neil armstrong's boyhood home is for sale

A piece of American history is for sale.

The childhood home of Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who commanded NASA’s Apollo 11 mission on his way to becoming the first man to walk on the moon, is for sale in Wapakoneta, Ohio. (Wapakoneta is about 60 miles north of Dayton on I-75).

Photo by WOW Video Tours, Lima, Ohio/Provided by Beverly Rex-Cook

Armstrong built planes out of balsa wood and glue in the dining room and constructed a basement wind tunnel to test his models. At the top of a creaky stairway is his bedroom where he launched model airplanes out of the window to measure how far they’d fly. Armstrong’s old bedroom is now decorated with photos and paintings of the moon landing. Hanging from the ceiling is a model of the Wright brothers’ first production airplane, the aviation pioneers who were from Dayton and an inspiration for Armstrong. 

Armstrong pedaled his bike from home to take flying lessons at an airstrip. At age 16, he made his first solo flight, got his pilot’s license, and 20 years later he rocketed into space for the first time.

An official historical marker was placed in the front yard in 2018, designating it as the boyhood home of the first person to walk on the moon.

A history teacher owned this house for 40 years and preserved the character and timeliness of the past, keeping it much like when the Armstrong family lived there. I  hope somehow the Armstrong Air and Space Museum will be able to purchase this property to keep its historical charm.