Retired pilot helps historical society buy Neil Armstrong’s boyhood home for tours
Ohio, Oct 19: Ken Schreiber was 9 when Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon in 1969 — a moment he would never forget. Like Armstrong, he too became a military fighter pilot. So when Schreiber read a story in August that Armstrong’s boyhood home in Ohio was for sale and later learned no one had come forward to preserve it, he surprised even himself by making an offer.
“I just thought somebody has got to step up to the plate,” Schreiber said, remembering his father’s advice to “make a mark in life.”
The sale is scheduled to be finalized Monday. The local historical society will take ownership thanks to Schreiber’s $400,000 donation. He spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a pilot with American Airlines.
The Auglaize County Historical Society plans to restore the well-preserved home to its appearance during Armstrong’s boyhood, when he built model planes in the dining room and tested them in a basement wind tunnel he created. The goal is to have the home ready for its first public tours by 2030 to mark the 100th anniversary of Armstrong’s birth, said Gerald Siesel, the historical society’s president.
The two-story home in Wapakoneta has long been a stop for visitors to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum curious about the astronaut’s early life, but it has never been open to the public. The historical society has already started researching what the house would’ve looked like in the 1940s and talking with community leaders about raising money to renovate and maintain the home, Siesel said.
“Even now when this opportunity came our way, we realized we can’t do it ourselves,” he said.
Armstrong’s family moved often during his childhood before settling in western Ohio when he was a teenager. The house at 601 W. Benton St. played a big role in his life. He conducted experiments while living there and made his first solo flight and earned his pilot’s license at age 16.
Armstrong’s old bedroom is now decorated with photos and paintings of the moon landing and autographed photos of astronauts who’ve visited. (AP)