Ernie Hall museum marker to be unveiled Wednesday

Staff report

WARREN

Ernie Hall Aviation Museum, 4033 N. River Road, will host the dedication of Ohio Historical Marker honoring the museum’s namesake at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The event is open to the public, and the museum will be open to the public after the dedication until 12:30 p.m.

Ohio Historical Markers identify, commemorate and honor the important people, places and events that have contributed to the state’s history.

Ernest “Ernie” C. Hall, a pioneer of early flight who is widely recognized for his long career in aviation, was born near Warren in 1890.

He was a friend of the Wright brothers, built his first powered airplane in 1909 and flew it in 1911. He began his career as a civilian flight instructor in 1913, opening a flying school in Pennsylvania in 1915.

During World War I, he transferred to Call Field in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he trained more than 500 military pilots for combat. In 1922, Hall relocated his flying school to Warren, where he taught until his death in 1972.

His 1911 monoplanes have been displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton.

Museum board of directors and its president and chairman Bill Griffin led efforts to immortalize Hall with the historical marker. The museum was established in 2014.

For information, visit ErnieHallAviationMuseum.org.