Hiram in Portage County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Bessie Coleman

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 17, 2021

1. Bessie Coleman Marker

Inscription. First Black American Pilot
1892-1926

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Air & Space • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.

Location. 41° 18.679′ N, 81° 8.607′ W. Marker is in Hiram, Ohio, in Portage County. It is on Garfield Road (Ohio Route 700) 0.1 miles north of Wakefield Road ( Route 82/305), on the right when traveling north. The marker is beside the sidewalk, directly in front of Kennedy Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11730 Garfield Road, Hiram OH 44234, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest.

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:

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Andrew Squire Homestead Site (within shouting distance of this marker); The Paul E. Martin Common (within shouting distance of this marker); The Hiram College Arboretum (within shouting distance of this marker); Hiram College (within shouting distance of this marker); Black Lives Matter installation (within shouting distance of this marker); The Oliver Plaza (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); James A. Garfield (about 500 feet away); History of Koritansky Hall (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hiram.

Also see . . . Bessie Coleman (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Elizabeth Coleman (January 26, 1892 – April 30, 1926) was an early American civil aviator. She was the first African-American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot license, and is the earliest known Black person to earn an international pilot's license. She earned her license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale on June 15, 1921.
Born to a family of sharecroppers in Texas, Coleman worked in the cotton fields at a young age while also studying in a small segregated school. She attended one term of college at Langston University. Coleman developed an early interest in flying, but African Americans, Native Americans, and women had no flight training opportunities in the United States, so she saved and obtained sponsorships in Chicago to go to France for flight school.
She then became a high-profile pilot in notoriously dangerous air shows in the United States. She was popularly known as "Queen Bess" and "Brave Bessie", and hoped to start a school for African-American fliers. Coleman died in a plane crash in 1926. Her pioneering role was an inspiration to early pilots and to the African-American and Native American communities.

(Submitted on June 18, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 17, 2021

2. Bessie Coleman Marker

Looking southwest across Garfield Road. The marker is mounted on a utility pole beside the sidewalk.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 17, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 18, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.