Where Dreamers Go...

The United Brethren Publishing House was once a staple of downtown, Dayton. They offered all types of services including: printing, engraving, and lithographing. They were the publishers of dreams.

Wanting to publish his writings, Paul Laurence Dunbar went to the U.B. Publishing House at the request of the Wright Bros. Their father, Bishop Milton Wright, worked there and they recommended him. At the cost of $125 for 500 copies, Paul Laurence Dunbar had his first work, Oak and Ivy, published in 1893. Working as an elevator boy in the Callahan Building, he sold his book to passengers for $1 each. He very quickly paid back the loan to the U.B. Publishing House and was on his way to national recognition.

The U.B. Publishing House can be tied to three of Dayton’s most famous celebrities: the Wright Bros. and Paul Laurence Dunbar. Now known as the Centre City building, she is a gem of local history. In a way, this building connects Dayton with the rest of the world. She was where Dunbar’s literary career began and she played a role in the lives of the Wright Bros…she is at the heart of a lot of Dayton’s history.