DaytonDailyNews.com

WASHINGTON — A proposal to add Hawthorn Hill and the Wright factory buildings to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park cleared another hurdle Wednesday, March 25, when the U.S. House passed a bill approving their addition to the park.

The bill now goes to President Obama for final approval. It's the culmination of two years of effort by U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, who introduced the measure, and Amanda Wright Lane, the Wright brothers' great-grandniece, who has testified on behalf of the proposal.

Turner said adding the two sites would help to complete the story of the Wright brothers. When the bill becomes law — Obama could sign it as soon as next week — visitors will be able to see the brothers' bicycle shop, their home and where they built airplanes.

Hawthorn Hill, in Oakwood, was designed by Wilbur and Orville Wright and was the family's home until 1948. The Wright Company factory buildings are the first U.S. buildings designed and built for the manufacture of airplanes.

The bill also allows community organizations including Dayton History, which operates Carillon Historical Park, Aviation Trail and other partners that operate the park's sites to receive grants from the National Park Service to help operate the park.

The bill passed the bill 285-140. The Senate passed the legislation earlier this year.