This really set me going.
Another of the early bits of hidden history I heard about was that there was another Wright Brothers Monument on the Outer Banks. I was so used to every tourist having to make the pilgrimage to the big monument, the pylon on top of Big Kill Devil Hill, trudging up, having to carry their kids cause it got too steep, any misstep meant that their feet would be embedded with cacti. But the view was worth it. And the kids got to run around the top, arms open, flying like airplanes out on top of the hill.
But there is another monument. It isn't nearly as imposing as that big granite one, but it is meaningful, nonetheless.
This is actually the first monument put up for the Wrights. It honors the beginnings of their first tests, Wilbur came down from Ohio, armed pretty much with an invite and some wood and cloth to start his first glider. He stayed for two weeks with the Tate family on the property where the monument sits. Orville would show up two weeks later with a tent, mandolin, coffee, and his new camera. They ultimately ended up in a tent about a mile away, testing their glider, mostly as a kite. They even took the Tates' nephew, Tom, for a ride in the glider.
The little monument honors the Wrights first glider, built on that spot.
The house was later given to the Methodist church and used as a parsonage. It was later burned down, and there is nothing left on the land now. The house next door is not the house they stayed in.
And, oddly enough, that's not even the monument. It was replaced in 1987 after the first was damaged from the fire and the elements. It's preserved in the nearby town hall.
I loved knowing about this one. I just thought it was so cool to know of the "other" monument. Later, when I got my car, the drive out to see this was one of my favorite trips on the beach. It helped that a little ways after the monument, the road curves over to the sound, and there's a great view of the water, and nice sunsets to boot.
No comments:
Post a Comment