Kitty Hawk in Dare County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Wright Brothers' Memorial
Photographed By Kevin W., July 20, 2008
1. Wright Brothers' Memorial Marker (front)
Sept. 17, 1900
Wilbur Wright
began the assembly of
the
Wright Brothers'
first experimental
glider
which led to man's
conquest of the air.
[Marker Back]:
This is a
reproduction of the
Wright Brother's
Memorial Marker
placed on this site
by the Citizens of
Kitty Hawk on
May 2, 1928
Erected 1928 by Citizens of Kitty Hawk, N.C.
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1934.
Location. 36° 3.711′ N, 75° 42.056′ W. Marker is in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in Dare County. Marker is on Moore Shore Road, 0.1 miles W. Kitty Hawk Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kitty Hawk NC 27949, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Monument to a Century of Flight (approx. 2.6 miles away); Take a Boy Fishing in North Carolina (approx. 2.7 miles away); Kill Devil Hills Fire Rescue Memorial (approx. 2.7 miles away); Wind, Sand, & Isolation (approx. 3.4 miles away); Four Powered Flights
this page online
Additional commentary.
1. Memorial Marker History
In 1928, the citizens of Kitty Hawk erected a granite marker on the spot where Wilbur Wright began the assembly of the Wright Bothers’ first experimental glider, which led to man’s conquest of the air. Seventy Kitty Hawk citizens and the Ladies Aid Society contributed a total of $210 for the marker, which was placed on the lawn of a house on Moore Shore Road in Kitty Hawk Village.
When Wilbur Wright started building the glider on September 17, 1900, the house was occupied by the W. J. Tate family, with whom he boarded when he first came to North Carolina. When the original monument was erected, the house had been sold to the Methodist Church and was being used a a parsonage.
The original house was destroyed by a fire which also caused a major crack in the monument. That damage, plus other wear through its 59 years, prompted
Photographed By Kevin W., July 20, 2008
2. Wright Brothers' Memorial Marker (back)
By soliciting contributions from local residents, businesses and property owners, the Citizens’ Association raised $4,000 to replace the monument and to hold a dedication ceremony.
Today, the reproduction of the original monument is being dedicated to the town of Kitty Hawk in memory of not only the Wright Brothers, who made the dream of flight a reality, but also in remembrance of those 70 original contributors who had the wisdom and the foresight to commemorate a place in history.
[Source: from Dedication Ceremonies on 9/17/87 (see below picture titled Memorial Marker History).]
— Submitted July 28, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
Photographed By Kevin W., July 20, 2008
3. Wright Brothers' Memorial Marker
Photographed By Kevin W., July 21, 2008
4. The original Wright Brothers' Memorial Marker
This is the original monument, currently in the foyer of the Kitty Hawk Town Hall.
Photographed By Kevin W., July 21, 2008
5. This brass plaque identifies why the memorial was moved inside the town hall
This memorial marker was originally erected in 1928 on Moore Shore Road to mark the spot where Wilbur Wright began the assembly of the Wright Brothers first experimental glider. In 1987 it was replace by a duplicate due to fire and weather damage. It was placed in the new Town Hall in April 1989.
Photographed By Kevin W., July 21, 2008
6. French translation of the brass plaque announcing the relocation.
Cette borne commémorative indiquant l’endroit ou Wilbur Wright commença à assembler le premier planeur expérimental des frères Wright, fut à l’origine erigée sur Moore Shore Road en 1828. Ayant été endommageé par le feu et les intempéries, elle fut remplacée par un double et fut placée à l’intérieur de la nouvelle mairie en Avril 1989
Photographed By Kevin W., July 21, 2008
7. French translation of the Memorial's inscription
A cet endroit le 17 Septembre 1900, Wilbur Wright commença à assembler le premier planeur expérimental des frères Wright qui mena l’homme a la conquête du ciel, érigé par les citoyens de Kitty Hawk, NC 1928
Photographed By Kevin W., July 21, 2008
8. Memorial Marker History
Photographed By Kevin W., July 21, 2008
9. Kitty Hawk Town Hall
The original monument sits in the foyer of the Kitty Hawk Town Hall, just inside the front doors.
Photographed By Kevin W., July 21, 2008
10. List of 70 contributors to erecting the original Wright Brothers' Memorial
$210.00 Contributed for Marking
The Bona Fide Cradle of Aviation
(1928)
Photographed By Kevin W., July 21, 2008
11. List of contributors for the 1987 replacement Wright Brothers' Memorial Marker
Wright Brothers Memorial Contributors (1987)
The Town of Kitty Hawk and The Kitty Hawk Citizens Association gratefully acknowledge the contributions to the Wright Brothers Memorial Marker, September 17, 1987.
Photographed By Kevin W., July 19, 2008
12. Tate Residence, 1928
Bill Tate, with his wife Addie, had hosted the Wrights when they first came to Kitty Hawk. In 1928, a five-foot marble obelisk was erected in their front yard to commemorate the Wrights' achievement. An inscription on the marker reads:
On this spot September 17, 1900, Wilbur Wright began the assembly of the Wright brothers' firs experimental glider, which led to man's conquest of the air. Erected by the citizens of Kitty Hawk, NC 1928
Note: This picture was displayed in in the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
On this spot September 17, 1900, Wilbur Wright began the assembly of the Wright brothers' firs experimental glider, which led to man's conquest of the air. Erected by the citizens of Kitty Hawk, NC 1928
Note: This picture was displayed in in the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,716 times since then and 102 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. submitted on July 28, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
