Asahel Wright Museum

The Asahel Wright Museum, located in the heart of Centerville and contains a lot of rich history. This building was originally built in 1806 as a two-story stone house and was one of the first few buildings to be built after the founding in 1796. It was later refurbished in 1999 and has served as an educational museum for incoming visitors. Inside the house, there are two exhibit rooms that contain a lot of antiques from the past and what life was like in the 1800s. There are a lot of people that contributed in building this house in the 1800's like Aaron Nutt, Leonard Ream, and C. Williams. Overall, this house offers a lot of insight to the past and it is important to learn about the architecture in the 1800s in Centerville.

There are many unique things about this house. In the 1800s there was a major difference in materials and architectural styles. For example, the main material used on the exterior of the house was stone. There was not many technological advancements in the 1800s like we do today. Some more examples were the fireplace being positioned in the corner of the house, the chimney crosses over the center of the wall upstairs and the front door being mounted on the far left side of the house. Most houses had center positioned fireplaces and center mounted front doors. Later on in 1860, there was an addition made to the house as a two story section was implemented.

Asahel Wright was born in 1786 in New Hampshire and later moved to Centerville with his family in 1814. Aaron Nutt originally owned the land and once Asahel Wright, a great uncle of Wilbur and Orville Wright, leased the land for 3 years. Later on, Wright bought the rest of the land from Aaron Nutt for $150. A few years later, Wright married Martha Sweeney in 1820 and went on to have 4 children named Edmund F., Samuel, Sara, and John Q. Asahel also had a younger brother named Dan Wright who was the grandfather of the Wright brothers. Asahel died on October 23, 1842 and is buried in Huber Heights.

In 1978, the City of Centerville annexed the land and rented the land to be used for an International Women's Air and Space Museum after the building acquired a few upgrades and renovations. In 1999, the Air and Space Museum was moved to the Cleveland Airport and the Wright buildings were then able to be used as a museum for the Wright family ran by the historical society. You may notice that there was a small building right next to the main house. That building was added and built by Leonard Ream in 1830 and was originally used as a gift shop. When the City of Centerville took control of the site, they turned the building into a school museum filled with school antiques, artifacts, and ancient photos for tourists to come explore.

Asahel Wright , Centerville Washington History. Accessed March 14th 2022. https://www.centervillewashingtonhistory.org/people/asahel-wright.

Asahel Wright House, Centerville Washington History. Accessed March 14th 2022. https://www.centervillewashingtonhistory.org/stone-buildings/asahel-wright-house.