I speak today in favor of H.R. 4199, which will add two important historic sites into the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park. I want to thank Natural Resources Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member…
I speak today in favor of H.R. 4199, which will add two important historic sites into the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park. I want to thank Natural Resources Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young, as well as Subcommittee Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop for ushering this bill through the Resources Committee process, as well as bringing it to the floor today. I also want to thank the members of the Ohio delegation, many of whom have cosponsored this legislation.
Mr. Chairman, Ohio is the birthplace of aviation, and Dayton is the home of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the two men that invented the airplane. Some consider their invention to be the most important innovation in modern history. When the Wright brothers took flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, our world became connected in a dramatic way, transforming travel, commerce, and communication.
Dayton is also the home of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Dunbar was a classmate of Orville Wright, and was a contemporary of the Wrights. Throughout his life, he was known as the poet laureate of African Americans, and achieved national success after his second collection of poems was reviewed in Harper's Weekly in 1896.
The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park is a celebration of the legacies of the Wright brothers, as well as Paul Laurence Dunbar. Currently, many people enjoy our National Historic Park. The park includes the Wright's Cycle Shop, the Wright Flyer Airplane, and the Huffman Prairie, where the Wrights perfected fixed-wing flight, among other sites.
However, the Wright's history within the park remains incomplete. Currently, the Wright Company factory buildings and their home, Hawthorn Hill, are not included among the sites at the park. That is why I have introduced H.R. 4199, which will complete the Wright's story told at the park, by adding these two critical sites.
The Wright Company factory buildings in west Dayton are the first American facilities specifically designed and built for the manufacture of airplanes. These buildings had a production capability that was greater than any other airplane manufacturing facility at the time.
The Wright Company operated at the site from 1910 to 1916, and produced 13 different models of airplanes. This site is currently owned and controlled by the Delphi Corporation, who will operate at this site until later this year.
Hawthorn Hill was designed by Wilbur and Orville Wright and was the home of the Wright family until 1948. This historic architectural landmark tells the story of the Wright brothers as inventors. Amanda Wright-Lane, the great-grandniece of the Wright brothers, testified before the Resources Subcommittee on National Parks earlier this year, discussing the Wright's incredible history and the importance of Hawthorn Hill to the Wright's story.
Mr. Speaker, the addition of these sites to the existing park is critical to the park's purpose, which was outlined in the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of 1992. The purpose is ``to create partnerships among Federal, State and local governments and the private sector to preserve, enhance, and interpret for the present and future generations the historic and cultural structures, districts, and artifacts in Dayton and the Miami Valley in the State of Ohio associated with the Wright brothers, the invention and the development of aviation, or the life and works of Paul Laurence Dunbar.'' Put plainly, the addition of these sites completes the Wright's story at the park.
Mr. Speaker, adding these sites to the national park enjoys a wide range of support from both local and national organizations, including the City of Dayton; Montgomery County; the State of Ohio; the Wright family; the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce; the Dayton Development Coalition; the Ohio Historical Society; the Dayton Historical Society; Sinclair Community College; The University of Dayton; the Dayton Foundation, the National Cash Register Corporation; the Delphi Corporation; the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers; and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
H.R. 4199 also includes the exact language from H.R. 4191, which passed the House by a voice vote earlier this year. This language would change the name of the Dayton Aviation National Historic Park to the Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historic Park.
Changing the name of the park has been the result of a community-wide process, led by Federal Judge Walter Rice and the Dayton Aviation Heritage Commission. I want to thank Judge Walter Rice and the other commissioners for their time and dedication to making the name of our park a fitting salute to those for whom it is a tribute.
It is clear that this bill is an important priority to the Dayton region. It is also important to the Paul Laurence Dunbar and the Wright brothers' legacy.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you again for this opportunity, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4199.