Orville Wright- The Art Critic, Part II

Updated June 22, 2026

In my post, "Orville Wright- The Art Critic", I shared how Orville Wright used to tease his grand-nephew Milton Wright about modern art. Orville was not a fan, though he did like Milton's artwork, which I discussed in my post, "Orville Wright's grand-nephew Milton Wright Jr.". What would Orville have thought about some of the so called art currently being created through AI programs? This post continues the discussion in Orville Wright- The Art Critic, Part II.

Is it ok to judge a book by it's cover? Generally not, so I'll simply judge the cover and not the book. I haven't read any of these children's books, and hopefully their contents are not as inaccurate as their cover depictions of the Wright Brothers. I'm not bothered by animated characters of the Wrights, but when the animation doesn't resemble them in any way, and incorrectly shows their invention, I don't find that helpful in representing the history.

This self-published book by Farhad Hemmatkhah Kalibar can be purchased for just $28.10 from London, United Kingdom, through E-bay. Orville shaved off his mustache, Wilbur got his teeth fixed, they both have gray hair, and they're posing by a plane they didn't invent, with a broken propeller.  

Maybe next time, invest a few bucks in a human artist in lieu of an AI program.

 

 

The German language version is also available, self-published book by Farhad Hemmatkhah Kalibar. Looks like someone added a propeller blade but didn't bother to space them correctly. Maybe one blade broke off hitting one of those kites AI put floating in the air.

 

Wilbur had a hair transplant, but kept his gray hair since he was 4 years older than Orville. You have to be able to tell them apart somehow.

 

  

This next book is written for kids aged 7-15. At least kids aged less than 7, and over 15 will understand the Wright Brothers invented a flying machine and not a winged go-cart for the beach. 

 

Amazing facts for curious minds showing the Wright Brothers were actually twins (even though they were born 4 years apart), and invented some goofy rolling uncontrollable bi-winged play-toy thingy for fun on the beach.

 

 

This book First in Flight, I'm really confused. I'm assuming the men on the cover are supposed to be the Wright Brothers. Only Orville wore a mustache, and Wilbur did not have much hair, nor a comb over. Was any real research done?

First in Flight, The Story of The Wright Brothers For Kids, by Sarah Michaels, published in 2024, 134 pages, available on E-bay for $35.15. Maybe the guys on the cover are elementary school teachers? 

 

 

 

The Wright Brothers, a book about the curious twins born 4 years apart.  Written for children ages 5-13, by Sharon H. Johnson, available on E-bay for just $27.87 plus $3.99 postage. Published January 18, 2026, this remarkable AI produced cover for the first time in history, shows the actual aeroplane designed by the brothers, held by Orville....or wait, by Wilbur....or wait....by one of the twins.

 

The amazing detail of their invention is provided in this amazing cover. Not exactly sure how they were able to get that configuration to fly, but hey, it's on the book cover, so it must have been carefully researched. And people are concerned that AI is going to take away artist's jobs? 

 

This 2024 book "The Wright Brothers Book for Curious Kids" by Mark Lylani, may not have AI created cover art....I'm not sure. The brothers are not twins, so maybe not. BUT......why does Wilbur have hair, and perfect teeth? Why does their aeroplane look nothing like their actual invention? What is with that barrel?? Are they planning on taking this thing over Niagara Falls? 

 

The "Inspiring History of Aviation for Kids Ages 8-12, From the Wright Brothers to Modern Jets" by Calder Aerwyn. Published in 2026, AI cleverly threw a bunch of airplanes against a clouded sky. Two men who I guess are supposed to be the Wright Brothers....at least only one is shown with a mustache. But what is up with the Wright Flyer??

 

 

 

Amazing new evidence that the Wright's actually had a second rudder installed higher and close behind the wings, and the elevator was actually mounted on top of the upper wing! And the wings are shown backwards! Are you inspired yet?

 

 

As mentioned, I'm not opposed to animated characters of the Wright Brothers. But the animation should at least include some of the physical characteristics of Wilbur and Orville. Some examples follow that both Wilbur and Orville would have found acceptable: 

 

The Story of The Wright Brothers, Annette Whipple, 2020. At least Wilbur and Orville are recognizable on this cover. The art appears to have been performed by an actual artist and not a mindless AI program.

The Wright Brothers and the Airplane, by Xavier Niz, and Illustrated by Steve Erwin, Keith Williams, and Charles Barnett III. Published in 2007, before the age of AI. Not perfect, as the launching rail is shown running down a sand dune in lieu of on level ground, but the cover art is nice.

 

 

 

Who Were The Wright Brothers? by James Buckley Jr., published 2014. Again, prior to the AI age, the artist represents the Wrights such that you can recognize which is Wilbur and which is Orville, and in a goofy way kids would enjoy. Yes their heads are huge, but the guy in the aeroplane is Wilbur, and he doesn't have a mustache, he doesn't have a big toothy smile, and he's not a twin of Orville! 

 

 

 

The Wondrous Whirligig, by Andrew Glass, published 2003. Wilbur and Orville depicted as young kids show Wilbur, the older brother on left, and Orv, the younger having fun with the flying "bat" their father gave to them. True, their faces don't look much like they did at that age, but isn't it refreshing they aren't shown as twins, and the art work is really nice.

 

 

 

The Ultimate Wright Brothers Book for Kids, by Steve Morrison. The Wright Brothers, by Elizabeth Macleod and Andrej Krystoforski (2008). Ah, the nostalgia of the age before AI, when animated Wilbur and Orville actually looked something like Wilbur and Orville. 

 

It would be interesting to obtain a copy of each of these books and compare how well (or not) the history is presented in each. Perhaps a topic for a future post. Can a book at times, be judged by it's cover?
 

Copyright 2026-Getting the Story Wright  

 

Related Posts: 

Orville Wright- The Art Critic

 

Orville Wright's grand-nephew Milton Wright Jr. 

Wright Cycle Exchange, 1015 West Third Street, Dayton, Ohio

Revised January 18, 2026

Brief history of this subject- In researching for my 2016 post "Hawthorn Street, Dayton, Ohio- Neighborhood of the Wright Brothers", I examined address deviations along Hawthorn as recorded in the 1873 through 1887 Dayton City Directories as discovered by Louis Chmiel. Through further analysis of the Dayton Directories and through comparison of the Sanborn maps, it became apparent the deviations were address changes that occurred through the years. This confirmed the location of the 1878-1881 Billheimer's home, Reuchlin Wright's In-Laws, and that it was still standing, as suspected by Louis Chmiel. Again, while researching my 2021 post, "The Wright Brother's Print and Cycle Shop Locations", I was surprised once again to find multiple address changes along West Third Street unknown to previous historians who had based locations of some of the Wright Print and Cycle shops on addresses that had been changed since the time the Wright's occupied those buildings. Further, I discovered the assumed construction date of the Nicholas Block was incorrect, such that the first Wright Cycle Exchange could not have been located in this building. Incorporating these findings, I revised my 2016 post "The Gem City Ice Cream Building and the 1st Wright Cycle Shop". Visiting the Benson Ford Library Wright Brother Archives in August of 2018, I became aware of the edited Orville Wright interview notes. These findings, plus the evidence of Wright Cycle Exchange advertisements of 1893 led me to the obvious conclusions presented again in this post. A decade has already passed since the writing of the Gem City Ice Cream post, and 5 years since the writing of the Wright Cycle Shop locations post. This post provides a summary of the facts related to the Wright's first Cycle Shop, and also the move to the second location. 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wright Cycle Exchange, 1893 

Wilbur and Orville Wright's first bicycle shop was located at 1015 West Third Street, and not at 1005 West Third Street as had been believed to be the location since 1938. The 1015 building was demolished around 1950, and remained an empty lot until recently. If the structure no longer exists, does it really matter that we acknowledge the correct address? Yes, for the accuracy of history and for the correct placement of an historical marker, of course it matters. This first site had nothing to do with the Wright's aviation experiments, but it does have much to do with their business experiences and life adventures. 

 

1000 block north side, West Third Street around 1915. The buildings surrounding 1015 shown in this photograph did not exist in 1893. The Nichols Block building shown occupied by Gem City Ice Cream  with 1005/1007 address was not built until after 1894.  In 1893, the building utilized by Wright Cycle Exchange was a residential/commercial two-story building identified by the yellow arrow with address of 1013/1015. By 1919, the structure was renumbered 1015/1017. West of 1015/1017 was Herter's Feed Store, and The Midget Theater. Only the Theater building still stands today. (1)

 

Orville Wright was interviewed by Henry Ford's research team November 20, 1936 and asked about the various shop locations of the Wright's Cycle Shop. The initial typed draft of that interview was as follows, " Mr. Wright stated (11-20-36) that their first bicycle shop was located in the middle of the one thousand block on the north side of Third Street, that they were there in this location only four or five months- November or December, 1892 to May 1893. They moved because there wasn't sufficient room. Their next location was on the south side of Third Street in the same block. In the early part of 1895 they moved again, this time to Williams Street...."

In this interview, Orville did not indicate building numbers. In later drafts of the interview, Ford's team added specific addresses for each Cycle Shop location. These addresses likely were provided through Orville's secretary Mabel Beck at a later date as the notes from the interview were being compiled for use in the 1938 publication of the booklet "Dedication of the Wright Brothers Home and Shop in Greenfield Village, Dearborn Michigan April Sixteen Nineteen Hundred Thirty-Eight". They incorrectly indicated the first Cycle location address as 1005 West Third, and this is the first recording of this incorrect address, and serves as the primary source. (2)

 

1893 Wright Cycle Exchange locations. 1887 Sanborn map showing location of 1015 toward "the middle of the one thousand block on the north side of Third Street". The Wright's moved to the south side of Third Street to 1034, just a few doors east of their Hoover Block 2nd floor location of Wright & Wright Job Printers.

 

Fred C. Fisk, co-author of "The Wright Brothers from Bicycle to Biplane", (co-author Marlin W. Todd), with the assistance of Nancy Horlacher of the Dayton Montgomery County Library, discovered 39 printed ads in the 1893 March through May issues of the "Dayton Evening Press" advertising the Wright Cycle Exchange with address of 1015 West Third Street. At the time of their discovery in 1986, they believed they had discovered an unknown Wright Cycle location, thinking at that time that this address was in addition to the location at 1005 West Third. In fact, what they had discovered was the correct address of the first Wright Cycle shop location.  Interpreted at the time by others as a typo in all of the 39 printed ads, the 1015 address was ignored! Nearly every book written on the Wright Brothers since 1986 have failed to even acknowledge the 1015 address and have continued to list the 1005 address as the location of the first Wright Cycle Exchange.

1893 Dayton Evening Press Wright Cycle Exchange advertisement, 1015 West Third Street, Between Williams and Baxter.

 

For all the Brother's other Print / Cycle Shop locations, there is printed documentation in the Dayton City Directories for each location except for their first Cycle Shop. Why is this? It is because of the timing of occupation. The shop location wasn't obtained until December of 1892, too late to be recorded in the 1893 publication of the Dayton City Directory, and they only remained at this location till May of that year. Wilbur and Orville also did not print letterhead stationary for the first location (with address) as they did for other locations. 

Wilbur obtained the space in December of 1892, but due to health issues, the space would not open till late March, 1893. Milton's diary entry for December 21, 1892, "...Wilbur sick in evening; Appendicitis."

At the eighth annual meeting of the Annual Club of Ten Dayton Boys (October 14, 1893), Wilbur shared "Soon after our last meeting I was taken very ill and was confined to the house for nearly a month. At length I was well enough to go about again; but a few days before Christmas I had another attack much more severe than the other, from which I did not recover for nearly two months. Indeed I am not sure that I am entirely rid of it yet. About the beginning of April I embarked in the bicycle business and though times have been very hard and prices very unsteady, I have escaped bankruptcy. I spent a few days in August attending bicycle races at Columbus and Springfield, and in September spent a month at the 'Columbian Exposition'. The rest of the year has been spent at home." After suffering with the appendicitis from December into early March, it wasn't until the last week of March 1893 the shop was advertised as opened, with the first ads appearing in The Dayton Evening Press March 25th. Fred Kelly wrote, "Their first interest in bicycles was racing; but as their interest grew, they arranged in December, 1892, to start the Wright Cycle Co., to sell, repair, and manufacture bicycles. They opened for business in the Spring of 1893." (3)

The Wright's were familiar with 1015 West Third, having written articles and advertisement for the building in issues of West Side News. The Fouts family had occupied the residential side 1013 from 1871 through 1904. Josiah Fouts operated a grocer/feed store here from 1871 through 1879, then switching to manufacturing yeast here from 1879 until his death in 1895. Orville mentioned Fouts in the March 16, 1889 issue of West Side News, "The Society of Christian Endeavor of the Broadway M. E. Church held a supper at the residence of Mr. Fouts, on West Third Street....". Fouts' wife continued the business until 1904.  

While the Fout's occupied 1013, in 1889, J. H. Casler and eventually successor William U. Shoup occupied 1015 for his natural gas and steam pipe fitting business. Both advertised in Orville's West Side News, August through December of that year. Casler retired and Shoup relocated to 1034 West Third in 1890 and remained there through 1891. After Shoup vacated 1015, Chas. Benz Shoe Store moved in, advertising in the March issues of West Side News, 1890. The Shoe Store did not last long at this location. In 1890 prior to locating to 1015, the Shoe Store had been located at 1250 West Third, and in 1889, at 138 West River. Chas. Benz does not appear in the Dayton Directory for 1891, apparently having left Dayton. 

Mrs. Ida Easterbrook was a dress maker, and her husband Wilton a painter. They lived and worked from 1431 W. Monument in 1891. They occupied 1015 in 1892, with Ida running a daily market at that location. They left that location later in 1892, and in 1893, Wilton lived at 14 S. Barnett. 1015 was therefore available for the Wright Cycle Exchange in December of 1892.

After Wright Cycle Exchange occupied 1015 from December 1892 through May 1893, and then vacated to 1034 West Third, 1015 was occupied by Fouts' The Owl Drug Company from 1895 through 1898, run by Josiah and Ellen's son William. William was born the same year as Wilbur Wright (1867), and in 1904, was one of the witnesses to the Wright's October flights at Huffman Prairie. The Owl Drug Company moved to the north west side of 3rd and Williams in 1899.

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Address Changes 

Addresses changed along West Third Street a number of times as buildings were constructed or torn down over the decades. Previous historians apparently unaware of these changes misidentified a number of locations of the Wright's Print and Cycle shops based on more recent addresses in lieu of the addresses as assigned during the dates of occupation. 

Prior to around 1884, the address of the structure utilized for the first Wright Cycle Exchange was 1011/1013. After that date, the address changed to 1013/1015. Then, by 1919, the address had changed yet again to 1015/1017. The reason for the address changes was due to additional building construction to the east, necessitating address numbers to shift. Matching the correct address to the time period, in 1893, the address of 1013/1015 applies, which places the Wright Cycle Exchange in the west side of the building, with the Fouts living in the residential east side of the building.

The building just east of the Wright Cycle Exchange in 1893 had the address of 1009 West Third. This can be seen on the 1887 and 1897 Sanborn maps. Prior to 1884, in lieu of 1009, this building had the address of 1005. The Samuel Troy family lived at residence 1005 West Third from 1880 through 1885. From 1880 through 1883, the Dayton Directories listed their home as 1005. Then, in 1884 and 1885, the directories listed their home as 1009 due to an address change. This change corresponds with the change of Fouts 1011/1013 to 1013/1015 the same year. This change was likely made in anticipation of a new structure to be built between 1003 and 1009, the small single story 1005 building that appears on the 1897 map.

Address changes also occurred on the south side of West Third Street. These changes again, apparently unknown to previous historians, resulted in misidentifying the location of the 1034 building occupied by the Wright Cycle Exchange in later 1893. A historical marker for the second location of Wright Cycle Exchange is currently located at an empty lot where the Orth Building once stood, just east of the Pekin Theater Building. The correct location is actually immediately west of the Fish Market Building which is just west of the Pekin Theater, in the footprint of the east end of the Setzer Building.

 

Compilation of Sanborn maps from 1887, 1897, 1919, and 1950 is shown here, assembled by this author. The location of 1034 West Third is identified in each with a yellow star. This marks the building where the Wright Cycle Exchange/Wright Cycle Company was located in 1893-1894. The numbering of the addresses changed in 1939, with old and new numbering depicted on the 1950 plan. 1034 was changed to 1048. Also note that 1022/1024 was changed to 1030/1034, leading previous historians to mistakenly identify this building (The Orth Building) as the location of the 1893/94 Wright Cycle Company.

  

 

When Wright Cycle Exchange occupied 1034 West Third, the building was a single story structure as identified on the 1887 and 1897 Sanborn maps. By 1915, this photo shows that building had been replaced by a 2-story building, maintaining the 1034 address. The Orth Building shown further east, was a smaller structure with address of 1024 in 1893.

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From 1902-1908, George W. M. Bookwalter, Real Estate, occupied 1015. Then from July 15th of 1912 through 1918, S. E. Bookwalter Electric Company occupied the space. 

Unfortunately for the Bookwalter's, their new business venture would suffer as a result of the Dayton 1913 flood. Their losses were heavy, but the family and business was able to recover, or so it seemed. From the Dayton Daily News, December 4, 1915 issue, "In a temporary attack of melancholia, said to be due to brooding over losses incurred in the 1913 flood, Mrs. Adah Bookwalter, age about 40, residing at 1015 West Third Street, committed suicide in the bed room of her home shortly after 11 o'clock Friday night by shooting herself in the head with an automatic pistol. Mrs. Bookwalters' two daughters, ages about 8 and 10 years, were in the same room, asleep, when the woman turned the revolver on herself and ended her life. At the time of the tragedy Sherman Bookwalter, the husband, who is in the electrical supply business at the same address, was in the basement. Bookwalter heard the shot and rushing upstairs found his wife stretched across the bed with a bullet hole in her temple and the two children, suddenly aroused from their sleep, frantically endeavoring to grasp the impact of what they saw. Physicians were hurriedly summoned, but Mrs. Bookwalter was dead before they arrived. At the time of the flood Bookwalter's electrical supply shop at 1015 West Third Street was splendidly equipped and practically everything was lost. Bookwalter was not disheartened and re-entered the business after the flood, but his wife continually brooded over the loss and seemed unable to recover from the shock...."

Louis F Korte Lighting Fixtures moved in late 1918 and stayed through 1932. Liberty Electric is listed at this address from 1934 through 1937. In 1937, the adjacent Feed Store building to the west was demolished and a new building constructed in its place, financed by the Gem City Ice Cream Company and leased to Liberty Electric, with address now as 1017. The address of 1015/1017 at this time became just 1015.  H.P. Morris & Co moved in to 1015 to take Liberty's place in 1937. Ed John's Appliance Shop was located in 1015 from 1940 through 1942. 1015 was listed as vacant in 1944 and 1946. The Hagar family lived at 1015 1/2 from 1944 through at least 1948. The Gem City Ice Cream Company was using 1015 as warehouse space in 1948. 1015 was demolished prior to 1951, no longer listed as an address in that year's directory, and no longer depicted on the 1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance map. 

The changing building construction and address changes can be viewed in the Sanborn maps of the north side of the 1000 block of West Third Street. Note how 1013/1015 becomes 1015/1017 on the 1919 map, and 1017a becomes 1017. 1015/1017 had become just 1015 prior to 1950, and the outline of 1015 can be seen covered on the 1950 map, the building having been demolished by this date.

 

Why the resistance to accept the 1015 address as the location for the Wright Cycle Exchange in lieu of 1005 West Third?  It has been due to the misinformation that the Wright's first Cycle shop had been located in 1005 of the Nicholas Block, later to be occupied by The Gem City Ice Cream Company. The misinformation was due to the incorrect understanding of the construction date of the Nicholas Block, with historians assuming the building existed in 1892/93, but it did not. The residence at 1003 West Third, clearly shown on the 1897 Sanborn map, would have required removal prior to the construction of the Nicholas Block, as it shared its footprint. This property was not sold to Abraham Nicholas, the builder of the Nicholas Block, until January of 1894. The 1003 residence was occupied during these years as is clearly documented in the Dayton City Directories. As related to the Wright Brothers business, it is not open to debate, the building did not exist in 1892/3, and the Wright's could not have occupied it. (4)

So, what of 1005 West Third? The 1897 Sanborn map shows a small single story wood structure at 1005, much too small to have been considered for a Cycle Shop location. The building was constructed likely sometime between 1886 (too late to appear on the 1897 Sanborn map) and 1893 (demolished by 1896 to clear the land for construction of the Nicholas Block). There is no record of any business occupying this building. When Orville Wright was interviewed November 20, 1936, he mentioned only one location for the first Cycle Shop location. He did not indicate two. Wilbur Wright did not first obtain 1005, found it too small, then moved to 1015, and found it too small, and then moved to 1034. Based on the sizes of other Cycle shops in existence in Dayton, he would not have made the mistake of thinking the small 1005 single story structure that may or may not have existed in 1892 would have been adequate for a Cycle Shop. Even if Wilbur had first stored supplies at 1005 (he didn't), that location was never opened to customers, as the Wright Cycle Exchange did not open until the Spring of 1893, clearly at 1015 West Third Street as advertised in 39 separate ads from March through May.

Copyright 2025-2026 Getting the Story Wright  

 

Related Posts: 

The Wright Brother's Print and Cycle Shop Locations 

The Gem City Ice Cream Building and the 1st Wright Cycle Shop 

Similar Posts:

1127 West Third Street- The Wright Cycle Company 

Hawthorn Street, Dayton, Ohio- Neighborhood of the Wright Brothers 

West Third Street, Dayton Ohio Wright Brother Connection 

15 North Broadway- The Wright Aeronautical Laboratory 

The Miami Wood Specialty and Wright-Dayton Companies 

 

Notes: 

1. Herter's Feed Store had been across the street at 1018, but moved to 1017 West Third, appearing in the 1908 Dayton City Directory. The Midget Theater grand opening was in September of 1913. The Gem City Ice Cream Company expanded it's storefront in 1921. These facts place the photo between 1913 and 1920. The number of horse drawn carriages would date the photo closer to 1913 than 1920, so 1915 seemed a good estimate.

2. Initial typed interview of 11/20/1936 with Orville Wright concerning Cycle Shop locations, with marks and revisions made in later drafts leading to a final version with added address numbers. The Ford team maintained the verbiage, "their first bicycle shop was located in the middle of the one thousand block..." but deleted this wording in the 1938 publication of the Dedication booklet.

 

These initial interview notes revised and revised again were prepared by The Edison Institute. Their publication of the "Dedication of The Wright Brothers Home and Shop in Greenfield Village, Dearborn Michigan April Sixteen Nineteen Hundred Thirty-Eight includes an abbreviated portion of the Wright Cycle shop history.  The first chapter, "The Wright Home and Shop" page 11 reads, "Wilbur and Orville opened their bicycle shop at 1005 West Third Street in 1892 after securing the agencies for several different makes of bicycles. When that shop became too small they moved to 1034 West Third Street. In 1895 they moved again, this time to 22 South Williams Street where they began building bicycles of their own...." The reference of the first cycle shop being located in the middle of the 1000 block as expressed by Orville Wright was lost in the published version.

 

3. In Fred Kelly's book, "The Wright Brothers", 1943, Kelly wrote, "Their first sales room was at 1005 West Third Street. They rented it in December, 1892, to be ready for business when the bicycle season began in the early spring of 1893. For a while Orville divided his time between the bicycle shop and the printing business across the street in which Ed Sines was still employed.....The brothers soon had to move their bicycle business to larger quarters, at 1034 West Third Street." It seems likely Kelly's source for this information was from the earlier 1936-1938 Henry Ford research on this subject, which appears to be the primary source. Kelly did have access to Orville Wright and to his secretary Mabel Beck while writing the book, but it makes sense he would gather previously published information for inclusion.  

Orville Wright makes it clear in this July 20, 1942 letter to Fred Kelly "This preface would make it appear that the book represents my idea of a proper presentation of the subject, and that the book has been corrected to  the last dot. Of course you know that I have repeatedly stated that this is not so. This book was written without previous consultation with me to save me time and labor, as you have said. But after the book was once in writing it was practically impossible to change it to what I thought it ought to be without an entire rewriting."

In John McMahon's book "The Wright Brothers Fathers of Flight", 1930, he wrote, "The job printers branched out in 1892 with the addition of a bicycle repair shop to their line. No doubt they saw profit and were also lured by the idea of playing with a new machine, the ball-bearing 'safety' with compressed air within rubber tires. 'Wright Cycle Co.' was the legend put above the modest shop in a two-story brick building at Number 1127 West Third Street.....Despite the two enterprises they found leisure in the fall of 1892 to repair and improve the homestead on Hawthorn Street..." McMahon was apparently unaware that the Wrights Cycle business was not located at 1127 West Third Street until 1897. Clearly, McMahon had been completely unaware that the Brothers cycle business occupied a number of other locations other than just 1127 West Third.

From another early book from this time period, in Mitchell Charnley's "Boys' Life of the Wright Brothers", 1928, Charnley wrote, "The business started in 1893 as a simple bicycle-repair shop..." As he continues providing details of the business, no mention of multiple shop locations  is made, and no specific addresses are indicated.

4. Montgomery County Auditor GIS Documents & Montgomery County Records Center & Archives, Abstract Books by City- Dayton 25, Plot 6308. Grantor A.R. Nicholas / Elizabeth Kelly Grantee, Mortgage, Book 167, page 560 & Grantor Elizabeth Kelly / A.R. Nicholas Grantee, Deed, Book 196, page 41. Abraham Nicholas did not own this property until January of 1894.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lot 6308 purchased by Abraham Nicholas in 1894. The Kelly residence at 1003 and the small structure at 1005 (if it still existed by this date), would require demolition prior to construction of the Nicholas Block (future home of Gem City Ice Cream) by 1896. Comparison of 1897 Sanborn map buildings to plot map of north side of West Third Street 1000 block.

 

 

Wilbur Wright's Last Interview?

Byron R. Newton wrote an article in 1938 for U. S. Air Services magazine, of his recollections of a meeting with Wilbur Wright in Manhattan just weeks prior to Wilbur's death. If Newton's account is accurate, this would be a record of Wilbur Wright's last interview. Newton had been the aviation editor of the New York Herald beginning in 1907, and in May of 1908, he was amongst the spy's at Kitty Hawk observing the Wright's flights from afar. (1) 

 

J. H. Hare of Collier's Weekly photo of news reporters waiting for the Wright's flights in May of 1908 at Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills. The brothers were amused as they knew the reporters were there, and they would have been welcomed to come meet the Wrights. Image courtesy of Wright State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives.

 

Newton, recalled (2) , "I remember so distinctly the last talk I had with Wilbur Wright and how he startled me with the outline of things to be disclosed just a little way ahead. It was on the occasion of his return from his last trip abroad in the summer of 1912. I had arranged to meet him at the old Manhattan Hotel in 42nd Street, as he came from the ship. We sat on an upper balcony and for two hours, looking down into the busy street, he outlined to me what he expected to see develop both in civil and military aviation in the future. It impressed me then as something almost too fantastic and incredible to grasp, but most of those predictions have since materialized before our eyes."

"I remember that he spoke with evident sadness and regret of the tardiness and indifference of our own country in aviation. He told me of the greater interest in France and other European countries and looked with much misgiving on the plight of the United States, should we be drawn into a war with no equipment for air fighting. He was profoundly opposed to war, but seemed to have a premonition of its coming and even at that period realized that the next great conflict would be largely fought in the air."

"He seemed to feel that the great problem of motor-driven aircraft was solved and that nothing now remained but the development and refinement for the fundamental principle. He gave to me a most amazing picture of the size and speed of airplanes that would soon be traversing the skies, and all this he regarded merely a matter of natural development sure to come."

"Strange to say, he told me at that time that the most interesting, and eventually important, phase of aerial development would be motorless flight. He had a sheaf of drawings and figures he had made on the voyage while observing the soaring flight of sea gulls. He described to me how a gull with motionless wings would pass a ship moving at thirty knots an hour and against a thirty-mile wind. "That," said he, "is our next important problem, and when I get back home Orville and I will go at it." He told me much of their long study and experiments in gliding prior to using a motor and said the secret of the soaring bird was now the real challenge to mankind."

"As we talked that day I made notes of some of these things but as I left him he said, "please don't print any of the things I have said about what is going to happen in the air. It won't do any good and it may do harm. People believe what they see, and they'll soon be seeing all these things, so , let 'em wait."

"A few weeks after that Wilbur Wright passed into the eternal shadows but his wonderful dream has come true."  

Byron Rufus Newton died March 20th, 1938, a month after his article appeared in the U. S. Air Services publication.  Up to the time of his death, Newton had been serving as Tax Commissioner in New York. He earlier had served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during the Wilson administration (1913-1916), and Collector of the Port of New York during WWI (1917-1921). (1)

Unfortunately, Newton's account contains a number of contradictions due to his remembering incorrectly the timing of an event 27 years earlier. Newton remembers "It was on the occasion of his [Wilbur's] return from his last trip abroad in the summer of 1912. I had arranged to meet him at the old Manhattan Hotel in 42nd Street, as he came from the ship." Wilbur died May 30th, 1912, in the Spring. Newton could not have met Wilbur in the Summer of 1912. Wilbur did not return from abroad on a ship in the Spring or Summer of 1912. The last trip abroad had been in 1911. Newton likely confused a Summer of 1911 meeting he had with Wilbur, when Wilbur would have returned to New York in August, coming from a ship. 

In 1911, Wilbur had left Dayton March 12th, heading to New York, and then to Paris. Wilbur would return to New York in early August. Orville left Dayton for New York August 2nd, with the brothers returning together to Dayton on August 10th. (3)

Their father Milton wrote to his grand-niece Grace Frazier August 15th, saying, "Wilbur got home from Europe, the 10th of this month, after an absence of five months. He looks well and healthy. He weighs one hundred and sixty-two pounds. Orville weighs about ten pounds less. Katharine is quite well. Lorin's are all well. Lorin and Netta took a trip to Machinac [Mackinac] Island, Michigan, and were gone some nine days. They caught many fish. Orville has had the care of the Wright Company's business this spring and summer. It is not as good as last year by considerable. Saturday, a meet at Chicago began. Orville went to look after the Wright's Company's part in it. It will last over a week. They entered about a half dozen machines, and put a man on each machine. They took no part in last Sunday's exhibit. They give good wages to the men they employ, but these men often get the swelled-head, and think they ought to have immense money. They are not running their own but the Wright Company's business. This is a New York Company, of which they own about one-third share. It must pay the Company its cost, in about ten years. It is not likely to be over profitable business...." (4)

Wilbur would travel from Dayton to New York numerous times after this trip abroad, but he would not leave the States again. September 7th, Wilbur left again for New York concerning a lawsuit, and returned October 1. Lorin Wright had also just returned to Dayton from Kitty Hawk, having taken a Wright soaring machine there for use by Orville. 

Byron Newton had written of Wilbur, ""Strange to say, he told me at that time that the most interesting, and eventually important, phase of aerial development would be motorless flight. He had a sheaf of drawings and figures he had made on the voyage while observing the soaring flight of sea gulls. He described to me how a gull with motionless wings would pass a ship moving at thirty knots an hour and against a thirty-mile wind. "That," said he, "is our next important problem, and when I get back home Orville and I will go at it." (2)

Milton, in a letter dated October 13, 1911 to grand-niece Grace Frazier, wrote, "After I came home, Wilbur went [to] St. Louis, but has now gone to  New York. Lorin and Orville, Horace and Mr. Ogilvie, went to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina for a two weeks outing, or more. Horace was greatly excited, but did not give the least manifestation of it. He did not sleep a wink in the sleeper. Lorin took a glider, with no engine, for the sport of gliding, and to demonst[r]ate how birds soar on upward trends of air...." (5)

Orville, Lorin, Horace (Lorin's son), and Alexander Ogilvie left Dayton October 7th, 1911 for Kitty Hawk for some soaring experiments, with Orville eventually soaring in a motor-less craft for 9 minutes, 45 seconds; a world record that stood for nearly a decade. Orville, Horace, and Alexander returned to Dayton October 31st, with Lorin returning the next day. Wilbur was not able to spend time at Kitty Hawk with the others, as he had duties in St. Louis, New York, and Dayton, though he had hoped that "when I get back home Orville and I will go at it."

 

Group photograph, Kitty Hawk, October 1911. As per description on corescholar, seated from left to right, Horace, Orville, and Alexander. Standing left to right, Lorin, Van Ness Harwood, not identified, Arnold Krockman, not identified, and John Mitchell. Some press photos have misidentified Van Ness Harwood as Wilbur Wright; however, Wilbur was not able to attend this outing. The creation date of the photo is indicated as October 1, 1911. This is incorrect, as Orville, Lorin, and Horace left Dayton for Kitty Hawk on October 7th. The photo would date mid to later October. Image courtesy of Wright State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives.

 

While the others were in Kitty Hawk, on October 9th, Wilbur headed for St. Louis, returning to Dayton October 11th, and then left for New York that same day. He returned to Dayton October 15th. Wilbur again left for New York City November 13th, returning on November 22. On December 3, Wilbur left for New York, and returned December 12. (3)

Wilbur wrote in January of 1912, "During the past three months most of my time has been taken up with law suits and I have been away from home most of the time. I am hoping to be freed from this kind of work before another year has ended. It is much more pleasant to go to Kitty Hawk for experiments than to worry over law-suits....." (6) 

With the new year, Wilbur left for New York on January 11th, returning to Dayton January 22nd. He left again for New York January 26th and returned January 31, leaving the same day for Chicago. He was back home February 2nd. March 4th, he left for Washington and New York. His trip then took him to Augusta March 23rd, and then to home sometime after. (3)

Milton Wright wrote in his diary entry of April 18, 1912, "...Wilbur started to New York to make a contract with the Aero Club." (7)

Wilbur withdrew $100 from their checking account and left Dayton for New York by train on April 18th to meet with the Aero Club. 

Before Wilbur could return to Dayton, he was asked to go to Boston for a deposition. (8) He returned to Dayton April 30th.   

Milton, on April 30, 1912, wrote, "...Wilbur and Orville arrived at home on Wright Company's automobile at 8:00 from Flying grounds. Lorin came with accounts...." (1)

On May 2, Milton wrote that "Wilbur began to have typhoid fever..."  (1)

 

Byron Newton's interview most likely occurred the day Wilbur returned to New York City from Paris in early August of 1911. It is then likely he again met with Wilbur just weeks prior to Wilbur's death, during Wilbur's New York visit the week of April 18th, 1912. After meeting with Wilbur, Wilbur would have then been taken to Boston where he ate the fateful meal that resulted in Typhoid and his eventual death May 30th. 26 years later, Newton remembers meeting with Wilbur weeks prior to his death (not something one would forget), but confused the content of the discussion with that of what occurred August of 1911.

  

The history continues with.....

Wilbur Wright's Final Flight 

 

  

Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright  

 

Notes:

1. U. S. Air Services, April 1938, "Byron Rufus Newton And Other Editorials". 
2. U. S. Air Services, February 1938, "Little Flights Here and There", Byron R. Newton. 
3. Dates of departure and return as recorded by Milton Wright in Diaries 1857-1917 Bishop Milton Wright, 1999, Wright State University.  
4. Milton Wright to Grand-niece Grace Frazier, letter dated August 15, 1911. Author's collection.
5. Milton Wright to Grand-niece Grace Frazier, letter dated October 13, 1911. Author's collection.
6. Wilbur Wright letter to M. W. de Hevesy, January 25, 1912.
7. Diaries 1857-1917, Bishop Milton Wright, Wright State University, 1999.
8. "The Wright Brothers and their Genetic Susceptibility to Typhoid Fever", John D Bullock and H Bradford Hawley, Wright State University, January 6, 2025. EC Microbiology Research Article E Cronicon Open Access. "Albert E. Fey, an attorney with the Fish and Richardson law firm would later say: "A little known fact is that we dragged him to Boston for a deposition, where he became ill. He never recovered." Source listed as Grimaldi JV. "After historic flight, Wright went to court". The Washington Post (2003).

The Wright Brothers 1909 Dayton Celebration Posters and Programs

Revised December 15, 2025 

Wilbur and Orville Wright's hometown of Dayton, Ohio celebrated their accomplishments in a two-day major event on June 17th and 18th of 1909. The posters and programs prepared for that celebration are popular collectables today, and the subject of this post. As with all my other posts, I'll continue to add related information to this post, so if the subject is of interest, check back occasionally for any updates. 

Wright Brothers Home Celebration Poster 

The Walker Litho. Co. in Dayton printed posters for the event that are highly desirable today and sought by Wright enthusiasts. Those that come to the market are not inexpensive, and there are alternatives available for us with lesser available spare change, such as smaller poster reproduction reprints. The posters printed in 1909 were roughly 31.5" by 22". I am not aware of the total production run, or how the posters were distributed. 

 

Wright Celebration poster hanging in window of Flitton, Mendenhall Co. Dry Cleaners & Dyers, located several blocks east of the 1127 West Third Street Wright Cycle Shop. Postcard image likely from 1909, courtesy of Terrell Wright. (6)

The following list includes seven of the surviving posters printed by the Walker Litho. Co. for the Wright Celebration that have either been made available for purchase, or are in the hands of collectors. There are likely more within displays or archives of museums or universities, and further research will be required to identify those examples. Additionally, there are likely posters within the family heirlooms of Wright descendants, others associated with the Wright family, and aviation collectors in general. 

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One.

Artcurial in Paris, France, October 12, 2008, offered a Wright's Celebration poster at auction, with estimated value given at 13,000 to 15,000 EUR ($13,905 to $17,382). Dimensions were listed as 79 X 53 cm (31.1" x 20.1"). The item sold for 14,870 EUR ($17,234). The smaller width of 20.1" in lieu of 22" is likely due to trimming of the border paper to either fit in a frame, or to remove damaged portions which tend to occur along the paper edges.

 

Artcurial, Paris, France, Oct 12, 2008. Note the distinguishing line down under the 1 and 8.

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Two. 

Louis Crittenden Walker founded the Walker and Walker Printing Company, initially partnered with his brother Harry Baldwin Walker. The firm began as a small print shop in 1874. In 1890, the firm's name was changed to The Walker Lithographing and Printing Company with Louis as President, and Harry as Secretary and treasurer. The Dayton firm produced the poster for the Wright celebration. In 1922, Harry sold out his interests in the company to Louis, and Louis's son Earl H. Walker was Secretary and treasurer. (1) (2)

Louis C. Walker died November 8, 1941, having served 65 years as President of The Walker Lithographing Company, a deacon at First Baptist Church, and past member of the Aeronautical Association. He was buried at Woodland Cemetery. His brother Harry died February 5, 1930. (3) (4)

On July 25, 2009, the great-grandson of Harry Baldwin Walker, appeared on Antique Roadshow with the family's copy of the Wright Celebration poster. The appraiser, Nicholas Lowry, gave a value of $6000 in the current condition, but with professional restoration, he suggested the value could reach between $12,000 and $18,000.

 

 

Walker family poster as appraised on Antique Roadshow, July 25, 2009. Photo courtesy of Antique Roadshow.

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Three. 

Poster Auctions International Inc. provided in November 18, 2012 a poster which did not sell.  The poster was estimated at $25,000 to $30,000. The poster was given the dimensions of 22" by 31 7/8" and described as having slight tears primarily in top and bottom text areas. This same poster was then offered by Swann Auction Galleries the next year, 2013.

 

Poster Auctions International sale November 18, 2012

The Swann Auction Galleries  item description indicated poster dimensions at 31.5" by 22", "repaired tears and restored losses at edges; overpainting in margins; creases, abrasions and restoration in image." The resolution of the photo is not sufficient to examine these repairs. The poster sold for $35,000 including buyers premium (BP) on October 18, 2013. 

This price did not set a precedent, as this same poster was offered again November 3, 2021 by Bonhams, and sold for a considerably lower bid at $12,750 including BP. The Bonhams description read, "Original lithographic poster, 800 x 556 mm [31.5" x 21.9"], linen-backed with some expert repairs."

 

Sold by Swann Auction Galleries, October 18, 2013, $35,000.

Poster was then resold by Bonhams, November 3, 2021, $12,750 (includes BP).

Comparison of jpegs of Poster Galleries, Swann, and Bonhams posters show similar marks as posters are one in the same. The photos appear different due to resolution and color rendering of lighting source.

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Four. 

Poster Auctions International Inc. provided in May 3, 2015 yet another poster which did not sell. The poster was estimated at $20,000 to $25,000, given the dimensions of 22" by 31 7/8" and described as having slight tears primarily in top and bottom text areas, and folds. The low resolution of the photo makes it impossible to discern where the folds and tears exist.

 

Poster Auctions International May 3, 2015 auction.

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Five.

This example is as pictured on page 101 of "The Wright Brothers Legacy", by Walt Burton & Owen Findsen (2003, Dayton Art Institute). No information is given as to the owner or location of the item. The book sleeve indicates, "The images in this book are culled from perhaps the largest private collection of Wright Brother photographs in existence, and supplemented with images in the collection of the Library of Congress and Wright State University. In addition to photographs, there are stereopticon images, vintage postcards, documents, and other memorabilia. This visual trove forms the basis of a touring exhibition originated by the Dayton Art Institute."

Walt Burton had a website wrightbrothersposters.com, which is no longer in existence. Per The Cincinnati Enquirer, "Burton is a Cincinnati collector and dealer in vintage photography; Findsen is an Ohio historian and former Enquirer art critic". Burton compiled a sizable collection of Wright memorabilia, obtaining the collection of William Preston Mayfield photographs amongst many other items. In 2003 it was reported, "Today, the Mayfield collection is enhanced by 400 vintage postcards, 59 books, 100 vintage tear sheets, 300 or so photos and a 2-foot-high stack of research photocopied from an assortment of sources." (5) 

Though not identified as such, I assumed the poster below is within Walt's personal collection. However, this same photo is also shown in "The Road to Kitty Hawk" by Valerie Moolman, 1980, and is attributed to Henry Groskinsky, courtesy Wright Brothers Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Wright State University. It is my understanding that WSU does not possess a poster in their archives. 

Wright Celebration poster as pictured in The Wright Brothers Legacy.

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Six.

In Fred C. Fisk and Marlin W. Todd's 1990 book "The Wright Brothers from Bicycle to Biplane", the authors mention concerning this poster, "Evelyn and Irvin Himebaugh, who lives in the Dayton area have an original in their collection."  Irvin was an electrician, and had worked at NCR for decades. He was also a collector, and owned Wise & Associates, Auctioneers/Appraisers/Realtors. I was told by a good friend of Irvin's that Irvin performed electrical work at Orville Wright's former home, Hawthorn Hill, while it was under ownership by NCR. During this time, Irvin was gifted a number of Wright items from the Wright family, which I assume was through Harold and Ivonette Wright Miller. Amongst the items was a Wright Celebration poster.  Evelyn passed away April 23, 1991. Irvin passed away June 7, 1995. Irvin's friend then acquired the poster and other Wright collectables from Irvin's estate after his passing. I in turn, was fortunate to acquire a number of items from this collection directly from Irvin's friend in 2014. I viewed the poster, and wish I had taken a photo of it, as it was beautiful, displayed and protected in a glassed picture frame constructed by Irvin. Dealing with a struggling business at the time, I did not have it in my budget to purchase the poster. Sadly, Irvin's friend passed away suddenly in 2017. I assume the poster remains with his family.

 

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Seven.

The Omnibus Gallery, Aspen, Colorado has the example pictured below for sale. 

Poster can be distinguished from others by its fold marks, diagonal mark above Orville's head, small color loss in paper bottom right corner of Text box between the brothers. 

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Wright Brothers Home Celebration Committee Poster  

 

In the Greater Dayton June 1909 magazine issue, a smaller poster of Wilbur and Orville was pictured, and identified as being made for the Wright Brother's Committee. 

 

Greater Dayton June 1909, "This Poster made for Wright Brother's Committee". Author's copy.

More research is required to determine if this poster was made for each member of the Wright Brother's Committee, or if just the one poster was produced. As stated in The Wright Brothers Legacy, "The Wright Brother's nephew, Milton Wright, built this model of the 1903 Kitty Hawk Flyer for display during the Dayton festivities. The model was later displayed at Saks department store in New York City."

See related post-  Wilbur and Orville's nephew Milton and his Wright Flyer Models

 

Photo courtesy of the Dayton Art Institute, as printed in The Wright Brothers Legacy, Walt Burton & Owen Findsen, 2003.

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Wright Brothers Home Celebration Programs

A number of program types were produced for the celebration, printed as brochures, or within pages of magazines or newspapers. 

1. Chamber of Commerce magazine published monthly, "Greater Dayton", June 1909 issue.  Program is printed within magazine. The issue was available prior to the June 17, 18 event. Reproductions of the front cover are available for sale on E-bay. I was fortunate to purchase the issue below, but it is the only one I've spotted on E-bay over the past decade. 

 

Greater Dayton June 1909 issue with program, Author's copy.

 

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 2. Dayton Daily News printed programs of June 16, 1909. 

 

Programs within the Wright Brother's scrapbook, courtesy of Dayton Montgomery County Library Wright Brother Archives.

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3. Complete Program (Unofficial)

 The Complete Program booklet, 8.75" by 6" contains 16 pages, not including the cover, published by Kerr-Geyer-Tyroler, Patterson Bldg, Dayton, Ohio. There are many advertisements within the booklet, yet the issue was sold to the public for 10 cents. Pictures of the Wright family members and of Charlie Taylor appear in the pages of the issue, along with pictures of Wright Flyers, their home at 7 Hawthorn, and the Cycle Shop location at 1127 West Third (identified as the Aeroplane Factory). Refer to my related post on the Wright Celebration (link at end of this post) for view of pictures within this program.

 

Author's copy.

Schedule of events for June 17 & 18 within the program booklet. Author's copy.

Sold by Yardly Antiques June 25, 2018, $490

Sold by RR Auction, December 9, 2020, $656 including BP

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4. Official Program of Events

The Official Program provided through the Wright Brother's Committee contained no advertisements, and no price tag was indicated. I don't know how these were distributed. Perhaps provided to those who purchased seats. 

O. B. Kneisly, a dentist in Dayton, served on the Charter Commission in developing Dayton's City Manager Plan, after the Dayton 1913 flood. He served with Lorin Wright on the City Commission in the early 1920's. He assembled a scrapbook with newspaper clippings and other ephemera from 1906 through 1918. Within the scrapbook he included an Official Program of the Wright Brothers Home Celebration, preserved in excellent condition within the pages of the scrapbook (now in the Author's archives). The program measures 9" by 6", and is a single printed 9" by 12" page folded in half, semi-gloss finish. I do not recall seeing another official program offered this past decade.

Author's copy.

 

Author's copy.

 

 

 

Official Program within the Wright Brother's scrapbook, courtesy of Dayton Montgomery County Library Wright Brother Archives.

Official Program as pictured on wrightbrothers.org

Official Program as pictured on PICRYL

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Wright Brother Celebration Announcement 

Though not a poster or program, the announcement of the event is of interest. These measured 6" by 3", printed on newsprint paper, and made available to advertise the upcoming event, prepared through The Wright Bros. Committee. Likely these were made available at various retail establishments throughout the City. Likely thousands would have been printed, but as the announcement is printed on thin newsprint, and perhaps not something that would have been saved by many, it may not be a common item today. 

 

 

Wright Bros. Home Celebration announcement within Wright Brothers scrapbook, courtesy of Dayton Montgomery County Library Wright Brother Archives.

 

Wright Bros. Home Celebration Announcement, Author's copy.

 

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Wright Brothers Celebration Postcard 

Monochrome postcards 5.25" by 3.75" were printed by J. J Keyes of Dayton Ohio of the larger multi-colored poster image. These occasionally become available on E-bay. Be careful to obtain an original printed in 1909 in lieu of a modern reprint. Modern reprints are available in full color.

 

 

Wright Brothers Celebration postcard duplicating design of poster. Author's copy.

 

Wright Brothers Celebration postcard back, J. J. Keyes. Author's copy.

 

Postcard as depicted on Smithsonian Nat'l Air and Space Museum website, sited as gifted by Kenneth A. Vogel, 2018.

 

2015, September 20, Gem-Mint Auctions, Sold for $20. 1909 Postcard, mailed June 12, 1909. This card is in poor condition. Value would increase, of course, with condition.

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 Wright Brothers Home Celebration Reprint Posters

For those of us who can not afford the genuine 1909 Wright Celebration posters, there are modern reprints available. In lieu of these, I sought after an older lithograph version. This poster was purchased by the seller in 1993 from an elderly collector who obtained the majority of his collection in the 1940's through the 1960's.  I purchased this poster in 2012. 16.5" by 11" on heavy stock paper.

 

16.5" by 11" Lithograph, exact printing date unknown. Author's collection.

 

 

Closeup of poster.

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Many more collectables are available associated with the 1909 Wright Brothers Home Celebration, including various medals, postcard scenes, letters, and original Dayton newspapers printed during the week of the June 17th-18th, 1909 event. Postcards with eyewitness descriptions included by the senders are cool, and I've shown a number of those on my previous post on the Celebration; link below.

 

Letter written June 15, 1909, the week of the Wright Celebration, "Dear Brother:- I received your short letter this morning and was glad to hear you are coming home for the celebration. the Store will not close only for the Parade. friday afternoon. but can make arrangements to have a good time, bring lots of money and I will do the rest. tell your Firm to go to ---- as you are on the way to Dayton, the wide awake town of the middle west. to take a ride in a air Ship. Your ETC. Walter." From Author's collection.

 

  

Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright 

 

Related Post-  

The Wright Brothers 1909 Celebration, Dayton Ohio 

 

Notes:

1. The Dayton Herald, August 1, 1896, "Commercial Dayton. A Comprehensive History Of the Industrial Growth Of the Gem City".
2. Dayton Daily News, November 25, 1923, "Dayton in First Rank As Industrial Center- Walker Lithographing Co.".
3. The Journal Herald, November 9, 1941, "Rites Monday". 
4. Ancestry.com Walker Family Tree. 
5. The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 29, 2003, "Inventing Flight". 
6. 
   

   

   Dayton Daily News March 1, 1914, Flitton and Mendenhall at 820 West Third for past 7 years. Business under this name at this location from 1907 through 1914.

   
   

 

Index of Topics