Hammondsport in Steuben County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
1878-1930 Larger Than Life
The Glenn H. Curtiss Heritage Trail
Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, October 27, 2013
1. Larger Than Life Marker
Glenn Curtiss was a man who liked to go fast. His personal quest for speed began with building and racing bicycles and motorcycles. He won dozens of competitions, and in 1907 he set a world land speed record of 136 miles per hour. Yet Curtiss would not remain earthbound. He was preparing to challenge gravity itself.
In 1908 Glenn Curtiss became one of the first people in America to build and fly a powered aircraft. Less than half a mile from here, Curtis conducted the first publicly announced and witnessed flight of an airplane in the United States. Glenn went on to become the dominant figure in the early American aviation industry. He was responsible for many aviation inventions and innovations, including the flying boat, which helped to launch naval aviation. Quite a small town boy from upstate New York!
The Glenn H. Curtiss Heritage Trail
Beginning as a self-taught bicycle mechanic, Glenn Curtiss went on to achieve national prominence as a pioneer aviator, the founder of the American aircraft industry, and the father of U.S. Naval Aviation. The Curtiss Heritage Trail celebrates the pioneering accomplishments of Hammondsport's most famous native son.
this page online
Erected 2011 by The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.
Location. 42° 23.604′ N, 77° 15.4′ W. Marker is in Hammondsport, New York, in Steuben County. Marker is at the intersection of South Valley Road and Cemetary Road, on the right when traveling east on South Valley Road. The marker is at the entrance to the Pleasant Valley Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hammondsport NY 14840, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Glenn Hammond Curtiss (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pleasant Valley War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pleasant Valley (approx. ¼ mile away); Glenn Curtiss (approx. 0.3 miles away); 1908 An Astonishing Sight (approx. half a mile away); Cradle of Aviation (approx. 1.3 miles away); Glenn H. Curtiss (approx. 1.3 miles away); Into the World of Aviation (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hammondsport.
More about this marker. The Glenn H. Curtiss Heritage Trail, which marks historic sites in and around Hammondsport, was completed in 2011. According to a news release from the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, which sponsored the two-year project, the trail features
Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, October 27, 2013
2. Larger Than Life Marker, Pleasant Valley Cemetery
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum. Museum website homepage (Submitted on November 6, 2013, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York.)
2. The Curtiss burial plot. Find A Grave website entry (Submitted on November 7, 2013, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York.)
Additional keywords. Glen Curtiss
Photographed By Larry Gertner, 2008
3. The Curtiss Family Plot
Library of Congress
4. Glenn Curtiss, 1909
Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2013, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. This page has been viewed 578 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 6, 2013, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. 3. submitted on December 26, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 4. submitted on November 6, 2013, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
