Adapted from "The Dawning Place" by Bruce W. Whitmore

One American Baha'i who made a unique contribution to the effort to build the Baha'i House of Worship in 1908 was Esther Tobin, known to her friends as Nettie. She was a loving, humble woman who earned a meager living as a seamstress. Nettie was troubled by her financial inability to contribute to the building of the temple and prayed often that God send her something to offer as a gift. She found inspiration in a letter the American Baha'is received from a Persian Baha'i:

"Now is the time for expending energy and power in the erection of the edifice, be it a mere stone, laid in the name of the Baha'i Mashrak-el-Azkar [a building erected for the praise of God]. For the glory and honor of the first stone is equivalent to all the stones and implements which will later be used there."

Nettie Tobin Shortly after the letter arrived, Ms. Tobin visited a construction site near her home, just north of downtown Chicago. She sought out the project's foreman, told him about the temple project, and asked if he could offer her an inexpensive building stone. The foreman, enchanted with Nettie Tobin, showed her a small pile of limestone rocks, damaged and unfit for use, and invited her to take one. Later that day she and her neighbor wrapped one of the stones in a piece of carpet, tied a clothesline around it and dragged the bundle home.

The stone was carried by hand, in two street cars, on one volunteer's back, dragged along the ground, wheeled in a homemade cart, and with Nettie's determination and the assistance of several helpers and a young newsboy who was pressed into service, it was deposited two days later amid the rubble at the temple building site.

In the months ahead the stone provided a focal point for Baha'i gatherings. Other stones were reportedly sent by Baha'is from various parts of the world. Yet none of these ever reached the temple grounds. Only Nettie Tobin's contribution of "the stone which the builders rejected"* would be available to serve as the marker dedicated by Abdu'l-Baha in 1912.

Today, visitors to the House of Worship can see the stone at the Visitors Center. While most cornerstones are set in a prominent location on the outside of a building, visitors may be surprised to find Nettie Tobin's stone on the floor inside the building. Be sure to look for it the next time you come to visit.  

* "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone." (Psalms: 118: 22)