“We’re really showcasing Stella,” said Hoskins, who called Weiler Taylor “a gem of Hamilton.” “When we did some research on a woman in Hamilton’s history, we found Stella and we decided to rebrand our existing women’s line. Each one of our products now tells her story, and we have paired poems and songs with scents that are associated with that writing.”
But Weiler Taylor wasn’t just a poet or songwriter ― though she did write the song “My Hamilton” and Hoskins aims to have someone record it ― but she was involved in the performing arts, a teacher, a writer, and a journalist for the Journal-News, including the columnist of the popular “Rosemary” column from 1931 to 1948.
Weiler Taylor was born in 1869 and died in 1953. Her family was also the owner of the Straub House, a prominent hotel in the mid-to-late-1800s in the Rossville neighborhood. Some of Weiler Taylor’s writings were from her point of view as she looked out of her window onto High and Main streets, said Hoskins.
“You really feel like you’re there when she shares her stories of her perspective of High and Main,” she said.
The hotel was eventually replaced by the Gordon Flat Building, but the complex was destroyed in the 1913 flood, and the land where the Straub House once stood ― formerly A Street ― was acquired to create the levee for the widening of the Great Miami River.
Sarah Burkhart, marketing director for Petals & Wicks, did a lot of the research on Weiler Taylor.
“She was Hamilton’s most beloved citizen for a reason,” she said. “She wrote beautiful poems and songs about Hamilton, and I think that should be remembered, especially during Women’s History Month.”
Stella Weiler Taylor began a successful 36-year career as a teacher in Hamilton’s schools in 1899. She also wrote the popular “Rosemary” column for the “Journal-News” from 1931 until 1948. She was very active in local amateur stage productions and frequently published theater reviews in local newspapers.
“She was just a very sweet and wonderful person,” said Burkhart. “I think she’d be very proud of us and we’re very excited to share it with Hamilton.”
SEE PETALS & WICKS VIDEO
Visit the Journal-News on TikTok, and see our video about Petals & Wick’s rebranding of its signature line honoring Stella Weiler Taylor. Visit TikTok.com/@journal_news.
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