Concord Township near Troy in Miami County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Engine Storage Location
WACO History
The attic of this building was once used as a storage location for 300 OX-5 engines, similar to the engine pictured here on the right. Most of the engines were purchased from Gar Wood, a famous speedboat builder and racer from Detroit, Michigan. Legend states that Wood used the OX-5 engines to power his boats, some of which were used during prohibition to run illegal alcohol from Canada to the lower forty-eight. WACO also purchased engines from the Dodge brothers in Detroit.
Photograph captions include:
The WACO Model 4 was the first WACO built that incorporated the Curtiss OX-5 engine.
Photo taken around 1923 shows Clayton Brukner, man on the left, one of the founders of The WACO Aircraft Company barnstorming with a Curtiss JN-4D. Jenny airplanes were manufactured by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company of Buffalo, New York. Used as trainers during WWI, the Jenny airplanes and parts flooded the surplus market after the war and parts could be purchased very inexpensively. Two of the three WACO Aircraft Company founders, Clayton Brukner and Elwood Sam Junkin, worked for Curtiss during WWI and took advantage of the available parts when they started designing and building their own airplanes in 1921. The WACO Aircraft Company produced airplanes in Troy from 1923-1946.
Erected by The Troy Foundation, WACO Historical Society and City of Troy. (Marker Number 003.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Industry & Commerce • War, World I. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.
Location. 40° 2.354′ N, 84° 11.979′ W. Marker is near Troy, Ohio, in Miami County. It is in Concord Township. It is at the intersection of East Water Street and North Clay Street, on the right when traveling east on East Water Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 291 E Water St, Troy OH 45373, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro, in the Miami Valley, and in the Till Plains. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Overfield Tavern (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The John Kitchen House 1847 (about 400 feet away); Ferry & Bridges (approx. 0.2 miles away); Troy Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Troy's Public Square & Third Courthouse (approx. 0.2 miles away); WACO History (approx. Ό mile away); Miami & Erie Canal (approx. Ό mile away); Clayton Brukner (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Troy.
Another marker is no longer nearby. WACO History (was approx. Ό mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on November 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,217 times since then and 36 times this year. Last updated on November 1, 2024, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1. submitted on June 7, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 2. submitted on November 1, 2024, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

