The Story of 57 cents - Hattie May Wiatt

A sad little girl stood outside a small church one Sunday morning. Her name was Hattie May Wiatt. She wanted to walk inside the church, to sing songs, to learn about God and worship Jesus. But she was afraid. She was alone, her clothes were shabby and unkempt…and she had no ticket. This church was often so crowded that admission tickets were handed out prior to the services to avoid overpopulation.  New facilities were desperately needed. Little Hattie was afraid of getting lost in the shuffle of people. Worse yet, she was afraid of being turned away. Reverend Conwell happened to walk by the front gate where Hattie was standing. He took compassion on her, lifted her up on his shoulder and carried the little girl into the church, through the crowded foyer he found a small corner for her in the Sunday School room.  

Hattie gave him the hug of a comforted and happy child. This embrace would be etched in his mind for a lifetime… A short time later, Hattie became ill and died.  Her parents sought out the kind-hearted pastor who had befriended their daughter.  At the funeral, her mother handed Reverend Conwell a small purse—Hattie’s purse. It contained 57 cents. Her mother told him tearfully that Hattie had been saving up her money to help build a bigger church…big enough for all the children. The Pastor was deeply moved. He gratefully accepted the little girl’s contribution. He later shared the story with the church congregation. Each of Hattie’s 57 pennies was auctioned.  Church members made donations.  Checks came in from far and wide. Hattie May Wiatt’s unselfish love had paid large dividends. Some of the members formed what they called the “Wiatt’s Mite Society”  in which they were dedicated to making little Hattie’s 57 cents grow.

The amount of money raised through these efforts was a sizeable investment towards the purchase of a new property.  54 of Hattie’s original pennies were, in time, donated back to the church, where they were put on display and can be seen to this day.  The next time you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a present seating capacity of 3,300.   And be sure to visit Temple University In addition to the Good Samaritan Hospital, both of which also claim their origin from the fruits of the Temple Baptist Church property purchased from the seed money of Hattie May Wiatt’s 57 cents.