DAYTON AVIATION HERITAGE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

OHIO

The human imagination found its highest expression in three men from Dayton, Ohio; Wilbur and Orville Wright, first to fly a powered, heavier-than-air machine and creators of the first practical airplane, and Paul Laurence Dunbar, who with his compelling new voice was the first African American writer to win high distinction in American literature. Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park commemorates the lives and legacies of these three exceptional men.

At the turn of the century, the neighborhood now known as the Wright-Dunbar Village was a vibrant community. It is the neighborhood in which the Wright brothers lived and worked. This is the location where they started their first printing business, entered into the bicycle business and became involved with the mystery of flight. The newly refurbished Hoover Block, at West Third and South Williams Streets, contains the original Wright & Wright Job Printers suite in which the Wrights edited and published newspapers for the West Side patrons, including the Dayton Tattler, written by Paul Laurence Dunbar and published by the Wrights.

Dunbar was born in Dayton on June 27, 1872 to ex-slaves. Both his parents loved books and reading, telling Paul stories of slave life and the Civil War. In grade school, he composed and recited his own poems and in high school he contributed poems to the school newspaper. After graduation, Paul faced the realities of racism – he worked as an elevator operator, writing on the job between calls. His break came when he addressed a literary conference in Dayton. A poet in the audience, impressed by Dunbar, wrote a newspaper article read by the poet James Whitcomb Riley. After Riley wrote Dunbar an encouraging letter, Paul published his first book of poems, Oak and Ivy in 1892. The Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial became the first public memorial to an African American.

DID YOU KNOW

• Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first African American writer to gain national and international recognition, made significant contributions to the literary field as an author of novels, short stories, lyrics, and over 400 published poems.
• Dunbar, the only black member of his class at Central High School, and a classmate of Orville Wright, served as editor of the school newspaper, The High School Times, and headed its literary group, The Philomatheon Society.
• Dunbar was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1899; continued to write, and died on February 9, 1906 at the age of 33.
• Dunbar used his extraordinary way with words to achieve international fame. In just ten years, Dunbar rose from a job running a downtown Dayton elevator to receiving an invitation to President McKinley’s inauguration.

DON'T MISS ATTRACTIONS

• The Wright Cycle company and Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center/Aviation Trail Visitor Center & Museum: Visitors can walk back in time and experience the historically refurnished Wright brothers’ printing office and original Wright brothers’ bicycle shop.
• Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center: Exhibits focus on the Wright brothers’ development of the world’s first practical airplane at Huffman Prairie in 1904 and 1905, their return to the “flying field in 1910 to 1915, and the accomplishments of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
• Huffman Prairie Flying Field: Today visitors can see a replica of the 1905 hangar and graying device while retracing the Wright brothers’ footsteps and flight path.
• The Paul Lawrence Dunbar State Memorial: Dunbar purchased this home for his mother in 1904. This house would become the first public memorial to an African American. The house today appears much as it did at the time of the poet’s death. The house contains many original furnishings and artifacts, including a bicycle that was given to Dunbar by the Wright brothers.
• United States Air Force Museum & National Aviation Hall of Fame: The oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world includes a replica of the 1909 Wright Military Flyer, the first military heavier-than-air flying machine.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PRIORITIES

The West Side of Dayton was home to the Wright family from the 1870s until 1914. It is in this neighborhood where the Wright brothers and Paul Laurence Dunbar interacted and became friends. The area also served as a business and entertainment hub for the African American community through the 1960s. Today, the neighborhood surrounding the National Park Service sites is the center of redevelopment efforts being undertaken by the City of Dayton in partnership with private developers.

In 1992, Congress passed the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act creating Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. The park is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and four partners: Aviation Trail, Inc., Carillon Historical Park, The Ohio Historical Society, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. As a partnership park, each of the five management partners has a significant responsibility for the management and operation of the four units that comprise the park. All of these sites are National Historic Landmarks or are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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LINKS:

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park»

Central High School»

Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial»

Carillon Historical Park»

Partnering & Managing for Excellence Report»

Previously Featured Parks»