Nettie Tobin
Encyclopedia
Bahá'í House of Worship
A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
in Wilmette, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
was not able to contribute monetarily. Instead, during her elder years, she found a stone north of downtown Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
which had been set aside as unacceptable for construction, at a site near her home, and offered it for the Bahá'í House of Worship. Due to her age, she struggled to move it from downtown to the northern suburb of Wilmette, occasionally with the help of neighbors and strangers. Although many stones had been sent for the dedication ceremony for the Temple, only her stone arrived when in 1912 `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
declared that it be used as the cornerstone of the Bahá'í House of Worship. It remains today in a place of honor inside a room set aside for prayers and contemplation.