Discover Mansfield’s Rich Aviation Legacy at the Frank P. Lahm Aviation Museum
By Tonya Prater
Tucked behind the Mansfield Memorial Museum in an alley behind the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, stands an unassuming building that houses the history and artifacts of prominent local aviators.
Mansfield boasts a rich aviation history, spanning from the early days of ballooning in the 1850s to the groundbreaking achievements of the Wright Brothers and even into space. The Frank P. Lahm Aviation Museum was established to educate the public and celebrate the city’s profound contributions to flight.
Named after Brigadier General Frank P. Lahm, an aviation pioneer and Mansfield native, the museum offers a captivating journey through two centuries of aviation history, showcasing remarkable advancements from the 19th century to the present day.
You’ll learn about the museum’s namesake, Frank Purdy Lahm, as well as R. B. “Mud’ Gardner, George Murray, Alan Prescott Tappan, and William J. Knight, and others, all of whom are decorated military personnel. You’ll also see personal items like their military awards, uniforms, and even Lahm’s pilot license, which was the second ever issued.
Among the displays, you’ll find notable women like Gretchen Reighard Stremmel, a Crestline native known as “The Flying Waitress,” who worked in this service trade to fund her flying lessons, achieved the highest glider pilot rating, and developed the “D” ring for parachutes used by the Army Air Corps.
Colonel Gardner was a motorcyclist that raced Indian, Pope and Twin Excelsior motorcycles, winning over $10,000 in 1913. He enlisted in the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps and served as a fighter pilot in France during WWI. Upon his return to Mansfield, he opened a Packard dealership,and collaborated with Alan P. Tappan to encourage the city to buy 190 acres of farmland which became the airport. He went on to become a city councilman and state senator.
Alan Tappan started his career at the Tappan Stove Company, where he helped design lightweight gas stoves for dirigibles. He earned the Legion of Merit, the highest service award during WWII, and led the committee that brought the Air National Guard unit to Mansfield. He was inducted into the Ohio National Guard Hall of Fame posthumously for his contributions to aviation.
James Bud Harrington was the manager of Mansfield Lahm Airport and grew it to the largest fighter operation in Ohio. When WWII began, he was the first private trainer of pilots for the Army and Navy in the country.
Captain James C. Gorman had an impressive Army Air Corps career and was a founding member of the 164th Fighter Squadron, which became the 179th Airlift Wing, stationed at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport. He fought in the Southwest Pacific during WWII, where he contracted malaria. While recovering, his co-pilot and crew flew his plane on a mission, which was shot down, resulting in the loss of all onboard. Jim survived malaria and the war and returned to Mansfield, to work at Gorman-Rupp Pumps, a company his father J.C. Gorman and Herbert Rupp co-founded.
His wife, Marjorie, was also an accomplished aviator, being one of the first women in the world to earn a helicopter pilot’s license.
When you visit the museum, you’ll discover the stories of these remarkable men and women and many others with ties to Richland County who played an important role in aviation.
When asked to identify the most notable artifact in the museum, Board President Ed Olson stated that the most important piece was not an artifact but the display that shares the life story of Frank Lahm.
Frank is integral to the story of aviation in Mansfield. His dad was a balloonist and set the stage for Frank to win the Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race from Paris to England, he was instrumental in procuring the Signal Corps’ first military plane, designed by the Wright Brothers (Frank actually flew in the plane with Orrville Wright), and is considered one of the founders of the U.S. Air Force.
Don’t miss the opportunity to learn about the fascinating men and women who played a role in Mansfield’s aviation heritage. The Frank P. Lahm Aviation Museum is listed on the Ohio Air & Space Trail and can be found at the rear of 40 Park Avenue West. The museum is open on Sunday afternoons from 12- 4 p.m. until the end of the season, or by appointment by calling 419-631-8311.
Why not visit the museum, grab takeout from one of the many downtown restaurants, and take a short drive to Mansfield’s Lahm Airport for a picnic lunch while you watch the planes fly in?