from the Mead family lot stands the tallest obelisk, that of John Alexander Collins. During a search through the Wright State University Archives, a series of photographs were found of storm damage at Woodland involving the Mead monument. On the back of each photo was written “Storm Damage July 1944.” I did some checking with the local National Weather Service office in Wilmington and found out that there was a heat wave and drought in the summer of 1944. On July 11th the temperature was 100 degrees; on July 12th the temperature dropped to 83 degrees. The local office did not have written records dating back that far other than a few statistics but stated that with a dramatic drop in temperature, it was possible that a storm had blown through.
Maryland Avenue revealed a Wednesday, July 12, 1944 page 1 short article titled, “Lively Shower Brings Relief from Heat.” The first paragraph states, “Residents of Dayton and vicinity Wednesday were given at least a temporary respite from the prevailing high temperatures with the first break coming shortly before 10 am Wednesday when the city was visited by a shower which peppered down right lively for about 10 minutes. It is estimated that about one-hundredth inch of rain fell.”
Most Dayton and Miami Valley residents know that the wind can pick up in an instant in the area and knock a few trees down. Perhaps the answer to what happened was truly blowing in the wind.
Angels are often referred to as Agents of God. They direct you towards Heaven. They are the guardians of the dead and they symbolize spirituality.
