The Little Girl Who Died and Left 57 Cents To Build A Bigger Church

Hattie May Wiatt was a little girl from a poor family who loved attending Sunday School, but there were so many children and the church was so small that she sometimes couldn't get in. The pastor, Rev. Conwell, told her that one day they would have buildings big enough to allow every one to attend who wanted to.

Unfortunately Hattie May Wiatt became sick and died. Rev. Conwell was asked to do the funeral and the girl's mother told him that Hattie May had been saving money to help build a bigger church and gave him the little purse in which she had saved 57 cents.

Rev. Conwell had the 57 cents turned into 57 pennies, told the congregation the story of little Hattie May and sold the pennies for a return of about $250. In addition, 54 of the original 57 pennies were returned. These were later put them up on display.

This was in 1886 when 57 cents was no small savings especially for a little girl from a poor family. Some of the members of the church were so touched they formed the Wiatt Mite Society which was dedicated to making Hattie May's 57 cents grow as much as possible and to buy the property for the Primary Department of the Sunday school.

The $250 was used to purchased a house nearby and the first classes of Temple College, now Temple University, were held there. It was eventually sold to allow Temple College to move and the growth of Temple, along with the founding of the Good Samaritan Hospital (now the Temple University Hospital) have been powerful testimonies to a little girl's dream.