RiverScape pays tribute to the works of native Daytonian poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. Several of his poems are etched here in stone. Dunbar, one of the first nationally known African-American writers, was the son of former slaves. His parents’ experiences as slaves influenced his writing.
He published hundreds of poems, as well as novels, short stories and song lyrics. He is considered one of the most important figures in African American and American history, in the company of Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington and his Dayton neighbors, Orville and Wilbur Wright.
