No, I’m not referring to the viral YouTube video from a few years past. Rather, I refer to my discovery of the week! Thank you, Columbus Metropolitan Library! The West Side and Ohio Avenue Day Nurseries were founded on a shoe empire! No joke! (Though empire might be a slight exaggeration.) H.C. Godman, one of the city’s major philanthropists at the turn of the 20th century (ever heard of Godman Guild? same guy), started a shoe factory here in Columbus, in Franklinton, specifically, and made a fortune. He gave the day nursery a $10,000 gift in 1902 to assist them in cementing their programming and mission in the community. That same year, Mr. William A. Miller became president of H.C. Godman Shoe Company. Coincidence? I think not! Mrs. William A. Miller, aka Mary, is one of the West Side nursery’s major early benefactors, donating the land for its property on Grubb Street and its expansion in 1937. She also funded the North Side Day Nursery.

And yet, the library has no image record of Mary Miller, no photo of her. CELC has it. Right there, that is why I am here this summer. To share the Columbus early learning / day nursery story and to highlight the important contributions of the women who founded it and whose legacies live on 125 years later.

Mrs. Miller Gets Some 21st Century Recognition

This is just speculation, but wonder why Mrs. Miller was such a big supporter of day nurseries? I would not be surprised if it was related not only to supporting women, but also to supporting female workers in the shoe factory her husband managed, which was located only a few blocks away. Like I said, total speculation.

Despite nearing the end of the fellowship, this week has been full of discovery. I managed to clear out the rest of the Westside location (it’s usually locked and alarmed), finding more than an entire car’s worth of items. Oh and I found all of these treasures with my handy mini-camping lantern because the light bulb in the basement wasn’t working. The ambiance of searching for old, hidden away files by lantern light is exhilarating! 🙂 Sadly, I had to leave Maude on the wall, a portrait of Maude Fowler Wolfe, that is, another early day nursery benefactor. I’ll come back for her another day. (Her husband, as it turns out, also worked for H.C. Godman Shoe Company, and started this little paper called the Columbus Dispatch.)

Let me tell you, though, as much as I love history, 66 years worth of board of trustees’ meeting minutes weigh quite a bit, especially when you are hauling them up and down stairs! Now though, my treasure trove feels quite expansive! I even had to clear more space in my office for the boxes! The next two weeks will be busy indeed!