Area Attractions, Organizations Showcase
African-American Culture, History, Talent

DAYTON, OHIO—For more than two centuries, Dayton has been home to many African-American artists, writers, educators, military heroes and performers, and their accomplishments and contributions to the city and the nation are celebrated at area museums, universities and performance halls.Ê

Among them are:

Dunbar House State Memorial.Ê

A National Historical Landmark, this is the restored site of Paul Laurence Dunbar's home, which he purchased for his mother after overcoming poverty to reach international acclaim as a writer.Ê Dunbar, who penned more than 100 novels, short stories and poems, was America's foremost African-American poet laureate. The home contains original furnishings and Dunbar artifacts, such as a bicycle given to him by his friends, the Wright Brothers.Ê The Memorial is one of four sites that comprise the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.Ê
[212 N. Paul Laurence Dunbar Street, 937/224-7061]

Wayman Chapel AME Church.Ê

Wayman African Methodist Episcopal's first House of Worship was dedicated in 1840, making this Dayton's oldest AME congregation.Ê Wayman AME was also Paul Laurence Dunbar's official church.Ê
[3317 Hoover Avenue, 937/268-6729]

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.Ê

Since the late 1960s when the company was founded by the late African-American dancer and choreographer Jeraldyne Blunden, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company has received international recognition for its performances of contemporary modern dance around the world.Ê
[136 North Main Street, 937/228-3232]

National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center.Ê

This museum, located approximately 25 miles from Dayton in Wilberforce, Ohio, educates the public while preserving, studying and interpreting African-American history and culture.Ê Among its many artifacts and exhibits is a permanent exhibit titled From Victory to Freedom:Ê Afro-American Life in the 1950s.Ê
[1350 Brush Row Road, Wilberforce, OHÊ 937/376-4944]

Wilberforce University.Ê

Visit the nation's oldest private African-American University.Ê It was the first Black school to be designated as a center for military training and had the first Black college president in America.Ê
[Wilberforce, OHÊ 937/376-2911]

United States Air Force Museum.Ê

The oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world offers a self-guided African-American Heritage Tour highlighting the museum's major exhibits depicting the role of African-Americans in the history of military aviation.Ê Topics include the Tuskegee Airmen and the integration of the USAF in 1949.Ê Brochures with a narrative are available at the information desk.Ê
[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, 937/255-3286]

The Dayton Art Institute.Ê

The rotunda of this world-class museum features a huge multi-colored draped canvas by one of this country's leading African-American artists, Sam Gilliam.Ê Among the museum's many exhibits is the African Art Gallery, which includes masks, human figures, household items, personal adornment and Egyptian artifacts dating as far back as 3650 BC.Ê The museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is housed in a 1919 Italian Renaissance-inspired building overlooking downtown Dayton and the Great Miami River.Ê
[456 Belmonte Park North, 937/223-5277 or 800/296-4426]

For more information about these or other Dayton/Montgomery County attractions, please contact the Dayton/Montgomery County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-221-8235.Ê The Bureau, an independent, non-profit organization funded by a county-wide customer hotel/motel bed tax, markets Dayton as a site for conventions, group meetings, trade shows, motorcoach tours and the leisure traveler.