Paul Laurence Dunbar House

Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet and author who was best known in his lifetime for his dialect work and his use of metaphor and rhetoric, often in a conversational style. In his short career, he produced twelve books of poetry, four novels, four books of short stories, and wrote the lyrics to many popular songs. Dunbar became the first African American to support himself financially through his writing. Dunbar purchased this house for his mother in 1904, and he lived there with her until his death from tuberculosis in 1906. In rapidly failing health, Dunbar continued to write, and he completed his last works in the house. The Dunbar House appears today much as it did at the time of the poet's death.