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 Summary

This collection chronicles the exploits of Charles F. Walsh during the years 1909-1912. There are five scrapbooks and three packets of information.

 Biographical / Historical

Charles F. Walsh (1877-1912) is credited with being the first man in California to build a practical flyable airplane, the Walsh 1911 Silver Dart, and received Pilot's License No. 1 issued by the Aero Club of California. Walsh was taught to fly by Lincoln Beachey in 1909, and he quickly gained fame as an aviator, travelling throughout the US and Cuba from 1910 through 1912. Walsh flew as an exhibition pilot for the Curtiss Company and was killed October 3, 1912 when his plane experienced structural failure at Trenton, New Jersey.

 Identifier

NASM.XXXX.0046

Creator

Walsh, Charles, 1877-1912

Date

1903-1945

bulk 1909-1912

Provenance

Frank E. Martin, Gift, 1968

Extent

0.88 Cubic feet (2 flat boxes and 1 oversized folder)

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection chronicles the exploits of Charles F. Walsh during the years 1909-1912, including the following: numerous photos of the Walsh 1911 Silver Dart, Curtiss biplanes and aircraft engines; photos of personalities such as Lincoln Beachey, Glenn Curtiss, Thomas Sopwith, Eugene Ely, John McCurdy, and Beckwith Havens; an original drawing of the Silver Dart dated 1908; miscellaneous memorabilia including a business card, tickets to air shows, benefits, and state fairs during 1911-1912; Walsh's Aero Club of California and Aero Club of America licenses; and a ticket to the Panama-California Exposition of 1915.

Arrangement note

The collection is arranged according to type of material; albums are arranged according to size of enclosure required to safely house them.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Citation

Charles F. Walsh Scrapbooks, NASM.XXXX.0046, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Aeronautics

Aeronautics -- Exhibitions

Walsh 1911 Silver Dart

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Tickets

Blueprints