DAYTON — Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum in Dayton is holding two tours during Black History Month, paying tribute to some of our area’s trailblazers.
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Paul Laurence Dunbar is among those highlighted in the tour. The poet and international author is one of many prominent and influential Dayton-linked African American contributors either buried or entombed at the cemetery.
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“Whenever people come to do a tour to get more educated about our cemetery, I think you can walk away, which is how these individuals impacted not only Dayton, but also state and national level,” Misti Spillman, manager of Preservation and Community Outreach at the cemetery, said.
The Woodland Cemetery Black History Month tour will also include, weather permitting, a walking portion that visits some of the more famous gravesites, such as former Dayton mayor James H. McGee.
Others highlighted on the tour include inventor James Parsons and George Cooper, one of the first 13 African Americans commissioned into the U.S. Navy.
It’s all part of the cemetery’s effort to get more people to experience the profound legacy that exists on the grounds.
“It’s just a rich history that we have here, and we just really want to get the word out about it so people can come and visit us and see us (as) more than just a cemetery,” Spillman said.
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