Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park |
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Wright Brothers Fourth Bicycle Shop, Dayton, Ohio
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 Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
Location in Ohio
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
Location in the United States
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| Location | Montgomery and Greene counties, Ohio, United States |
| Nearest city | Dayton, Ohio |
| Area | 86 acres (35 ha) |
| Established | October 16, 1992 |
| Visitors | 73,588 (in 2015) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park |
The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is a special place in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It celebrates three very important people: Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. This park helps us remember their amazing work in the Dayton area.
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How the Park Was Created
The idea for this park came from a person named Jerry Sharkey. By the 1970s, many parts of the Dayton neighborhood where the Wright brothers lived and worked were gone. Buildings were destroyed due to neglect, riots, and new highway projects. Even one of the Wrights' bicycle shops was moved to Greenfield Village in Michigan by Henry Ford a long time ago.
Jerry Sharkey wanted to save the Wright brothers' history. He bought their last bicycle shop in Dayton for only $10,000, which stopped it from being torn down. He also started a group called Aviation Trail Inc. This group was a nonprofit (meaning it doesn't make money for owners) dedicated to creating a national park. They wanted to include the Wright brothers' buildings, which were spread out across the city.
Many local leaders and media people helped Jerry Sharkey. These included the Wright brothers' family, aviation historian Tom D. Crouch, Judge Walter H. Rice, U.S. Representative Dave Hobson, and others. They worked hard to convince federal officials and the National Park Service to create a new historic trail.
The U.S. Congress passed a law to create the park. In 1992, President George H. W. Bush signed the bill, officially creating the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. Besides the Wright brothers' sites, the park also protects the home of Paul Laurence Dunbar. He was a famous African-American poet and a friend of the Wright brothers. Jerry Sharkey gave the bicycle shop he saved to the National Park Service as part of the park's creation.
A new visitor center was built in 2003. This was just in time for the 100th birthday of the Wright brothers' first flight. Jerry Sharkey, the person who first dreamed up the park, passed away in April 2014.
Meet the Important People
The Wright Brothers: Pioneers of Flight
Wilbur and Orville Wright changed human history forever by inventing powered flight. They taught themselves about aviation in their bicycle shops in Dayton, Ohio. There, they researched and built the world's first machine that could fly using power, was heavier than air, and could be controlled in the sky. The Wrights kept working on their invention and made it even better in 1904 and 1905. They tested it at the Huffman Prairie Flying Field near Dayton.
Paul Laurence Dunbar: A Voice Through Poetry
Paul Laurence Dunbar became famous both in the U.S. and around the world for his writing. This was special because, at the time, the literary world was mostly for white people. He wrote novels, plays, short stories, songs, and over 400 published poems. His work often showed the experiences of African Americans in the United States. His writings helped create a stronger sense of identity and awareness for African Americans. Even though he died in 1906, his work influenced important events later, like the Harlem Renaissance and the early Civil Rights Movement. He was a neighbor and a lifelong friend of Wilbur and Orville Wright.
Places to Visit in the Park
The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park works with several groups to manage its sites. Here are the main places you can visit:
- The Wright Cycle Company Complex in Dayton. This includes the Wright Cycle Company building, the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, and the Aviation Trail Visitor Center and Museum.
- Huffman Prairie Flying Field and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center. These are located inside Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. The National Park Service runs them, and they are open to the public.
- The Wright Brothers Aviation Center at Carillon Historical Park in Dayton. This is managed by Dayton History.
- The Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial in Dayton. This is also managed by Dayton History for the Ohio Historical Society.
- Hawthorn Hill. This was Orville Wright's home from 1914 to 1948. It's located just south of Dayton in Oakwood, Ohio.
The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is part of the larger National Aviation Heritage Area. This area covers eight counties in Ohio and was created by Congress in 2004. In 2008, three parts of the park were considered for the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List. These were Huffman Prairie Flying Field, Wright Hall with the 1905 Wright Flyer, and the Wright Cycle Company and Wright and Wright Printing building. The park is a very important part of the National Aviation Heritage Area.
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Hoover Block, where the Wright Brothers had their printing shop.
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Entry frieze to Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park visitor center.
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Hawthorn Hill, Orville Wright's home in Oakwood, Ohio
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Wright Memorial, on a hill overlooking Huffman Prairie, by the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center
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The Wright Flyer III, now in Carillon Historical Park, shown being flown by Orville Wright on October 4, 1905, over Huffman Prairie near Dayton
Images for kids
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Recreated workshop from the Wright Bicycle Shop where the brothers conducted research into aviation.
