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Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical ParkHuffman Prairie Flying Field at sunrise
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Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
History & Culture
Orville Wright at the dedication of the Wright Memorial, Dayton, Ohio, 1940.

Wright State University Special Collections and Archives

Orville Wright at the dedication of the Wright Memorial, Wright Brothers Hill, Dayton, Ohio, 1940.

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) 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 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.

The rugged badlands topography  

Did You Know?
To the Lakota, this harsh and desolate landscape was known as "mako sica," meaning “land bad." Early French trappers similarly described the area as “bad lands to travel across." Today, geologists consider all the places in the world with similar topography and formation badlands.

Last Updated: September 26, 2008 at 11:46 EST