Wilbur Wright Birthplace Museum

The little farmhouse now carefully maintained with an accompanying museum is the birthplace of Wilbur Wright in 1867. The family moved away when Wilbur was only 18 months old, yet this place was dear to them, and they came back to visit in the 1920s.

For decades the land and house were state owned, and the property was neglected and fell into disrepair. When it caught fire in 1972, the state planned to knock down the house and put up a sign to mark the location, but a group of locals got together to defend this important part of their history. This was the beginning of the Wilbur Wright Birthplace Preservation Society, a community willing to put in time and money to rebuild the place and make it a center of education and heritage. The state finally deeded the land to the preservation society in 1995, and they have owned and maintained it ever since.

“The community loves this place,” said Destiny Patton, museum administrator. “It is super important to us. It’s been a labor of love that has kept this special place alive. It breaks my heart when people say they have no clue Wilbur Wright was born in Indiana.”

The site is an Indiana Landmark, and the preservation society is continuing development of an RC flying and paraglider field, car shows, Christmas events, and more, with all proceeds to support preservation of the site. Visitors from the aviation community are especially welcome, with an FAA-designated helipad on site and the New Castle/Henry County Airport (UWL) a 20-minute drive away.

The museum is a registered nonprofit organization with volunteer staff and board members, and a creative system of membership levels on the website offers donors the chance to receive special gifts and member benefits with their support of the museum.

“We care and we love it,” said Patton. “We do need support from the public in order to survive in the future, to be here to share this piece of history.”

Emma Quedzuweit is a former assistant editor for AOPA media.