The Founder of the Society of Mary, Father Leo Meyer, came from Alsace to Cincinnati to serve as a missionary in 1949. He found the area in the midst of a cholera epidemic and volunteered to help. The next year he was sent by the Bishop to Dayton to serve at Emmanuel Church, where he met John Stuart.
Stuart owned 125 acres of farmland in the Southeastern section of Dayton. Stuart had come from Scotland and wanted to return, and Father Meyer wanted to establish a colony of Marianists. The two negotiated and made a deal. Stuart would give the land to Father Meyer and allow him to pay back when he could, and Father Meyer would give him his St Joseph Medal as collateral. It took twenty years to pay the debt and get back the medal.
Mary Stuart, infant daughter of John, was buried in St Henry Catholic Cemetery, on Main Street near Ashley and Frank Streets. When St Henry was sold and the bodies exhumed, Father Meyer moved Mary and her monument to the UD Campus in order to fulfill his promise to John Stuart that he would always care for the child’s grave. When the Marianist cemetery was established in the present location, Mary’s grave was moved along with the rest. Stewart Street is named for the Stuart family, but the name was misspelled.
K12 Gallery and Tejas
One avenue of community engagement is introducing the healing power of arts to low-income students, youth on probation, adults with disabilities, and survivors of domestic violence. K12 Gallery & TEJAS continues to organize public art projects to further reach the community.
For information on art classes at K12 & TEJAS, please visit their website at: https://k12tejasgallery.org
Murder in Victorian Dayton: The Tragic Story of Bessie Little
Holiday Hiatus 2024
Coming Soon: Murder in Victorian Dayton, the Tragic Story of Bessie Little
Sara’s next book will have a publication date! Murder in Victorian Dayton, the Tragic Story of Bessie Little will be available March 4, 2025. You can order directly from Sara’s Website, Amazon, or buy on March 29 2025 at the Paranormal Gathering at The Windamere in Middletown. Sara will be selling her books and speaking at the event.
Have You Seen this Bench?
Local Author Tim Smith
Some of Tim Smith’s titles include:
- One Lonely Christmas Eve
- Memories Die Last
- Cupid Says Happy New Year
- Who Gets the Friends
- The Sweet Distraction
You can buy his books on Amazon.
Natalie Babbit
Natalie was born in Dayton on July 28, 1932, to personnel administrator Ralph Moore and former artist Genevieve Converse Moore. Natalie grew up with what she referred to as an “Ohio life view”, which she described as “the feeling that certain things are right, and that’s that.”
Since childhood, Natalie wanted to be an illustrator. She studied at Laurel School in Cleveland and Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Later, she married Samuel Babbitt, and together they had three children, born between 1956 and 1960.
Together, the couple created The Forty-ninth Magician, written by Samuel and illustrated by Natalie. Eventually Samuel became too busy to continue with books and Natalie was encouraged to continue producing children’s books. She started with short books, then continued on to children’s novels.
Children’s novels was where Natalie succeeded. For her books, she won the following awards:
- Tuck Everlasting – named an ALA Notable Book and ranked among the “Top 100 Chapter Books” of all time by the School Library Journal. Adapted into a movie twice and a Broadway Musical
- The Eyes of Amaryllis – adapted into a movie in 1982.
- Received The Newbery Honor Award
- Received the Christopher Award
- U.S. Nominee for Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1982
- Finalist for Edgar Allan Poe Award
- Awarded the inaugural E.B. White Award for achievement in children’s literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Natalie’s writing career spanned four decades and produced 20 books she wrote and 10 she illustrated. She also illustrated five volumes in the Small Poems Series by Valerie Worth. She was a frequent contributor to The Times Book Review, continuing to write into her 70s.
Natalie died on October 31, 2016 at her home in Hamden Connecticut. She had lung cancer. She was survived by her husband Samuel, and her three children, Dr Christopher Converse Babbitt, Thomas Collier Babbitt, and Lucy Cullyford Babbitt.
Regarding the subject of immortality from Tuck Everlasting, Natalie echoed Angus Tuck. “I think that living forever would be a terrible thing,” she once said. “ It would be boring, sad and lonely.”
Upcoming Events for Sara’s Books
- Fairborn Halloween Festival
October 11th – 13th
Friday 4pm-11pm
Saturday 10am-11pm
Sunday 12pm-6pm - Centerville Washington History Speaker Series
October 16th, 7 pm.
Washington Township RecPlex West
895 Miamisburg Centerville Road
Dayton, 45459 - Behind Urban Legends
October 19th, 12pm
Dayton Metro Library, Downtown Branch
215 E 3rd St,
Dayton, OH 45402 - Behind Urban Legends
October 28th, 6pm
Dayton Metro Library, Northmont Branch
700 W National Rd
Englewood, OH 45322
Local Author Stephen Grismer
He was a 12-year member of the hostage negotiation team and the vice president of the Dayton Fraternal Order of Police. Grismer is a 1984 graduate of the University of Dayton with a degree concentration in journalism and a minor in criminal justice. In 2008 he helped produce the successful police exhibit at Carillon Historical Park, “Patrolling the Streets of Dayton.”
When the exhibit closed at Carillon, many people wished to keep the history of the Dayton Police Department alive. As one of the original architects of this Dayton Police History Exhibit, Stephen formed a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Dayton police history. Dayton Police History Foundation, Inc. was chartered by the State of Ohio on January 1, 2010.
In addition to all of his service and contributions to the community, Stephen has written the following books:
- The Dean, Dillinger, and Dayton, Ohio
- Drenched Uniforms and Battered Badges: How Dayton Police Emerged from the 1913 Flood
Along with authors Judith Monseur and Dennis Murphy, Stephen Grismer also wrote:
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Dayton Unknown 