3-13-2026 4:23pm

Wright at Home Opens Doors to Orville Wright’s Hawthorn Hill

Beth Callahan Editor

Photo and story courtesy of Dayton History

DAYTON, OH — Visitors will have the opportunity to step inside Hawthorn Hill, Orville Wright’s success mansion, during Wright at Home, an open house fundraiser and guided neighborhood walking tour on Sunday, April 26, 2026, from noon to 5 p.m. Amanda Wright Lane, the Wright brothers’ great-grandniece, will also make a special appearance at this year’s event.

Presented by Dayton History in partnership with The Oakwood Historical Society, the event offers guests a chance to explore the Wright family home while learning about the historic neighborhood that surrounded it, including the homes of Cheez-It inventor J.W. Green; Bill Chryst, a member of Charles Kettering’s legendary Barn Gang who helped invent the automobile self-starter; and Harry Schenck, co-founder of Schenck & Williams, the architectural firm that designed Hawthorn Hill, Oakwood High School, Wright Library, and many prominent Oakwood structures.

“Hawthorn Hill is known as a ‘success mansion,’ a symbol of the Wright brothers’ genius,” says Ann Febus, President of The Oakwood Historical Society. “The surrounding neighborhood can be described the same way, reflecting the brilliance of Orville’s neighbors. The innovation that came from that small Oakwood region is extraordinary.”

Over the years, Hawthorn Hill welcomed numerous famous visitors, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, Ronald Reagan, Charles Lindbergh and James Cash “J.C.” Penny.

With its white pillars and twin porches, the mansion has long been synonymous with Orville Wright and the Wright family. After purchasing land at Salem Avenue and Harvard Boulevard in the Dayton View neighborhood, the Wrights’ younger sister, Katharine, persuaded her famous brothers to build instead in Oakwood’s rolling hills.

Both Orville and Wilbur influenced the home’s design, but Wilbur died of typhoid fever on May 30, 1912, at age 45, before construction began. When the house was completed in 1914, Hawthorn Hill became the residence of Orville, Katharine and their elderly father, Bishop Milton Wright.

“After Orville Wright’s death on Jan. 30, 1948, Hawthorn Hill was purchased by NCR for use as a corporate guest house,” says Alex Heckman, Vice President of Museum Operations at Dayton History. “For the next 58 years, the historic home was carefully preserved but rarely open to the public.”

Today, the mansion, a unit of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, is owned and operated by Dayton History, a privately funded nonprofit that receives no ongoing federal support. For decades, many Daytonians wondered about the mysterious Wright mansion atop the hill. At Wright at Home, the mystery is revealed, if only in part.

Tickets for Wright at Home are $40 and include admission to Hawthorn Hill and the guided walking tour of the surrounding Oakwood neighborhood. Advance reservations are required. Tickets can be purchased at daytonhistory.org.

Proceeds benefit Dayton History and The Oakwood Historical Society, two privately funded nonprofits dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of the Dayton region.

Dayton History, a privately funded nonprofit, owns and operates Carillon Historical Park, Hawthorn Hill, and Patterson Homestead. Its mission is to inspire generations by connecting them with the unique people, places, and events that changed the Dayton region and the world. For more information, visit daytonhistory.org.

The Oakwood Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1974, whose mission is to research, preserve, publish and promote the history of Oakwood. The Society owns and operates the Long-Romspert Homestead and House Museum at 1947 Far Hills Avenue, and sponsors various educational activities and events.