dayton aviation heritage national historical park

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Celebrates Birthday

October 16, 2021 By Lisa Grigsby

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park was established on this day in 1992. The park is composed of multiple sites around the Dayton area, but the Wright Cycle Company building was at the center of its creation. The building was saved from demolition by Jerry Sharkey and our friends at Aviation Trail Inc. in the early 1980s. Sharkey purchased the building, helped restore it, and donated it to the National Park Service. He and other dedicated individuals successfully campaigned and convinced Congress that a national park dedicated to preserving the story of Wilbur and Orville Wright and Paul Laurence Dunbar was imperative.

President George H.W. Bush signed the bill and Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park was formed. The park’s first interpretive ranger was brought on in 1996, and he’s still here! The park has changed a bit over the last 29 years, but Ranger Bob and the awe-inspiring experience of standing where Wilbur and Orville were working 125 years ago remains.

Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP consists of five sites that tell the stories of Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Paul Laurence Dunbar.

The five sites of Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP offer you the opportunity to experience the historically refurnished Wright brothers’ printing office, walk through an original Wright brothers’ bicycle shop, see the Wright brothers’ third airplane, follow Wilbur and Orville’s footsteps at the Huffman Prairie Flying Field, visit Hawthorn Hill (the Wrights’ mansion), and experience Paul Laurence Dunbar’s last home.

Wright Cycle Company building in the early 1980s, NPS Photo.

Wright Cycle Company building and park sign, NPS Photo / Ryan Qualls.

The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center
Aviation Trail, Inc. Visitor Center and Museum
The Wright Cycle Company building
16 South Williams Street, Dayton, OH 45402

(937) 225-7705

The Wright Dunbar Interpretive Center is OPEN seven days a week from 10am to 4pm.

Closed on the following holidays: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

Kendell Thompson Named Superintendent of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

July 11, 2018 By Dayton Most Metro

National Park Service (NPS) Midwest Regional Director Cam Sholly announced the selection of Kendell Thompson as superintendent of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio. A 31-year veteran of the NPS, Thompson is currently Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial superintendent. He has served as the acting superintendent at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park since August 2017. He assumes his new role August 5, 2018.

“I have appreciated Kendell’s performance as the acting Superintendent at Dayton Aviation over the past months and what he accomplished previously as the Superintendent of Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial,” said Sholly. “He has done an excellent job of listening and fostering relationships and will be a strong Superintendent and partner to the community.”

“It is an honor to be selected as the superintendent of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, a site that explores the limitless possibilities that can be accomplished by determined people,” Thompson said. “Dayton Aviation tells a story of innovation and resiliency. It celebrates how the Wright Brothers changed history, and also examines the amazing legacy of Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of America’s most revered poets. Like the Wrights and Dunbar, Dayton Aviation marks a truly innovative, partnership approach to a national park, and I am excited to join the efforts of our many partners, staff and the Miami Valley community to help tell these stories.”

For the past eight years, Thompson has served as superintendent of Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, Indiana. Originally from Oklahoma, Thompson’s career with the National Park Service spans over 42 years when he began volunteering at age 13 at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. He has served in 13 National Park Service areas including Mount Rainier National Park, Denali National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, The USS Arizona Memorial, Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, and Yosemite National Park. He is a second-generation ranger, following in his father’s footsteps.

Thompson earned his Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Conservation with minor degrees in botany and sociology from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and earned a law enforcement commission from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. He has served as the editorial advisor for Ranger magazine since 2012, has authored a novel, and published multiple articles.

In his spare time, Thompson enjoys outdoor recreation, home brewing, and cooking. Along with his wife Emily and their three children, he is looking forward to exploring the Five Rivers MetroParks and hiking, biking and kayaking the many miles of Dayton’s trail system.

Patty Wagstaff: Preserve Wright Brothers’ Factory

October 11, 2016 By Dayton Most Metro

Air show legend Patty Wagstaff made her mark on aviation history by breaking gender barriers in aerobatic contests. Now, Wagstaff has added her voice to those urging the restoration of America’s first airplane factory—the Wright Company factory in Dayton.“I’m completely honored to be standing here,” Wagstaff says in a new video filmed inside the historic but unrestored factory. “I want to know what it was really like, and I think the only way you can do that is to make this place as real as it was, and bring it back to its original space.”

The National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA) announced the video on Tuesday, Oct. 11, as part of its continuing campaign to save the historic buildings for use as a national park. Wagstaff toured the factory in June when she was in town to fly in the annual Vectren Dayton Air Show Presented by Kroger. The video is available on NAHA’s YouTube channel. Wagstaff’s video message follows one by David McCullough, author of the best-selling book The Wright Brothers, in which he declares the factory “important to the world” after touring it in April.

Wilbur and Orville Wright formed the Wright Company in 1909 and built the first of two factory buildings near their West Dayton bicycle shop in 1910. They added a matching building in 1911. The factory was the first in America built for the purpose of manufacturing airplanes. Besides the Wright brothers themselves, famous visitors to the factory have included such pioneer aviators as Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, later to become the first general of the Air Force, and Calbraith Perry “Cal” Rodgers, who made the first U.S. coast-to-coast flight in a Wright airplane dubbed the “Vin Fiz.”

About Patty Wagstaff:

First woman to win the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship in 1991, Wagstaff has garnered many aerobatic, air show and other awards in her flying career. The airplane she flew to win her first national is in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. In 2004, she joined the company of Arnold, Rodgers and the Wright brothers as an enshrinee of the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

Restored to its original state, the Wright factory could spark new interest in aviation, Wagstaff says in the video. “Of course these buildings are worth saving. I really feel that aviation is under appreciated, and anything that we can do to highlight it, and (show) how important it is, and get people to understand it, and think about it, and appreciate it, is really, really important.”

NAHA is negotiating to buy the factory, several attached buildings and surrounding acreage from the current property owner. The property is the site of the former Delphi Home Avenue Plant, a 54-acre auto manufacturing complex that began with the original two Wright buildings. The site has been razed except for the row of buildings that includes the factory.

“I want to walk in and have a feeling for the way things were.… Who were these people that actually built the airplanes, and how were they the same as people today, and how were they different than people today?” Wagstaff says.

NAHA has raised approximately $2 million toward a goal of $4 million in public funds and private donations to acquire the site and begin restoration. Its plan is for the factory to become the Wright Factory Unit of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and to guide the redevelopment of the surrounding property in ways that complement the factory. Dayton Metro Library has committed to buy approximately seven acres of the site for its new West Branch library.

Off the Beaten Path: Dayton’s National Park Offers Unique Cycling Experience

May 24, 2010 By Dayton Most Metro 1 Comment

Park Ranger Mark Dues leading cyclists along the Great Miami River.

Cyclists looking for an atypical riding experience will find one this summer as Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park has announced their 2010 bicycle tour dates.

The “Bike With A Ranger” program, sponsored by the National Park Service, is an exciting, yet casual, way to explore Dayton’s historic sites. Park guide, and experienced cyclist Mark Dues will lead the tours – interpreting the region’s rich heritage of creativity and innovation along the way.

Two bicycle programs will be offered:

“The Gem City: Cradle of Creativity”

Learn how Dayton became a hotbed of inventiveness, innovation, and creativity. This bicycle ride on flat terrain along quiet urban streets and bike trails visits the Wrights’ bicycle shop; the home of internationally-renowned poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar; the invention and transportation exhibits at Carillon Historical Park; and various historic sites in Downtown Dayton. The tour ends where it started–in Wright-Dunbar Village. The Wright Cycle Company Complex is located at the intersection of West Third and South Williams Streets, 22 South Williams Street, Dayton OH 45402, just west of downtown. June 6, July 11, August 8, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

“Huffman Prairie and Historic Patterson Field (Wright-Patterson AFB, Areas A & C)”

Discover how one of the largest aviation complexes in the world, Wright-Patterson AFB, began as a humble 84-acre cow pasture just a few miles northeast of Dayton. This moderately difficult bicycle ride down mostly bicycle trails and less-traveled roads will take the trail leading to Huffman Prairie Flying Field and historic old Patterson Field (present day Wright-Patterson AFB, Areas A & C). Due to Air Force security requirements, all participants must register at least seven days prior to the tour. No exceptions! The tour will end where we started–at Wright Memorial Hill. Wright Memorial Hill is located close to the intersection of State Route 444 and Kauffman Road, just 1.5 miles east of the National Museum of the United States Air Force. At Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center, 2380 Memorial Rd., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433. June 20, July 25, and August 22, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

– All participants should be present no later than the times mentioned above for sign-in and orientation.

– Bicyclists should be in good physical condition and feel comfortable gearing up and down hills.

– Inclement weather may cause tour cancellation. Huffman Prairie Flying Field may close without prior notice since it is located on an active military installation.

– Participants are required to bring their own bicycles and personal gear, including snacks and/or lunch. Proper wear of helmets is required.

– Bicycles should be in good operating condition and are subject to safety inspections.

For additional information, or to register for these free tours, contact Mark Dues at 937-425-0008.