Wright Memorial Commission.
Biographical notes:
The Wright Memorial Commission was organized the 1912 to build a monument near Huffman Prarie in honor of the Wright Brothers' contribution to aviation.
From the description of Records, 1912-1943. (University of Wisconsin, Superior). WorldCat record id: 30965816
The Wright Brothers Memorial dates back to 1912 when a group of Dayton citizens recommended that an appropriate memorial should be erected to celebrate the Wright Brothers contribution to aviation. In February of 1913, a nationally known sculptor was commissioned to design a memorial. It was in March of that year that Dayton and other communities of the Valley were devastated by flood. Immediately after the flood, the completion of the flood control projects of The Miami Conservancy District were given top priority, thus suspending further planning of the monument.
After completion of Huffman Dam in 1922, Colonel Edward A. Deeds reorganized The Wright Brothers Memorial Commission for the purpose of completing the memorial. The site selected for the memorial was Tate Hill, at the south end of Huffman Dam. The location chosen was significant in that it overlooks the site of the hangar where the Wrights prepared for their history-making flight at Kitty Hawk and the site of the first flight in a heavier-than-air machine, in a complete circle, made in September 1904.
The Miami Conservancy District Board of Directors approved a resolution in September 1938 to proceed with the design and development of a Wright Brothers Memorial Park. The labor to construct the memorial was provided by the Civilian Conservancy Corps.
The Miami Conservancy District Court approved an appraisal of the benefits of the park to the City of Dayton in January 1939. The City of Dayton has provided funds for maintenance of the park since 1939, and the Miami Conservancy District has since maintained the park.
The memorial and park were completed in 1940. The decication ceremony was held on August 19, 1940. This was National Aviation Day and Orville Wright's 69th birthday. Orville Wright was present for the ceremony.
The city of Dayton requested the District to seek an alternate source of funds for maintenance in 1974. The District Board of Directors on December 31, 1975 authorized the transfer of property to the United States Air Force.
Henceforth, the park and memorial shall be maintained by the Air Force for the people of the United States of America.
From the guide to the Wright Memorial Commission Records, 1912-1943, (Wright State University, Special Collections and Archives)
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