Wright Factory Instameet

So, clearly this was before the 2023 fire. It looks like as a result of the fire, the National Parks Service is waffling on purchasing the factory at all. Fingers crossed that this gets resolved and restoration begins soon! In the meantime, enjoy this walk down memory lanes (1. 1910s factory memory lane AND 2. 2010s Instagram culture memory lane).

A while back, Tom Gilliam of @DaytonGram hosted an awesome #InstaMeet at the Wright Factory – an ever-so-slightly run down series of buildings where the Wright Brothers had their airplane factory back in the early 1900s.

Ok, maybe they were pretty run down. Actually we had to sign a waiver before we entered the buildings that said we understood that there would be areas without lighting, things hanging from the ceilings, general mayhem, etc. I’ll admit, after getting the spiel about the safety hazards, I briefly thought to myself “ohhh what have I gotten myself into now?” but then my curiosity won and I went inside.

I am so glad I went because this place has so much history in its walls. It was so neat to see a piece of history before it gets polished and opens to the public (plans are underway with the Aviation Trail National Park!).

I think the Wright Factory will be a wonderful place to visit (even without the thrill of signing a waiver) once it gets transformed into one of the stops along the Aviation Trail. Here are only some of the photos I took (the lighting was tough on my poor iPhone 5S so don’t judge):