The Story of the Wright-Dunbar
Neighborhood Houses of Faith
Michael Zeller
Doing History
Doing History
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This is an 11th and 12th grade history
elective class designed to expose
students to local history and the
techniques historians use to research
history.
The lesson will teach the students
about some of the churches from the
historic Wright-Dunbar district while
teaching them research skills which
they will use to answer questions
designed to develop historical research
skills.
Objectives
The students will address the three
educational objectives listed under the
People in Societies section of Ohio’s 11th
grade objectives. These objectives are:
 Explain how the United States has
benefited from its multicultural diversity.
 Explore the roots of prejudice and identify
ways of combating prejudice.
 Examine reasons why people in various
cultural groups preserve their culture
while still participating in United States
society and the economy.
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Materials Needed
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LCD Projector & Computer
Worksheets
The book Nearby History by Kyvig and Marty.
Newspaper articles concerning Wright-Dunbar Churches for
example:
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“Holy Name May Close in Merger.” Dayton Journal Herald, 14 March 1974.
“Rev. Rayner Bartos Will Offer First Mass in Ceremony Today” Dayton
Journal, 14 June 1935, 14.
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Historical books and documents for example:
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Williams Dayton Directory 1910-1911, Cincinnati, OH.
Rev. Vonjick, letter to Archbishop McNicholas, 27 March 1937, Archdiocese
of Cincinnati Archives, Archbishop McNicholas Collection 1925-1950
Web Sites
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The following websites will be used by students to
answer questions about Dayton history and
historical research.
Dayton Facts
http://www.ci.dayton.oh.us/html/dayton_facts.asp
Dayton History
http://www.ci.dayton.oh.us/html/dayton_history.asp
Inventing Flight Business
http://www.inventingflight.org/invention/wb_business.php
Inventing Flight History
http://www.inventingflight.org/invention/wb_history.php
Wright State Library Homepage
http://www.libraries.wright.edu/
Student Activities
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1. Students will use the websites on the previous slide to
answer the following questions.
When was Dayton founded?
Who was Dayton named after?
How many times and in what years has Dayton been rated
an “All American City”?
What is the cultural diversity of the city of Dayton in
percentages?
How many parks does Dayton have?
What is the average high temperature in Dayton?
What was the name of the Wright brothers newspaper?
What are the hours of Wright State University’s Special
Collections and Archives? On what floor in the library are the
special collections and archives located?
Student Activities
2. The students will use newspapers to answer the following
questions:
Who was the pastor of Holy Name church when it closed?
What was the official reason for the closing?
What church replaced Holy Name?
What type of celebration followed Fr. Bartos’ first mass?
Was Fr. Bartos from the Holy Name community?
3. The students will use the Williams Dayton Directory to
reconstruct the businesses in the Wright –Dunbar neighborhood in
1911?
Student Activities
4. The students will be required to utilize Wright States Special
Collections and Archives to locate a picture of Dayton from before
1930. They will write a paragraph on what they learned by examining
the photograph.
5. The students will be required to utilize Wright States Special
Collections and Archives to locate information about Dayton Malleable
Iron. Where was it located? Who was employed there? When did it
open?
WRIGHT-DUNBAR
NEIGHBORHOOD CHURCHES
WRIGHT-DUNBAR
NEIGHBORHOOD CHURCHES
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The churches of the Wright-Dunbar
neighborhood have played and still play an
important role within the near West Dayton
community.
Churches have lead to the creation of a
community that has witnessed both the rewards
of economic growth and the decay that
accompanies disinvestment and neglect.
Holy Name Catholic Church
1906-1974
Holy Name Church Today
Holy Name Catholic Church
1906-1974
A post card
celebrating Holy
Name Church’s
official opening
from 1909.
Where would
one go to find a
historical
document like
this?
Holy Name Catholic Church
1906-1974
Holy Name Church was Built by Catholic
Hungarian Immigrants in 1906. On May 9,
1909 Holy Name Church was officially
recognized by the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati. on this day there was a large
celebration within the neighborhood featuring
Hungarian music and food. The occasion was
so important to the Catholics in this
neighborhood that postcards were made to
commemorate this joyous occasion.
Holy Name Catholic Church
1906-1974
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Holy Name Church was the pride and focal point
for the newly immerging Hungarian community
near Wolf Creek.
The Hungarian immigrants often encountered
discrimination outside of their neighborhood so
they kept to themselves.
As the neighborhood matured many Hungarians
opened small shops, restaurants, or
saloons. Within a few blocks of the church there
was a bakery, several grocery stores, a supply
store and Hungarian Club House.
Holy Name Catholic Church
1906-1974
The Hungarian Club House was a favorite
gathering place for the young Hungarian
men. Many of the Hungarian immigrants
lived in boarding houses and saved their
money so they could return to Hungary
with enough money to buy a small
farm. Hungarian remained the primary
language in this community up until the
late 1930s.
 Most of the first generation Hungarian
immigrants never learned English.
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Holy Name Catholic Church
1906-1974
From 1928 to 1963 the neighborhood had its
own weekly paper printed in Hungarian, The
Hungarian Herald.
The paper featured news about the
neighborhood as well as news about Hungary
local Hungarian businesses advertised their
sales in Hungarian.
The community held on strongly to their
ethnic traditions and culture.
Holy Name School
In the early years of the church the basement housed a small school for
the parishioners children.
The children were instructed in Hungarian for many years. The church
grew rapidly and before long a school building was constructed to meet
the needs of the students.
In 1915 the four classroom school opened its doors for the first time.
During the Church's height as many as 80 students were in each
classroom.
The school was operated by Sisters of the Precious Blood until its
closing in 1962.
The Holy Name Community
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The area around Holy Name Church was a
Hungarian village in the middle of Dayton,
Ohio. Hungarians married Hungarians,
they spoke Hungarian, and did everything
they could to preserve their culture. The
neighborhood kept to itself. Small
restaurants, bakeries, and groceries were
supported by the community. There was a
strong sense of belonging in this
neighborhood.
The Holy Name Community
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This neighborhood
was forced inward by
discrimination and
oppression. By
relying on one another
the neighborhood
became strong and
close knit. This
neighborhood was
essentially a small
Hungarian Ghetto.
McKinley United Methodist Church
McKinley United Methodist Church
McKinley United Methodist
Church
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McKinley United Methodist Church has
existed at the same address on
Hawthorne Street on Dayton’s West Side
for over 100 years. And though the
community lost a lot of its industry and
residents due to the disinvestment that
took place over the years, the church
decided to remain as a reflection of the
congregation’s commitment to the
community.
McKinley United Methodist
Church
In 1880, Reverend Albert Matthews
established a Baptist mission on
Hawthorne Street known as “Little
Jim.” This mission developed into the
Hawthorne Street Methodist Episcopal
Church. After a generous donation, the
church changed its name to McKinley to
honor President William McKinley.
McKinley United Methodist
Church
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During the great flood of 1913, the church was a
relief station for the tremendous numbers of
displaced residents in the community. During the
great flood of 1913, the church was a relief
station for the tremendous numbers of displaced
residents in the community.
The church credits the cooperation of AfricanAmerican and white Methodists for the
tremendous reduction of its debt during the early
1930s, a debt that would be totally eradicated by
1946.
McKinley United Methodist
Church
McKinley was also the sight of the June 13,
1918 memorial service for "Dayton’s First
Colored Soldier to Die in Battle.”
 Several local Reverends and Dayton mayor,
J. M. Switzer, spoke on behalf of Sergeant
Joseph Henderson, a veteran of the
Spanish-American War, who died May 18,
1918 serving his country in World War I.
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McKinley United Methodist
Church
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McKinley United Methodist Church is a church that
was established and grew from the hard work and
commitment of its congregation, pastors, and
community. It is home to several outreach
programs that cater to all members of the
community, regardless of age or economic
conditions. And it is the hope of its congregation
that this continues.
The members do not want McKinley to become a
“fortress church,” where worshippers attend
service and then drive away with no regard for
the local population.
Wayman Chapel
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Wayman Chapel
African Methodist Episcopal Church
In 1778, the African Methodist Episcopal
Church (A.M.E) was established to provide its
members of African descent the freedom to
worship and gain self-respect and religious
education.
In 1833, Dayton’s first African-American
Church, and the first A.M.E. church to be
registered in Ohio, was established.
Racism Hits Wayman Chapel
African Methodist Episcopal Church
In 1841, a mob of white looters vandalized the
A.M.E. chapel and beat many of its members. The
congregation fled the area, fearing for their lives,
devastating the future of the church.
It was not until 1867 that a second congregation
organized and became firmly established in the
community. In 1882, the church was officially
dedicated as the Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church
Wayman A.M.E. Grows
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The church continued to grow throughout the
years, and established several programs to better
itself and the members of the community.
In 1903, the Sunday school department was the
first in the state to graduate a class in a Teacher’s
Training program.
By 1920, the church had grown to over 300
members, which included Matilda Dunbar and her
famous poet son, Paul Laurence Dunbar, before
his untimely death.
Wayman A. M. E.
In 1923 the congregation built a new
church on the northeast corner of West
Fifth and Bank Streets, and was known as
one of Ohio’s most modern facilities to be
owned by African-Americans.
 The loyalty of its membership is clearly
documented when several of the church’s
members mortgaged their own homes to
ease the financial difficulties faced as a
result of the great depression of the
1930s.
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Wayman Chapel
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The church experienced tremendous growth in the years
following World War II, due to the great urban influx of
rural and Southern migrants who found employment with
the local automotive industries and the Federal
Government. The church and its parsonage located on
Horace Street were both refurbished, and by 1958 the
membership had grown to 751.
The construction of the new interstate highway, I-75
displaced the church from it long established address on
Fifth and Banks Streets, and in 1963 Wayman Chapel
A.M.E. Church moved to its current address on Hoover
Avenue.
Zion Baptist Church
Zion Baptist Church
On November 30, 1870, Zion Baptist Church was
established in the West Dayton community. Listed as
Dayton’s oldest African-American Baptist Church, it
originated in the private home of Humphrey and
Elizabeth Moody who lived on Mound Street.
In 1876 the congregation moved into their newly
built church located at 40 Sprague Street and
worshipped there until displaced by the construction
of the Edwin C. Moses Highway in 1984. At that time,
the congregation moved to their present place of
worship at 1684 Earlham Drive.
Zion Baptist Church
For 114 years Zion Baptist Church resided in the West
Dayton community, serving the needs of its congregation
and segments of the population within the community.
For the first several years the growing congregation met
at different member’s homes, rented halls, and for a
short time leased a barn on Baxter Avenue (now Dunbar
Avenue).
In 1873 the pastor, Albert Matthews, and two trustees
bought the lot on Sprague for $370 and within three
years the congregation was able to build a one-story
brick church.
Zion Baptist Church
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Zion Baptist Church was very active in the
community. In 1922 the Ladies Sunday school
class began to administer food baskets to the
needy during the Christmas holidays, a tradition
still practiced today.
The Who-so-ever Club reached out to the
community as witnessing ministry, and the
Young Women’s Chorus was very popular and
performed at various community events.
The church sponsored fund-raising events, and
Matilda Dunbar, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s mother,
was just one of the many recipients of their
efforts.
Zion Baptist Church
Zion was home to several prominent members of the West
Dayton community who actively worked within the
neighborhood.
Moses H. Jones, considered the preeminent AfricanAmerican attorney in Ohio, vigorously supported the Colored
YMCA, as did Garfield Jones, owner of The Jones Funeral
Home.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) first Dayton chapter was organized at Zion
in 1915, and home to its weekly meetings.
Reverend Laurence McNeil, who became the pastor in 1933,
actively supported the civil rights movement and was one of
the founding members of the Dayton Urban League.