Did you know Ohio’s Place in Aviation History? The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park traces the legacy of the Wright Brothers, Dayton’s most famous sons. Their work truly pushed forward the age of flight.

History of Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP
Kitty Hawk, 1903
The two brother’s from Ohio, fly their heavier than air aircraft under power over the dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. A first for the world. The brothers would perform several flights that day, ushering in a new age for the entire world.
The story, for the world may have started there. But the story of the first aircraft started earlier, in the city of Dayton Ohio.

The Dayton Years
Wilbur and Orville Wright were 2 of 7 children born between Indiana and Ohio. The family had moved abruptly to Ohio in 1874 where the brothers had stayed in their later years in life as well. Neither brother married but both had an interest in engineering and business. Due to the boom in bicycles in the late 19th century, the brothers went into the bicycle business. The Wright Cycle Company, the came into being in 1892 and completely stopped producing bicycles in 1904.
Both brothers recall when their father brought home a rubber band powered helicopter it sparked their interest in the idea of flight. The toy didn’t act as expected and fluttered about the room instead of just falling to the room like they would have expected. Events in flight including the death of pioneer Otto Lilienthal and initial success of Samuel Langely sparked their decisions to do research.
The brothers became to consume all information they could on flight. The work they were doing in bicycle building had parallels in airplane development as well. They would use much of their spare time to research and test their ideas for flight. They tested what they could locally and eventually tested as well in Kitty Hawk. Kitty Hawk, with its sparse population, regular winds, high dunes was a perfect training ground for their flight tests.

Visiting the Aviation Park in Dayton
There was a realization that there the history of flight in Dayton was slowly being lost. The original Wright Bicycle shop was purchased by Henry Ford and moved to Michigan. Much of the original neighborhood and buildings had been lost to history or were in disrepair. The field the Wrights used for testing in Dayton were part of a nearby military base. One of the most interesting parts was that the shop was part of a larger shopping center, and the understanding of what it looked like at the time was from a photograph taken outside by a woman for a different purpose. The site became a National Park unit in 1992.
Places to Visit through the Dayton Aviation Heritage Park
The Park protects several different places that were key to the Wright Brother’s lives and legacy. There are several places both within the vicinity of the main buildings as well as further afield in Dayton.
Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center
Located west of Downtown, the Wright-Dunbar Interpretative Center contains a visitor center as well as exhibits and displays about the history of aviation and the lives of the Wright brothers. This Dayton museum for the Wright Brothers’ also give information into Wrights’ other businesses as printers near here at Wright & Wright Job Printers. The building also houses information about poet Paul Laurence Dunbar as well as the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum. The free fall parachute was developed locally in Dayton McCook Field following World War I.

Wright Brothers’ Bicycle Shop
Located across from the Wright-Dunbar Interpretative Center, visitors can visit one of the original Wright Brothers’ bicycle shops. The shop shows the overall bicycle business and discusses the boom of bicycles during the late 19th century, the Wright brother’s business, and their experiments in flight. The site needs to be visited with a ranger / tour from the Interpretive Center.
Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site
Administered as part Dayton Aviation National Historical Park, the home of Poet Paul Laurence Dunbar is also protected by the site. The site protects the home of the prolific American poet who produced over 400 works, including novels, books of poetry, short stories, and lyrics for songs. Dunbar was the first African American to support himself financially through writing. The site isn’t Aviation related but the history and life of Dunbar is fascinating.
Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center
Located near Wright-Patterson Airforce Base, the Interpretive center acts as another Visitor Center as well as providing information about the Wright Brothers and a monument to the Brothers. Visitors can also want a film about the Wright Brothers and their quest for flight. Wright Brothers’ hill outside the center hosts a 17 foot obelisk monument to the brothers.

Huffman Prairie Flying Field
Following the success of the Wright Brothers’ flight in Kitty Hawks the duo was looking for fields closer to Dayton to practice their flying experiments. The Huffman Prairie field, located outside of Dayton was a perfect spot to test in an open space and further away from prying eyes. With permission of the owner the brothers would regularly practice out here flying over the nearby land. Even as they tried they often drew a crowd of local and further afield viewers. The park itself now is part of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Basic Information
Addresses
Wright-Dunbar Interpretative Center: 16 South Williams Street, Dayton, OH 45402
Wright Brothers’ Bicycle Shop: Located in the Complex Above
Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center: 2380 Memorial Road, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433
Paul Laurence Dunbar House: 219 North Paul Laurence Dunbar Street, Dayton, OH 45401
Huffman Prairie Flying Field: Pylon Rd, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433
Visitor Centers
Wright-Dunbar Interpretative Center: 16 South Williams Street, Dayton
Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center: 2380 Memorial Road, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433
Fees
Free
Operating Hours
Wright-Dunbar Interpretative Center: 10am – 4pm
Wright Brothers’ Bicycle Shop: 10am – 4pm
Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center: 10am – 4pm (Thursday – Sunday)
Paul Laurence Dunbar House: 10am – 4pm (Friday – Sunday)
Huffman Prairie Flying Field: Daylight Hours
Website: NPS Official Website

Getting There
Wright-Dunbar Interpretative Center: Located in Downtown Dayton, the Interpretive Center is located at the Corner of North Williams and West 3rd Street. Visitors can visit the Bicycle Shop in the same complex across from the Interpretive Center.
Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center: The interpretive Center is located near Wright-Patterson off Ohio 444N on Memorial Road
Paul Laurence Dunbar House: Dunbar house is located 1/2 mile from the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center and Aviation Park. The House is located near Edison St and N. Paul Laurence Dunbar Street.
Huffman Prairie Flying Field: Located within the Wright-Patterson AFB, the field is a bit trickier to get to. You won’t enter through any restricted gate but you will be on the Wright-Patterson Base. Turn off Oh-444 to Communications Boulevard and Hebble Creek Road. Follow the road past the Rod & Gun Club and turn onto Pylon Road. Continue down the road and you’ll see various parking areas and entrances and interpretive information for the field.

Tips for Visiting
The park is big with areas in several different locations. Be sure to visit the Aviation Park with the Wright-Dunbar Interpretative Center and Wright Bicycle Shop. The Shop is really worth the visit and if like me you need to track down someone who can show it to you. The ranger in the main interpretive center had to find another ranger to allow me in because he couldn’t leave the center unmanned.
The field is really worth visiting. It is a bit strange driving on the base and at times I was worried I was going somewhere I shouldn’t. The field is really large and you should definitely visit the barn and catapult. What was unnerving to me is that the field is next to a skeet shooting range and could constantly hear gunshots ring out when I was on field.
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