Through the invention of powered flight, Wilbur and Orville made significant contributions to human history. In their Dayton, Ohio, bicycle shops, these two men, self-trained in the science and art of aviation, researched and built the world's first power-driven, heavier-than-air machine capable of free, controlled, and sustained flight. The Wrights also perfected their invention during 1904 and 1905 in their hometown of Dayton.
Paul Laurence Dunbar achieved national and international acclaim in a literary world that was almost exclusively reserved for whites. This gifted and prolific writer produced a body of work that included novels, plays, short stories, lyrics, and over 400 published poems. His work, which reflected much of the African American experience in America, contributed to a growing social consciousness and cultural identity for African Americans in the United States. Although he died in 1906, his writings contributed to later developments in African American history, such as the Harlem Renaissance and the early Civil Rights movement.
The park is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and four partners. The sites are The Wright Cycle Company complex (The Wright Cycle Company building and the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center and Aviation Trail Visitor Center); Huffman Prairie Flying Field and Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center; John W. Berry, Sr. Wright Brothers Aviation Center; and the Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial. The Huffman Prairie sites are located within Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, but are operated by the National Park Service and are open to the public.
The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is located within the eight-county region deemed the "National Aviation Heritage Area" by Congress in 2002.
