Hawthorn Hill in
Oakwood, Ohio, USA, was the post-1914 home of
Orville,
Milton and
Katharine Wright
Katharine Wright Haskell (August 19, 1874 – March 3, 1929) was the younger sister of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright. She worked closely with her brothers, managing their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, when they were away; acting as ...
. Wilbur and Orville Wright intended for it to be their joint home, but Wilbur died in 1912, before the home's 1914 completion. The brothers hired the prominent Dayton architectural firm of
Schenck and Williams to realize their plans. Orville and his father Milton and sister Katharine occupied the home in 1914.
Though the property now comprises three acres (1.2 ha), the mansion originally sat on . The Wrights named the property after the hawthorn trees found on the property. There are at least 150 hawthorn trees on the site.
Orville Wright designed some of the mechanical features of the house such as the water storage tank used to collect and recycle rainwater, and the central vacuum system; these features reflect his creative genius. For 34 years, this house was the gathering place for the greats and near-greats in the history of American aviation.
The home was owned by the
NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation, previously known as National Cash Register, is an American software, consulting and technology company providing several professional services and electronic products. It manufactures self-service kiosks, point-of-sale termin ...
after Orville's death until August 18, 2006, when the company donated the historic home to the Wright Family Foundation in honor of Orville's 135th birthday and
National Aviation Day. NCR used it as a guesthouse for corporate VIPs and for corporate functions. On occasion they opened the home to the general public.
In September 2007,
Dayton History Dayton History is an organization located in Dayton, Ohio, USA, formed in 2005 by the merger of the Montgomery County Historical Society (originally the Dayton Historical Society) and Dayton's Carillon Historical Park
Carillon Historical Park is ...
, in cooperation with the Wright Family Foundation, began offering scheduled public tours of Hawthorn Hill.
NCR extensively redecorated the mansion's interior after Orville's death. Only Orville's study approximates its pre-1948 appearance. However,
Edward A. Deeds
Edward Andrew Deeds (March 12, 1874 – July 1, 1960) was an American engineer, inventor and industrialist prominent in the Dayton, Ohio, area. He was the president of the National Cash Register Company and, together with Charles F. Kettering, ...
, then-chairman of the
National Cash Register Company sent a photographer to the home immediately following Orville's death to visually record the interior of the house at that time.
The U.S. Secretary of the Interior designated Hawthorn Hill a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
in 1991 and added it to the U.S.
World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
Tentative List
in January 2008 as a part of the Dayton Aviation Sites listing. It is a component of the
National Aviation Heritage Area.
Gallery
Hawthornhillhouse1.jpg,
Hawthornhillhouse2.jpg,
Hawthornhillhouse3.jpg,
Hawthornhillhouse4.jpg
Hawthornhillhouse5.jpg
Hawthornhillhouse6.jpg
Hawthornhillhouse8.jpg
Hawthornhillhouse7.jpg
References
External links
Hawthorn Hill, including 1948 interior photos- Dayton History
Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel ItineraryNHL site
{{Registered Historic Places
Wright brothers
National Historic Landmarks in Ohio
NCR Corporation
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio
Houses completed in 1914
Museums in Montgomery County, Ohio
National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Ohio
Historic house museums in Ohio
Biographical museums in Ohio
National Aviation Heritage Area
Houses in Montgomery County, Ohio