We started out looking for the “Wright Brothers Museum”. One site said it was closed permanently, another said it was at Carillon Park. So we went to Carillon Park. What luck, what we found there, for $14 per person admission fee was one of the best museums we’ve seen. You’ll probably get a better sense of how good it is by looking for the web site, but for in opinion it is one of the best. Dayton Ohio has a history of innovation and this museum celebrates that inventive spirit.
You start by learning the role National Cash Register (NCR) played in Dayton’s history. As it turns out NCR technicians / inventors formed a team called the “Barn Gang” who were interested in making automobiles more stable. They invented the automatic starter and the solenoid in 1908. They eventually became the Dayton Engineering Laboratory Company, or DELCO. Above you see a Cadillac, being fitted with the new parts. General Motors ordered 5,000 ignition sets launching DELCO into business. Also above is the animatronics used by the museum to introduce you to the people / inventors / family involved. Above is Charles Kettering, the inventor.
Very much like Disney’s carrousel of progress, these animatronic figures take you through the world of Dayton innovation.
Prohibition has a display, talking about how bootleggers plied their trade and how law enforcement tried to stop them.
You can spend hours in the main building, but when you’re ready to venture out there are many more to explore. This one was the Wright Brothers building. I didn’t take pictures of the bicycle shop and the other exhibits, but it is very expensive. You end up in a room with the actual Wright Flyer III. They also have an exhibit explaining how they got to that point.
There are bicycle exhibits, a functioning print shop that will set type for you (free of charge) and so much more. As I get better at setting up the photographs and writing the descriptions I’ll spend some time explaining what we’ve seen on this trip. There is still a lot to share, pictures of the US Air Force Museum (1 million square feet of every plane you can imagine), the Ark Experience, a complete replica of Noah’s Ark and amazing restaurants and stop offs. Come back once in a while and check it out… leave a comment, or just breeze through.
