Museums & History

The history of Greene County begins centuries before its formation by the Ohio government in 1803. The Adena, Hopewell, Shawnee and Fort Ancient native cultures all inhabited the area. Adena & Hopewell mounds can still be observed today in the Glen Helen Nature Preserve and Indian Mound Reserve.

18th, 19th, and early 20th-century local history are preserved through the Greene County Historical Society, Beavercreek Historical Society, and Yellow Springs Historical Society

Of course, Greene County is most well known for those brothers from nearby Dayton, Wilbur and Orville Wright, who in 1904 set up the first airfield at Huffman Prairie. Right here in Greene County in 1904 and 1905, the two inventors would perfect their flying machine and develop the world's first practical airplane. Today, you can stand in this very field, preserved to look much like it would have in the early 1900s. Visit the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center and Wright Brothers Memorial nearby to learn more about the Wright brothers and their amazing creation! 

Upon visiting the place where flight was born, head to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. This world-renowned museum is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with over 360 aircraft on display. Step inside to learn about the earliest days of military aviation, in balloons, through the Wright Brothers and their 1909 Military Flyer. The World War II gallery features many aircraft from this era, most notably the Memphis Belle and Bockscar. Other notable aircraft at the museum include the Hanoi Taxi, the SR-71 Blackbird, and stealth aircraft such as the F-117, F-22, and B-2 bomber. 

The William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force allows visitors to view a historic collection of presidential aircraft, and walk through four of them, including SAM 26000, where Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the new president following President Kennedy's assassination. The aircraft then carried Kennedy’s body and President Johnson back to Washington, D.C., and a grieving nation. 

Additional museums and historical sites in Greene County include: