Esther "Nettie" Tobin (1863–1944), known as Nettie, was a widow and mother of two who worked as a seamstress in Chicago around the turn of the 20th century and became a member of the Baháʼà Community there. Tobin, who wished to contribute to the "Baháʼà Temple Unity", a precursor for the
National Spiritual Assembly of the BaháʼÃs of the United States, for the construction of the future
Baháʼà House of Worship
A Baháʼà House of Worship or Baháʼà temple is a place of worship of the Baháʼà Faith. It is also referred to by the name ''Mashriqu'l-Adhkár'', which is Arabic for "Dawning-place of the remembrance of God". Baháʼà Houses of Worship ...
in
Wilmette
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
was not able to contribute monetarily. Inspired by a letter that suggested even a "stone" to be a value, she went to a construction site nearby her home in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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, coordinates =
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and asked for a stone from the reject pile. With the help of friends and neighbors she was able to move the stone via streetcar and wagon to Wilmette, where it was left on the Baháʼà property. Although other stones had been sent for the dedication ceremony for the in 1912, none of them had arrived. On May 1, 1912,
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian language, Persian: , 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás ( fa, عباس), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh and served as head of the Baháʼà Faith from 1892 until 1921. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was later C ...
directed that "Nettie's stone" used as the dedication stone of the future Baháʼà House of Worship. The "cornerstone" was not used in the construction of the building, but instead is displayed in the visitor's center, where it remains today.
Tobin died on March 30, 1944.
See also
*
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West
References
External links
History of the Cornerstone
American Bahá'Ãs
Place of birth missing
20th-century Bahá'Ãs
1863 births
1944 deaths
{{BaháʼÃ-stub