Mrs. Hayner's Legacy
Interested in renting the facility? Interested in the history of the house? Wondering who maintains the building and brings you the classes, exhibits and music?
Built in 1914 by Mary Jane Hayner in the Romanesque style. Designed by Cincinnati architect Leonard Willeke of the Allyn Engineering Company.
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Mrs. Hayner's Legacy
Mary Jane Hayner was born in Troy, Ohio in 1855 to Dr. Samuel Harter and Olivia Jane. Her fortune came from her father’s successful medicine business, Dr. Harter’s Medicine Company. The Harter tonics, bitters and special potions were often about 50-proof-spirits. This may explain how it was that Mary Jane got to know William Hayner. William was Mary Jane’s second husband, and he was in the whiskey business. William inherited his uncle’s copper-still whiskey operation and being a young enterprising man of the Industrial Age, grew the business into a multi-state distributorship and eventually become one of the wealthiest men in Miami county.
Mary Jane was known by her family to be an intelligent woman and though she was a product of the Gilded Age, she was not afraid to get involved with the family business discussions of the gentlemen-folk or help make decisions about their businesses. She was a fashionable woman whose name can be found on many travel-ship manifests. Entertaining and travel were what she did with her later years.
William built Mary Jane a nice dark multi-story Victorian brick home in the center of Troy where they raised their daughter Isabel. Twenty years later, after Isabel was grown and her husband William passed away, Mary Jane Hayner built herself the house of her dreams on that same piece of real estate. Her three-story mansion was designed with entertaining in mind. The first floor was built with a large study, a grand piano room and a large kitchen with a special servant’s stair to the Ballroom. Her second floor contained four bathrooms but only three bedrooms, one for her, one for Isabel when she came to visit and one guest room. The Ballroom was given many special features including lots of windows and a beautiful wooden dance floor. Three upholstered alcoves provided a soft place to cozy up with your dance partner. Many small bands helped bring in the era of jazz and dance to the small town of Troy, Ohio in this Ballroom.
Mary Jane lived in her lovely home until her passing in 1942. In her will she provided that the home would be left to the people of Troy to be used for educational or cultural purposes. It was the public library until 1976 when a new purpose was planned for the house. A community committee proposed to use the building as a cultural center and the ideas were set in motion. A local tax levy was approved by Troy's citizens to help ensure its success. Ballet lessons for children began that very year in the Ballroom. A Holiday Open House was the first modest event. Soon musical concerts and art exhibits began to take place. Weddings and community events found a home too. Art classes began with pottery and painting. In 1977 the Hayner featured an art exhibit that included world-renown Troy, Ohio artist, Aka Pereyma. In the years following, the staff has grown from one employee to eleven and the reach of the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center has grown exponentially.
The Troy-Hayner Cultural Center now offers a variety of art and personal enrichment classes including pottery, painting, knitting, jewelry making, children’s art, ballet and adult swing dance, computer skills and much, much more. History and Art exhibits are installed year-round and will include, in part, the “Through Our Eyes” photography competition in April of 2025; the “A Dicken’s Christmas” holiday decor display in December of 2025. The “Young Masters” grade school art exhibit will be featured in January 2025 and the Western Ohio Watercolor society October 2026.
Musical concerts are always free to the public and include Jazz in March, a modern annual jazz series and the Drawing Room Chamber Concert Series which is an elegant season of professional chamber musicians. The Lucky Lemonade Concert series is held in the beautiful courtyard on Tuesdays in July featuring current, regional, original music and a hearty glass of homemade-recipe lemonade. The Fridays on Prouty concert series takes place on the square in downtown Troy and features popular bands in various genres. September brings the Troy, Ohio PorchFest with 40 bands on 40 porches in the Southwest Historic District. It is a fast-paced music festival that takes you all over town.
The Hayner hosts a variety of holiday and special events such as Holiday Open House weekend, Valentine Dinner and a Show, Mrs. Hayner’s Birthday Tea, a children’s Boo Bash and a prestigious poetry event called “A Mosaic of Voices.”
A travel club was initiated in 2015 called “Hayner Hits the Road.” These happy travelers have taken many tours including New York, Savannah, Mackinac Island as well as interesting local features in Springfield, Cincinnati and other Ohio locations.
The Hayner House is also utilized by local groups as a meeting location for local non-profits, regional businesses and local scouting groups. The warmth and charm of the building make it a sought-after venue for weddings, showers and family celebrations.
One of the most important responsibilities of this dedicated staff is to maintain the one-hundred-plus year-old building located in the center of Troy. To keep it in good repair takes constant attention and care. It is the honor and duty of Hayner’s maintenance staff to preserve the legacy left by Mary Jane Hayner for the use and edification of the Troy community.
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Mary Jane Hayner, the Woman, the Fortunes, the Legacy by Joanne Duke Gamblee
This biography chronicles the non-traditional life style of Mary Jane Harter Coleman Hayner, detailing her scandalous divorce and the cultural influences that closed the doors of both businesses. Books are available at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center for $34.00 (includes tax). Proceeds benefit Friends of Hayner. Mary Jane Hayner Biography
Available for Sale Mary Jane Hayner, the Woman, the Fortunes, the Legacy by Joanne Duke Gamblee This biography chronicles the non-traditional life style of Mary Jane Harter Coleman Hayner, detailing her scandalous divorce and the cultural influences that closed the doors of both businesses. Books are available at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center for $32.10 (includes tax). Proceeds benefit Friends of Hayner. 
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