The Dayton Aviation sites include four entities: Huffman Prairie Flying Field, the Wright Cycle Company/Wright and Wright Printing, Hawthorn Hill, and the 1905 Wright Flyer III contained in Wright Hall. These entities have outstanding universal value because they retain and preserve critical historical elements that tell the story of the early years of aviation.
Huffman Prairie Flying Field was a cow pasture where the Wright brothers experimented with and perfected their flying machine, the Wright Flyer, in 1904 and 1905. The brothers also used Huffman Prairie as the location of their flying school and exhibition team from 1910-1916. Today, the site is operated by the Dayton Aviation National Historic Park and retains many important aesthetic elements of its historic appearance as a pasture.
The Wright Cycle and Wright and Wright Printing Companies were both operated out of one building, where the Wright brothers not only made bicycles and operated a printing press but also drafted designs for their influential aircraft. The Wright Cycle/Wright and Wright Printing Company building is now also owned and operated by the Dayton Aviation National Historic Park and keeps its historic exterior appearance. Photo credit (Instagram): @onemanramblin
Hawthorn Hill is the home that the brothers designed after their massive success in the world of aviation. Although Wilbur died before the home’s completion, Orville lived at Hawthorn Hill from 1914 until his death in 1948. Today, Hawthorn Hill is operated by Dayton History and, in appearance, little has been altered since Orville’s residence at the home.
Wright Hall, a building within the Wright Brothers National Museum, a Dayton History property, is a structure that was specifically built to house the 1905 Wright Flyer III airplane. Orville’s last major project was restoring and ensuring the future preservation of his most important aircraft and he was successful. Wright Hall and the aircraft still stand today- the building with its original appearance and the aircraft with integrity of its original design and 85% of its original parts.