National Park Service
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, Dayton OH photo: Preparing for a flight at Fort Myer, 1908  (Wright State University Archives, Wright Brothers Collection)
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Features

Aviation Heritage Links
Interested in aviation history? Included here are many organizations dedicated to preserving the history of aviation.
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NPS Aviation Facts
The Wright brothers’ invention of the airplane changed much in the world. Many aviation "firsts" occurred at national park sites.
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National Register of Historic Places
The nation’s official list of cultural resources that have national, state or local significance.
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Aviation Theme Study
The National Park Service is currently developing an Aviation Theme Study, listed with the National Historic Landmarks program, to identify significant aviation sites in the United States.
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Cultural Resources

photo: Sculpture featuring Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Paul Laurence Dunbar.

There are four National Historic Landmarks and a National Register Historic District located within Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. These include The Wright Cycle Company building, Hoover Block, Huffman Prairie Flying Field, 1905 Wright Flyer III, and the Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial. Together these sites tell the story of the lives and legacies of Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Paul Laurence Dunbar.

The Wright Cycle Company Complex
The Wright Cycle Company complex consists of the Wright Cycle Company building and the Wright–Dunbar Interpretive Center (the restored Hoover Block building) and the new Aviation Trail Visitor Center and Museum.

Wright Cycle Company
The fourth bicycle shop operated by the Wrights is the only building remaining as testament to their bicycle business. The Cycle Shop forms a part of the Wright Cycle Company complex.
Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

Hoover Block
The brothers operated their second print shop here as Wright & Wright, Job Printers. The Hoover Block building forms a part of the Wright Cycle Company complex.
Designated as part of the West Third Street Historic District in 1988.

Huffman Prairie Flying Field
Retrace the footsteps and flight path of the Wright brothers. The Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center helps to explain the Wrights’ accomplishments at Huffman Prairie Flying Field.
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

1905 Wright Flyer III
The world’s first practical airplane built by the Wright brothers in 1905 and flown at Huffman Prairie Flying Field, is the centerpiece of the John W. Berry, Sr. Wright Brothers Aviation Center.
Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial
Dunbar purchased this house for his mother in 1904 and completed his last work here before his death in 1906.
Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

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1905 Wright Flyer III
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Paul Laurence Dunbar, Orville Wright, and Wilbur Wright

Did You Know?
Wilbur meets King Edward VII of England on March 17, 1909 at Pau, France. Katharine Wright is a passanger in a flight that lasts 12 minutes, 22 seconds that same day.

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