Hattie May Wiatt : The Little Girl who Died & Left 57 cents to build a bigger Church

Hattie became well-known for an inspiring act of charity. According to Temple Univeristy founder Russell Conwell, Hattie May was a student in his church's Sunday School, however many students included herself could not attend because the room was too small. Finding Hattie outside, Conwell says he brought her inside and reassured her that hopefully one day a bigger building would be built to fit all the children. Hearing this, Hattie resolved to save her pennies to make this happen. When she died not long after, a small purse was found under her pillow containing the 57 cents she had saved. At her funeral her mother gave the money to Conwell, which he took to the church and, telling her story, announced it as the first gift towards the new Sunday School building. He changed the money into pennies which he offered for sale. They were sold for $250 and almost all of the pennies returned to him as well. The $250 was then changed into pennies and sold for enough to buy the property for the school. Inspired by Hattie May's generosity, the congregation not only built a bigger Sunday School but an entire new church. The "Wiatt Mite Society" named for her managed to raise the money against all odds and the church was built right on Broad Street. The owner of the lot purchased for the new church accepted Hattie's pennies as the first down payment on the property, and though it was officially called Grace Baptist Church this new church also became known as The Temple. It was out of this church, bought with Hattie's pennies, that Temple University grew as well. Conwell declared that this congregation of thousands was born out of Hattie May's small investment. He said "she is happy on high with the thought that her life was so full, that it was so complete, that she lived really to be so old in the influences she threw upon this earth."

She was the daughter of Joseph and Hattie J. Wiatt and they lived at 1917 Marvine Street in Philadelphia. She died of diphtheria at age 7. An aspect of the story which has been forgotten from the famous story of Hattie is that her baby sister Annie also contracted the illness and died just five days after her. They were originally buried in Monument Cemetery's Section E, Lot 251, Grave 4N, but were moved within the cemetery to Section B, Lot 434, Grave 4S on May 11, 1904. Two years later their grandmother Abbie P. Ball was buried with them. Monument was closed in 1956 and on June 22 of that year Annie and Hattie May were removed for a second time and along with Abbie were buried at Lawnview Cemetery where the grave is marked by a "Ball" plaque. The church Hattie inspired to be built now functions as the Temple Performing Arts Center and is a magnificent historic landmark. The church still exists as The Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell.