David H. "Dave" Longaberger (1934 – 1999) was an American businessman who founded the Longaberger Company, makers of handcrafted maple wood baskets and accessories. Dave has two daughters, Tami Longaberger, who is CEO of the Longaberger Company, and Rachel Longaberger Stukey, President of the Longaberger Foundation.

Longaberger grew up in a poor family of 14. He suffered from a stuttering

Stuttering

Stuttering , also known as stammering , is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds...

 problem and epilepsy

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...

, both of which he overcame.

Legacy

As well as being a successful businessman, Dave Longaberger was also a great philanthropist. His concern for his community was evident in the money, effort and time he donated in and around Dresden, Ohio

Dresden, Ohio

Dresden is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, along the Muskingum River at the mouth of Wakatomika Creek. It was incorporated on March 9, 1835...

. Dave gave millions of dollars to the local community and schools, and provided much needed services to the community.

Dave was always interested in history; when he first started selling baskets he made a deal with historic Roscoe Village, Coshocton, Ohio

Roscoe Village (Coshocton, Ohio)

Roscoe Village, located in Coshocton, Ohio, United States, is a restored Ohio and Erie Canal town operated by the non-profit Roscoe Village Foundation. The goal of the Foundation is to maintain the historic buildings of Roscoe Village and promote education with regard to life along the Ohio and...

, to sell them there. As hand crafted baskets fit nicely into the historic nature of the non-profit organization that maintained and operated Roscoe Village, it was a perfect fit. Later, after he became prosperous, Dave's love of history came to the surface as he undertook the restoration of many local historic buildings in the Dresden, Ohio

Dresden, Ohio

Dresden is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, along the Muskingum River at the mouth of Wakatomika Creek. It was incorporated on March 9, 1835...

, area. Some of the buildings he saved were:

• The Captains House (1850),
• The Dresden Hotel (early 20th century),
• The Dresden Iron Mill (circa 1880),
• The Dresden Woolen Mill (circa 1890),
• The Prospect Place
  Prospect Place
  Prospect Place, also known as Trinway Mansion and Prospect Place Mansion, is a 29-room mansion built by abolitionist George Willison Adams in Trinway, Ohio, just north of Dresden in 1856. Today, it is the home of the non-profit G. W. Adams Educational Center, Inc...
  
  mansion (1856),
• The Cox House, Trinway (circa 1900),
• The Dresden railway station.

Dave also purchased and refurbished many other historic buildings on Main Street in Dresden, Ohio. This spurred a restoration boom as private owners then began themselves to look at their old homes and started restoring them as well.

Company and Family History

Dave grew up in a poor family with 14 brothers and sisters.