Aullwood Nature Center and Farm

Marie S. Aull was an environmentalist and naturalist from Dayton, Ohio. She founded The Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm in 1957 and donated 70 acres of land to the National Audubon Society for the site. In 1962, Aull purchased a farm adjacent to the center and began to use it to teach local children about agriculture and its importance to American Culture. In 1978 the Farm and Center were merged into one organization. Today the site continues to provide educational and environmental stewardship programming throughout the Dayton area.

Aullwod Audubon Center and Farm is an educational center in Dayton, Ohio. It was established by Marie Aull in 1957 in an effort to educate the Dayton community on the importance of farming, nature, and the environment. Marie Aull’s passion for gardening, nature, and the environment began in her childhood and she sought to pass that love on to future generations. This led her to work with the National Audubon Society to develop the center near her home in Dayton. The site was made possible by the contributions and efforts of Dayton environmentalist and philanthropist Marie S. Aull and her husband, John Aull, over the course of their lives. The core of the land that became the center, the Aull’s homestead, was first purchased by John in 1907 to serve as a weekend retreat. This 150-acre plot of land had belonged to a local family of farmers prior to becoming John Aull’s retreat.

Marie Aull (born Marie Sturwold) was born in 1897 in Cincinnati, Ohio to parents Anthony and Rose Sturwold. Her parents were famed for their gardens and from her birth onward, Marie was constantly out among her family’s gardens. She continued to foster a love of nature during her life. While attending college at the University of Cincinnati she took courses in botany and geology. She met her future husband, a Dayton businessman named John Aull, while on a trip to Alaska. The two shared a fondness for the outdoors and began courting each other. They married a year later, in 1923. After their marriage they moved into John Aull’s weekend house full time. There, Marie began planting wildflower gardens. John fenced off some seventy acres of his land for Marie’s gardens. The two would spend the rest of their marriage expanding their property and adding to their gardens.

John Aull was a prominent local businessman. He was born in 1866 to Julia Gigler and Nicholas L. Aull. He attended Dayton public schools before starting work at a paper manufacturer. In 1882 his two older brothers, William and Frank, started a paper company and John soon joined as a travelling salesman. He rose up and found himself in charge of manufacturing for the company by 1893. The Aull Brothers Paper and Box Company was incredibly successful; by 1919 it had 150 employees at its downtown location. In 1918 John became president of the company. Beyond his business affiliations, John was an active member of the community. He was a member of Dayton’s Bicycle Club for nearly fifty years. In the aftermath of the 1913 flood, he worked with the Miami Conservancy District and sold chunks of his land to allow the construction of the Englewood Dam. He continued to work with his company and pursue his interests after his marriage to Marie Aull. He passed away at the age of 89 in 1955.

After John’s death, Marie sought out the National Audubon Society to see if they would be interested in parts of her property to create a nature center. Aull wanted to help establish the first nature center in the Midwest. She sought out other Audubon centers across the country for inspiration. Ultimately, the Audubon Society accepted her offer and in 1957, Marie Aull officially donated 70 acres of her land to the them. Her intent was that they use the land to create a nature sanctuary where children could learn about ecology from professional naturalists. This site was named Aullwood Audubon Center in honor of her contributions to the society. Aull continued to donate land to the budding nature center. In 1962, when an adjacent farm went on the market Marie Aull purchased the land and donated a portion of it to the Audubon Society. This land was converted into an educational farm as Aull believed it was important that people understand the significance of farm life in American culture. When the educational farm first started it operated independently from the Nature Center. They merged into a single operation in 1978. Aullwood became a model for nature centers across the country. Since 1989, both the Center and the Farm have been managed by the Dayton Foundation. Aullwood was also placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Outside of Aullwood, Marie Aull was an influential member of the community. She played a pivotal role in the establishment of a parks system in the Dayton area. Alongside Jean Woodhull and Glenn Thompson, Aull developed the basis for the Dayton-Montgomery County Park District in 1963. This organization was later renamed the Fiver Rivers MetroParks and it continues to manage the parks around Dayton; Aullwood is one of many locations in the park system. Marie Aull remained active in her gardens and around the nature center until her death in 2002, at the age of 105. Her influence can still be felt today and Aullwood continues to draw visitors and impact the community.

About Us, Aullwood Audubon. Accessed February 3rd 2022. https://aullwood.audubon.org/landing/about/about-us.

Horvath, Allan L. A Place Called Aullwood. Allan L Horvath Publications, 1996.

Leading by Example: Marie S. Aull, The Dayton Foundation. June 18th 2015. Accessed February 3rd 2022. https://www.daytonfoundation.org/aull.html.