The Wright Cycle Company, 1985-2004

This collection contains a wide selection of materials that document the history and activities of Aviation Trail, Inc., with the bulk of materials pertaining to each trail site. Record types include fundraising materials, pamphlets, flyers, guides, maps, photographs, and news clippings of the official trail sites, as well as drafts of the trail and descriptions of potential historic sites.

Series I, Administration, 1973-2014, is the largest series of the collection and is broken down into five subseries.

Subseries IA, General, 1978-2011, contains information regarding the history and development of the Aviation Trail. Records also include by-laws, articles of incorporation, and mission statements. Additionally, there are folders dedicated to the committees involved with various business operations, including the Executive Committee and Planning Committee. Items within this series also document legal occurrences.

Subseries IB, Trail Sites Council, 1997-2013, documents council operations and their involvement with the development and improvement of Aviation Trail Inc. sites. Materials also include handwritten notes, meeting minutes, memoranda, and rosters.

Subseries IC, Board of Trustees, 1981-2014, includes meeting minutes, agendas, and hand-written notes that document events, site projects, financial matters and other Aviation Trail, Inc., business operations.

Subseries ID, Correspondence, 1973-2013, contains various letters sent between Aviation Trail Inc., and other public enterprises. Materials also include official correspondence exchanged between Aviation Trail, Inc., employees and committee members.

Subseries IE, Membership, 1981-2013, contains Membership Committee materials, such as meeting minutes and notes. Additional items in this series are correspondence, newsletters, as well as membership lists and profiles. It also includes a box of membership index cards.

Series II, Financial, 1981-2013, documents Aviation Trail, Inc., operational expenses. Records include materials, such as Treasurer’s Reports, budgets, profit and loss statements, financial summaries, site projects, fundraising materials, and event expenditures.

Series III, Events, 1981-2013, documents events hosted by Aviation Trail, Inc., and its official sites. Items include flyers, pamphlets, notes, speeches, and attendance. The bulk of this series pertains to events, such as the Trailblazer Awards, Annual Luncheon, and the Centennial of Powered Flight.

Series IV, Aviation Trail Sites, 1964-2013, documents the history of each Trail site and its relation to Dayton’s aviation heritage, such as Carillon Park and Woodland Cemetery. Records types within this series are pamphlets, written histories, publications, architectural and building restoration plans, building illustrations, exhibit plans, and maps. Materials at the end of the series include site tour details, video notes, and Wilbear prize information. Some background material items in this series predate the creation of Aviation Trail, Inc.

Series V, National Park Service, 1989-2011, captures the National Park Service’s efforts in restoring Aviation Heritage in the Dayton, Ohio, region. Materials in this series include National Park Committee planning, appraisal reports, visitor studies, surveys, in addition to interpretive themes and activities, such as Bicycling the Aviation Trail. Collectively, these materials document the growth and development of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

Series VI, Publications, 1981-2007, contains records relating to official Aviation Trail, Inc., publications, such as A Field Guide to Flight, Guidebook, and The First Ten Years. These publications explain the history and importance of Dayton’s aviation heritage. In addition, they document the growth of Aviation Trail, Inc., and their efforts in preserving local aviation history. Records types include publication notes, book reviews, flyers, news articles, and correspondence. (Note: Published books, such as A Field Guide to Flight, and the organizational newsletters Wright Flyer have been cataloged and are available in the Special Collections and Archives reading room, rather than in the manuscript collection.)

Series VII, Subject Files, 1973-2006, includes information and history on the Wright Brothers, University of Dayton Elderhostel, and additional aviation sites. Items within this series are not directly related to Aviation Trail, Inc., but are still pertinent to the collection. These subject files demonstrate Aviation Trail’s involvement and affiliation with other community groups, organizations, additional aviation sites, and public figures. Record types include biographies, articles, pamphlets, flyers, pictures, and notes.

Series VIII, Photographs, 1924-1925, 1967-2003, documents the history and development of Aviation Trail, Inc., sites. These records also capture organizational events, such the Trail Blazer Awards and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Ground Breaking Ceremony. This series contains boxes with various photographic slides relating to Aviation Trail, Inc., sites, events, and members. Some original photographs in this series predate the creation of Aviation Trail, Inc., by several decades.