Dayton History at Carillon Park
The Park's mission is to celebrate and preserve the history of the Miami Valley and illustrate how it leads to the future. The park is a 65-acre outdoor museum with 23 exhibit buildings, and is the site of the 57-bell Deeds Carillon, Ohio's largest bell tower. The highlight of the collection is the 1905 Wright Flyer III, the world's first practical airplane, and a National Historic Landmark, and most recently designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. The airplane and John W. Berry, Sr. Wright Brothers Aviation Center are units of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.
Ohio Historical Society
The mission of the Society, a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885, is to help people connect with Ohio's past in order to understand the present and create a better future. One of the sites operated by the Ohio Historical Society is the Paul Laurence Dunbar House, a unit of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Located 8 miles northeast of Dayton, the base is headquarters for vast, worldwide logistics systems and is the foremost research and development center in the Air Force. Its primary mission today is to develop, acquire, and sustain the world's best aerospace systems. Huffman Prairie Flying Field, a unit of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical park, is located within the heart of the base, adjacent to the active runways. The Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center and the Wright Memorial are also located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Aviation Trail, Inc.
A nonprofit corporation, formed in 1981, Aviation Trail preserves and promotes the Dayton/Miami Valley area's unique aviation heritage and stimulates the economic development by encouraging tourism. The Aviation Trail is a self-guided tour highlighting over 45 sites in the region related to aviation history. The Aviation Trail Visitor Center and Museum is located within the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center.
National Aviation Heritage Alliance
The Alliance, a private, nonprofit corporation preserves and promotes the legacy of the Wright brothers, and the work of Paul Laurence Dunbar. The Alliance is the management entity for the National Aviation Heritage Area, and seeks to make Dayton and the surrounding region the global center of aviation heritage activities based on the historical, cultural, and scientific resources associated with Ohio, as the Birthplace of Aviation, and to promote the invention and development of powered flight by Orville and Wilbur Wright, along with the literary and cultural contributions of Paul Laurence Dunbar.
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