Dayton Ohio: Birthplace of Flight

The Wright’s power of observation was stunning as seen in their aircraft designs.

Over the holidays… yeah, two months ago… we visited my brother in Ohio. Dayton is home to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and its property includes the original fields in which the Wrights did all but their original few test flights –which were done so famously in Kitty Hawk, NC.

We visited the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, one of about fours stops in the Aviation Heritage Area. This was a most wonderful visit. The Center is full of information throughout its many displays — many interactive.

Probably the best part of the visit was a film, available for purchase as a DVD, that took us through the lives of the ingenious brothers. From a young age to beyond their passing the film offered great re-enactements of their achievements and failures. Narrated by Martin Sheen, I would highly recommend “Wright Brothers: On Great White Wings” for your collection.

Paul Laurence Dunbar

The other name in the Center’s moniker, Dunbar, belongs to Paul Laurence Dunbar. Before my visit I knew nothing about Dunbar. He was a talented, insightful and driven man!

At the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, you’ll see exhibits that demonstrate how the lives of these three men came together to weave a rich historical tapestry with implications far beyond the west side of Dayton. Orville Wright and Paul Laurence Dunbar were classmates in school… and, when the Wright brothers ran a printing shop in the 1890s, they printed Dunbar’s newspaper for the African-American community, the Dayton Tattler.

Paul Laurence Dunbar, born in Dayton, OH in 1872, was the first African-American poet to garner national critical acclaim. He penned a large body of dialect poems, standard English poems, essays, novels and short stories before he died at the age of 33. His work often addressed the difficulties encountered by members of his race and the efforts of African-Americans to achieve equality in America. He was praised both by the prominent literary critics of his time and his literary contemporaries.

Next visit to Dayton, be sure to check it out!