Wilbur Wright Birthplace Museum
Aviator’s home in Indiana
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Wilbur Wright Birthplace Preservation Society
Wilbur Wright was born in the little farmhouse here in 1867, which is now carefully maintained with an accompanying museum. The family moved away when Wilbur was only 18 months old, yet this place was dear to the family, and they came back to visit in the 1920s.
The property was neglected and fell into disrepair, and when it caught fire in 1972, the state planned to knock down the house and put a sign to mark the location. A group of local residents got together to defend this important part of their history. This was the beginning of the Wilbur Wright Birthplace Preservation Society, a community willing to put in time and money to rebuild the home and make it a center of education and heritage. The state deeded the land to the preservation society in 1995, and the society has owned and maintained it ever since.
The house has been restored to look authentic to its origins, and includes photos, memorabilia, documents, and artifacts from the Wright brothers’ quest for flight. The museum has a reproduction of the Wright bicycle shop and surrounding shops in Dayton, as well as a reproduction of the camp and hangar the brothers set up at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to conduct their experiments.
The site is an Indiana Landmark, and the preservation society is continuing development of an RC flying and paraglider field, car shows, Christmas events, and more, with all proceeds to support preservation of the site.
Emma Quedzuweit is a former assistant editor for
AOPA media.
