Planes, Trains and Model T’s

I know several of us saw the movie, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, I had my own planes, trains and Model T’s fun in Richmond, Indiana a couple weeks ago. We were hosted by Visit Richmond, what fun!

Planes!

The plane portion of the trip was at the end of the trip. On our way home from Richmond, we stopped at the Wilbur Wright Birthplace Museum. The home and museum are located two miles northeast of Millville, Indiana. We had been by the site a couple of times and never stopped before.

At this fun stop we saw the homestead, and an authentic replica of the Wright Flyer. Plus, we saw historic documentation of the development of Wilbur and Orville Wright’s flight history. At one time the family lived in Richmond and the Wright Brothers went to school there.

When we first got married back in 1980, Keith had a pilot’s license. He has always been fascinated by airplane history. So this was the perfect stop for my farmer husband. Wilbur Wright was born April 16, 1867. He died on May 30, 1912. Wilbur was the 3^rd son of Susan and Milton Wright. Susan wanted a home for the birth of the 3^rd child. They purchased the house we toured for $700.00. When they bought the house, they already had sons Reuchlin, and Lorin. At some time when they lived there, Milton was the bishop of the Brethren Church of Christ. He met Susan at college. They would eventually have five children.

It was fun to go through the house and see the example of the flyer. We learned how determined the two brothers, that had a thriving bicycle business, were to get in the air. There is a quote “Nothing happens unless first a dream.” Together, Wilbur and Orville Wright invented, built and flew the world’s first successful motor-operated airplane. The Wrights’ first powered airplane flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903.

Trains!

When you think of the Hayes Arboretum, you don’t think about trains. You think about the trees and trails.

The1883 Dairy Barn that houses the educational section of the Arboretum is made of Chestnut. Chesnuts were prevalent in Indiana before the Chesnut blight. Jennilee Braun of the Arboretum shared that the blight wiped out the tree population.

However, the story of Hayes Arboretum begins with trains. Jennilee Braun shared a bit about the history behind Hayes Arboretum.  

In 1915 Stanley W. Hayes, the inventor and founder of Hayes Track Appliance Company started buying up land.

Stanley Hayes wanted to build an estate after moving his manufacturing company to Richmond, Indiana. The ground predating Stanley has a bit of history. Once there were a fairgrounds and racetrack on site. The track was once was the site of the Indianapolis 500. Horse racing also took place. The famous Wayne County horse Single G once ran on the track. There is only a small portion still visible today.

The arboretum.

On the Hayes Arboretum website, they share Stanley’s conservation story. “He realized that much of the Old Growth Forest that he was familiar with from his childhood was becoming scarce …” Realizing that Stanley Hayes began reforesting the land. In 1922 he began planting native trees. Stanley did this with the help of Paul McClure and Charles Deem, Indiana’s first State Forester. Today Jennilee shared, “We are home to 3% of the Indiana Old Growth Forest.”

In the early 1930’s, Stanley purchased the Hill’s Dairy Farm. This included a homestead log cabin, dated 1815, and a Dairy Barn. Establishing the Stanley W. Hayes Research Foundation Stanley’s oldest son Brice, an inventor as well took over. The Arboretum was open to the public in May of 1963.They started offering educational classes in 1964. Most visitors come to the Arboretum for the fauna or to hike.

Train story.

Some visitors come to see examples of the train inventions that are on display at the Hayes Historical Museum.

There you can also view family history. Brice’s son Stephen Hayes Sr serves as the current executive director, keeping it all in the family.

The Hayes Track Appliance Co. was started in 1903 in New York, before Stanley Hayes moved it to Richmond. “Stanley had over 60 patents,” Jennilee shared. One was a mechanism to control derailment along with many others. It was fun to see this aspect of history in Richmond during my recent visit. It is amazing how many companies began and flourished in Wayne, County, Indiana.

Model T’s

I came to Richmond along with my husband Keith to experience Model T Day’s which took place August 5-10, 2026. While Model T’s were not invented and do not have a lot of history in town, the Model T Museum was established here in 2007, moving to its current location in the historic district in 2012.

Model T Days brought over 40 vehicles to town. They had races, a class on how to drive Model T’s, and a chance to ride in a Model T. Some of the historic vehicles even took a run around the historic Winchester Speedway. What is more fun than racing historic vehicles.

Come to eastern Indiana for a bit of transportation fun whether it be planes, trains or model T’s. Wayne County even has lawn mower history, and a stop at the Wayne County Historical Museum will offer up the story. At the museum you can also see some of the autos and steam engines that came from this industrial hub as well.