Old Unicoi Trail DAR Hears Lost Piece of History

At the September 8, 2007, meeting of the Old Unicoi Trail Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Hiawassee, Georgia, a piece of history that has never made it to the history books was related. It was the account of Micajah Clark Dyer’s invention, construction and flight of an “Apparatus for Navigating the Air” long before anyone else succeeded in getting a guided craft airborne.

Micajah Clark Dyer, a poor mountain farmer with limited formal education and access to only primitive tools, invented his flying machine in the Choestoe District of Union County, Georgia. The story of his invention was handed down orally to each generation of the family, and the first written account of it was by Dr. Watson B. Dyer in the Dyer Family History, privately published in 1967 and 1980. He reported interviews with people who were eye witnesses to several flights by Clark Dyer in his plane, as well as dozens of others who had been told the story by their parents and grandparents.

Clark Dyer secured a patent for his flying machine on September 1, 1874, but following his death in 1891, the patent and plane were reportedly sold by his widow to some Redwine brothers from Gainesville, Georgia. Later, the family’s attempts to locate the patent and plane proved futile. Finally, in 2004, Clark’s patent was discovered by one of the young descendents doing a Google search. Then, in the following year, two 1875 newspaper articles were discovered that reported the invention, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat on July 16, 1875, and The Eagle (Gainesville, Georgia) on July 31, 1875.

While Clark still has not been included in history books, he has received some noteworthy recognition, namely, State Hwy. 180 was named the “Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway” in July 2006; “Micajah Clark Dyer Day in Union County” was proclaimed on September 1, 2006 (the 132nd anniversary of the granting of the patent); a first class U.S. postage stamp was printed October 28, 2006, showing Clark’s flying machine; he was nominated for induction into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in October 2006; Union County Commissioner framed and hung a display of the U.S. stamp in the courthouse in January 2007.

Some comments by DAR members after the meeting: “I was very interested in the program today and surprised that I have never heard the story.” “Dyer was certainly a visionary and if he had gotten started when he was young, he might have just beat the Wright brothers out.” “He seemed to know about updrafts and how gliders work.” “I am glad to know about Dyer’s flying machine. I know my kids will find it interesting, too.” “We need a display for Dyer in the State Archives Building.”


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Ethelene Dyer Jones RecognizedWith “Flying Machine” Paperweight

At the Annual Dyer-Souther Heritage Association Reunion held on July 14, 2007, at the Choestoe Baptist Church, Highway 180/Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway, Blairsville, Georgia, Historian Ethelene Dyer Jones was presented with a paperweight bearing the image of Clark Dyer’s “flying machine” in recognition of her many years of service as the historian, newsletter editor and organizer of the annual family reunion. Her dedication to preservation of family history is truly noteworthy. Ethelene, we salute your commitment and perseverance!



Micajah Clark Dyer’s invention of a flying machine in the Choestoe District of Union County in 1874, years before anyone else had succeeded in getting a guided craft airborne, is a point of pride within the Dyer family. The story of Dyer’s invention had been handed down orally to each generation of the family, and the first written account of it was by Dr. Watson B. Dyer in the Dyer Family History, privately published in 1967 and 1980. He reported interviews with people who were eye witnesses to several flights by him in his plane, as well as dozens of others who had been told the story by their parents and grandparents.

The image of the plane on the paperweight is taken from the drawings in the patent issued for the machine on September 1, 1874. It wasn’t until 2004 that Clark’s patent was finally discovered by one of the young descendents doing a Google search. Then, in the following year, two 1875 newspaper articles were discovered that reported the invention, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat on July 16, 1875, and The Eagle (Gainesville, Georgia) on July 31, 1875.

Clark invented many other gadgets during his lifetime (1822-1891), and the family legend is that there were one or more later models of his aircraft. But even if documentation cannot be found for any of his other inventions, the 1874 patent for his “Apparatus for Navigating the Air” gives Clark an honored place in aviation history.


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Dyer-Souther Reunion - July 14 at Choestoe Baptist Church

REMINDER

Saturday, July 14, 2007
Dyer-Souther Reunion
Choestoe Baptist Church
Family Life Center
State Hwy. 180 - Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway
11:00 AM - Registration
12:00 Noon - Covered dish meal
1:00 PM - Reunion program


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NCSU Extension Learns Georgia May Have Been “First in Flight”

Pictured above: Friends of the NC State University’s Extension Service at 21st International Luncheon on May 16, 2007.

Upon invitation by the NC State University’s Extension Service Friends, Sylvia Dyer Turnage presented the story of Clark Dyer’s flying machine at their 21st International Luncheon on May 16, 2007, in Hayesville, NC. The group was very interested to learn about Micajah Clark Dyer’s invention of a flying machine in the Choestoe District of Union County way back in 1874, years before anyone else had succeeded in getting a guided craft airborne.

As the group viewed the patent issued for the machine on September 1, 1874, they found it amazing that Dyer had produced the ingenious drawings and specifications since he had only an eighth-grade education and had spent his life on a remote mountainous farm, with limited contacts outside the community. The story of Dyer’s invention had been handed down orally to each generation of the family, and the first written account of it was by Dr. Watson B. Dyer in the Dyer Family History, privately published in 1967 and 1980. Watson interviewed a couple of people who were eye witnesses to several flights by Clark Dyer in his plane, as well as dozens of others who had been told the story by their parents and grandparents.

It wasn’t until 2004 that Clark’s patent was finally discovered by one of the young descendents doing a Google search. Then, in the following year two 1985 newspaper articles were discovered that reported the invention, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat on July 16, 1875, and The Eagle (Gainesville, Georgia) on July 31, 1875.

Clark invented many other gadgets during his lifetime (1822-1891), and the family legend is that there were one or more later models of his aircraft. But even if documentation cannot be found for any of his other inventions, the 1874 patent for his “Apparatus for Navigating the Air” gives Clark an honored place in aviation history.


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Thousands Viewed Clark Dyer Story on Windstream Channel 4

In mid-March, Windstream Channel 4 kicked off a new program titled “Mountain Trails” which is featuring history and places of interest in the Tri-State mountain area. The first episode of the program covered the entire story of Micajah Clark Dyer’s invention of a flying machine, from the oral legend to the subsequent discovery of his 1874 patent and the newspaper articles in 1875 reporting the invention. The program included an interview with State Representative Charles Jenkins, who introduced a resolution in the Georgia General Assembly last year to name a portion of Highway 180 the Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway.

Show host, Cindy Williams, President of the Blairsville-Union Chamber of Commerce, opened the program standing near the sign on the Parkway. She said, “The impact that this man has had on the history of Union County is just beginning to be realized.” She proceeded to interview Clark Dyer’s great great granddaughter, Sylvia Dyer Turnage, who related the story that had been handed down orally for 130 years before the patent was discovered and detailed what has been done to provide recognition for the pioneer inventor over the past year.

Mark Mote, Director and Producer of Windstream Channel 4, said the Mountain Trails program that featured the Clark Dyer Story the last two weeks of March was broadcast to a potential viewing audience of 32,000 households. “As far as exactly how many people watched, I can’t be certain,” he said, “But based on the response and feedback that we've received, it was very well received!”

There is no question but that the program shined more light on a genius who, until recently, was unknown except to those who are descendents of the Dyer family and others who lived in the community where he invented a flying machine.


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Autumn Leaves at House of Prayer Hear Clark Dyer Story

The Autumn Leaves group at the House of Prayer Church in Blairsville, Georgia heard the amazing story of Micajah Clark Dyer, Georgia's Pioneer Aviator from Union County, who invented a flying machine which he patented in September 1874. They heard about the eyewitness stories of neighbors who saw him get his machine airborne as he slid down rails he built on Rattlesnake Mountain in the Choestoe District of Union County. They also viewed newspaper articles dated July 16, 1875, and July 31, 1875, telling about the invention.

Many of them did not know about the recognitions Dyer has received recently from different sources, including the Governor's recognition, a ceremony naming of a section of Highway 180 running through Choestoe Community the “Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway,” the proclamation of a “Micajah Clark Dyer Day in Union County,” the hanging of a commemorative stamp display at the Union County Courthouse, his nomination to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame and a broadcast of the story on Mountain Trails by Windstream Channel 4.

The group was interested in the progress being made toward further recognition of Clark Dyer for his early contributions to the development of aeronautics. Some very good suggestions were made about ways to get the information known throughout the county, state and nation. They felt that reconstruction of the machine, a museum to house it, and other projects would bring this interesting part of history to the public’s knowledge, give honor to Dyer, and produce benefits to the county and state.



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Clark Dyer Story Airs on Mountain Trails Show Times on Windstream Channel 4

Pictured above: The field owned by Dyer where he flew his aircraft.

The first of a series of programs called “Mountain Trails” and featuring the story of Georgia's pioneer aviator, Micajah Clark Dyer, will be shown on Windstream Channel 4 on the dates and at the times listed below.

Mondays, March 19 and 26, 2007, at 8:30 p.m.
Tuesdays, March 20 and 27, 2007, at 9:00 p.m.
Thursdays, March 22 and 29, 2007, at 9:00 p.m.
Fridays, March 23 and 30, 2007, at 8:30 p.m.
Saturdays, March 24 and 31, 2007, 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

In addition to these showings, there will be four late shows—Mondays, March 19th and 26th, and Fridays, March 23rd and 30th, at 2:30 a.m.

Be sure to tune in for one or more of these programs and hear the story of a remarkable mountain man whose airplane design was patented in 1874.



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Clark Dyer Story to air on Windstream Channel 4

Mark Mote, Director and Editor of Windstream Channel 4, and Cindy Williams, President of Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce, are beginning production of a series of programs on people, places and history of North Georgia. The first of these programs will feature the story of Union County’s pioneer aviator, Micajah Clark Dyer, whose airplane design was patented in 1874.

While Mark filmed on February 22, 2007, Cindy interviewed Sylvia Dyer Turnage, great-great granddaughter of Clark Dyer, who authored a book “The Legend of Clark Dyer’s Remarkable Flying Machine” and an article for the 400 Edition magazine, "Pioneer Aviator Waits 132 Years for Honor." Sylvia also has been interviewed for Clark Dyer articles published in the Gainesville Times, CNI Newspapers (Athens), Union Sentinel and Altitude magazine (Blue Ridge). She has made presentations on the topic to many church and civic groups in Union County and adjoining counties.

Mark and Cindy will be interviewing other people as they continue with the production of the program on Clark Dyer, which they expect to air in mid-March, 2007. As soon as a date is set for the broadcast, details will be posted on this site. Be sure to check back here over the next few weeks so you won’t miss the date!

Where is Windstream Channel 4 available?

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Clark Dyer Postage StampDisplayed in Union County Courthouse

Union County Commissioner Lamar Paris hangs a display of the 39-cent U. S. Postage stamp honoring Union County pioneer inventor Micajah Clark Dyer

A sheet of U. S. Postage stamps featuring one of the drawings of Micajah Clark Dyer’s aircraft., taken from the patent he obtained from the U. S. Patent & Trademark Office on September 1, 1874, is now hanging in the Union County Courthouse. Dyer lived and farmed in the Choestoe District of Union County, where he built and flew his plane two decades before the Wright brothers’ famous flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C. in 1903.

Stories of his flying machine were kept alive through Dyer family oral tradition until 2004, when Stephen Dyer, a teenager and descendent of Clark Dyer, found the patent on the Internet. According to tradition, both the patent and the aircraft were sold after Dyer’s death on Jan. 26, 1891 to some Redwine brothers of Atlanta or Gainesville who were interested in building a plane of their own.

Discovery of the patent still on file with the Patent Office has resulted in Dyer receiving several other honors for his invention during the past year. House Resolution 413, unanimously passed by the Georgia General Assembly and signed by Governor Sonny Perdue on April 28, 2006, named Georgia Highway 180 from the Gainesville Highway to the Brasstown Bald Mountain Spur the “Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway.” Commissioner Paris signed a Proclamation on August 17, 2006, declaring September 1, 2006, “Micajah Clark Dyer Day in Union County.” Dyer has been nominated for induction into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame at Robbins Air Force Base, Warner Robbins, Georgia, and information about his invention is planned for inclusion in Georgia’s “100 Years of Aviation History” to be celebrated this year.


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Morning Glory Circle at First United Methodist Church in Blairsville hear Clark Dyer Story

The Morning Glory Circle at First United Methodist Church in Blairsville, Georgia was very excited and amazed to hear the story of Micajah Clark Dyer’s invention of a flying machine here in the Choestoe District of Union County way back in 1874, years before anyone else had succeeded in getting a controlled vessel airborne. Sylvia Dyer Turnage, great-great granddaughter of Clark Dyer, was the guest speaker who related the story to them at their January 3, 2007, meeting.

As the ladies looked at the patent issued for the machine on September 1, 1874, they expressed surprise at the ingenious drawings and specifications produced by Dyer, who had only an eighth-grade education and who spent his life on a remote mountainous farm, having only limited contacts with people outside the community. The story of Dyer’s invention had been handed down orally to each generation of the family, and the first written account of it was by Watson Dyer in the Dyer Family History, privately published in 1980. Watson interviewed a couple of people who were eye witnesses to several flights by Clark Dyer in his plane, as well as dozens of others who had been told the story by their parents and grandparents.

It wasn’t until 2004 that Clark’s patent was finally discovered by one of the young descendents doing a Google search. Then, in the following year two 1875 newspaper articles were discovered that reported the invention, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat on July 16, 1875, and The Eagle (Gainesville, Georgia) on July 31, 1875.

Clark invented many other gadgets during his lifetime (1822-1891), and the family legend is that there were one or more later models of his aircraft. But even if documentation cannot be found for any of his other inventions, the 1874 patent for his “Apparatus for Navigating the Air” gives Clark an honored place in aviation history.


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Early Clark Dyer Story Source reprinted for Christmas

Many thanks from the Dyer Family to Ethelene Dyer Jones, the Dyer-Souther Heritage Association and Tom Hay Printing for the reprinting of the late Watson B. Dyer's 1980 edition of the Dyer Family History book.






The book, first printed in 1967, is the first source to document the lineage of Micajah Clark Dyer and chronicle parts of the story of his flying machine, handed down by Dyer oral tradition.

One-hundred books were ordered by the many descendants of John Dyer, who made the passage from Somerset, England to America in the 1600's, from more than seven U.S. states, and as far away as Australia.

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Union County Pioneer Aviator Nominated for Hall of Fame

As reported by the The Mountain Chronicle, November 01, 2006 by Sylvia Turnage
To view the source site for this and more news articles on Micajah Clark Dyer, click here.



Micajah Clark Dyer (1822-1891) has been nominated for induction into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame at Dobbins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia. The nomination is based on Dyer's invention of an "Apparatus for Navigating the Air" for which he received U.S. Patent No. 154,654 on September 1, 1874. The story leading up this nomination is an amazing one.

Clark (as he was called) lived in the Choestoe district of Union County, Georgia, right at the foot of Rattlesnake and Cedar Mountains. He was a uniquely intelligent man and built a gristmill on Stink Creek where he ground his and the neighbors' corn. He hollowed out logs and piped water into his house, giving him the distinction of being the only resident in the community to have running water. He was always working on some new technique or invention in the shop in back of his house. Some of his neighbors thought he was a kook to spend so much time tinkering on gadgets that didn't seem to them to be worth anything. Their unkind remarks caused him to become very secretive about his creations, and he kept his shop locked, shielding his work from their prying eyes.

His work on the remarkable invention began in the mid-1800's when he was just a young man in his twenties with a growing family to support. As he watched the birds flying over his farm he wondered, why can't a man fly? His education had not advanced beyond the little one-room school in his community. He was a poor farmer, with only primitive tools for building things. Yet, all of us in the Dyer family knew from the story that had been handed down for more than a hundred years that he designed, built and flew a crude airplane right off the side of Rattlesnake Mountain. According to legend, the family and neighbors actually saw him navigate the craft over his fields. He reportedly applied for a patent for the machine, and it was believed that after his death in 1891 his widow sold both the contraption and the plans to some brothers named Redwine. The family still firmly believes that those items eventually wound up in the hands of the Wright brothers, who were credited with making the first manned flight in 1903.


In 1980, Kenneth Akins, great-great-great grandson of Clark Dyer and a teacher at Union County High School, became very interested in knowing whether the family legend could be verified. He teamed up with another historian, Robert Davis, and they searched records, interviewed all of the elderly residents of Choestoe, and tried to find as many facts as possible about the flying machine. They wound up with many verbal testimonies from credible people, and they were convinced that the story was true, but they could not find a patent or any contemporaneously written report about the remarkable invention. The Times, a Gainesville, Georgia, newspaper, published a story about their findings on March 16, 1980, with the headline "Not everyone believes Wright brothers first."

It appeared that we would never find any documentary proof that my great-great grandfather built and flew an airplane here in the North Georgia Mountains almost 30 years before the Wright Brothers flew theirs. Then, in 2004, a young man named Joey, one of Clark Dyer's descendants, typed in "Micajah Clark Dyer patent" on Google, followed the links, and succeeded in accessing the patent in the U. S. Patent Office files. There is was: Patent No. 154,654 issued to Micajah Clark Dyer of Blairsville, Ga. on September 1, 1874, for an "Apparatus for Navigating the Air." The drawings and specifications looked like something an engineering PhD. had drawn up! The aeronautical principles he had addressed were way ahead of anything that had yet been envisioned by others trying to invent a flying machine. Later, we found two newspaper stories that were published in 1875 about the invention, one in the Gainesville (Ga.) Eagle and the other in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. But, obviously, there was not enough publicity to cause Clark Dyer to be included in the history books. I knew we had to get public recognition for this man's accomplishments, and I set about to do whatever I could to see that he would get credit now.

At my request, State Representative Charles Jenkins introduced legislation during the 2006 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly to name State Highway 180 from the junction of U.S. Highway 19/129 to the Brasstown Bald Mountain Spur the "Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway." The House and Senate ultimately passed the Resolution unanimously, and the Governor signed it on April 28, 2006. On July 15, 2006, the road sign was unveiled at a well-attended ceremony. Publicity about the road sign aroused interest from a number of places, and on August 6, 2006, The Times, Gainesville, Georgia, published a front page story in their local news section. A number of newspapers across the country picked up the story through the Associated Press and published it also.

The Curator of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame heard about the story, and she called me to express an interest in including Clark Dyer in Georgia's 100th Anniversary of Flying ceremonies to take place in April 2007. She requested that I send her information on the invention, which I was happy to do. This ultimately led to a formal nomination of Clark for induction into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Board of Electors will select the inductees from the group of qualified nominees submitted during the year, and hopefully Micajah Clark Dyer will take his rightful place of honor in the Hall.




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Postage Stamp to Honor Inventor Micajah Clark Dyer

A new 39-cent U.S. postage stamp has been printed to honor Macajah Clark Dyer for his invention of an “Apparatus for Navigating the Air.” The stamp shows the front view of Dyer’s flying ship as depicted in U.S. Patent, No. 154,654 issued to him on September 1, 1874.

Clark Dyer designed, patented, built and flew his machine in Union County, Blairsville, Georgia, during the late 1800’s, decades before other inventors were able to achieve controlled air navigation.

The stamp was designed by Dyer’s great-great granddaughter, Sylvia Dyer Turnage. It has been entered into competition for display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., beginning August 2007.


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The Clark Dyer Story Keeps Flying Along

Pictured above: Sylvia Dyer Turnage speaking to the White County Rotary Club on Sept. 26, 2006

Upon invitation by the White County Rotary Club, Sylvia Dyer Turnage presented the story of Clark Dyer’s flying machine at a meeting on September 26, 2006, in Cleveland, Georgia. In her PowerPoint presentation, she emphasized the innovative features of this pioneer mountain man’s design: a power source, a rudder for steering, paddle wheels for acceleration and deceleration, jointed wings to increase or decrease altitude, and a wedge-shaped hull with inclined prow to reduce wind resistance. The Rotarians were amazed at this lost piece of history and many agreed with Sylvia that reproducing the plane and having it placed in a museum was a worthy endeavor.


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DAR introduced to Clark Dyer's flying machine

Pictured above: The Presenters at the DAR meeting in Blairsville on Sept. 23, 2006

On September 23, 2006, Sylvia Dyer Turnage introduced The Old Unicoi Trail Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution to a piece of history that most of them had never heard of, the invention of a “flying machine” by Micajah Clark Dyer in the Choestoe District of Union County. She showed them a copy of his Patent No. 154,654 issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on September 1, 1874, for his “Apparatus for Navigating the Air.” She related the stories told by eyewitnesses of seeing Clark Dyer fly his machine off Rattlesnake Mountain and across his field about a quarter of a century before the Wright Brothers flew their plane at Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903. Sylvia expressed her desire to get the craft reproduced and placed in a museum, and to have the history books include this important contribution to aviation.


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Pioneer Aviator Waits 132 Years for Honor

As published in 400 Edition magazine, Mountain Lore and Legends section, September/October 2006 by Sylvia Dyer Turnage
To view the source site for this and more news articles on Micajah Clark Dyer, click here.

You shouldn’t discount the truth of old legends that get passed down, as I recently discovered afresh. Sometimes, evidence to support a folk tale can pop up at a time and place you least expect. That’s the way it happened with this legend.

Upon retiring, I moved back to Blairsville, Ga. to live on the old home place where I was born in the Choestoe District of Union County. Here the mountains rise tall and the crystal clear creeks sing peaceful melodies as they wend their way toward the sea. The property is isolated from the rest of the community, and the only manmade sounds come from the occasional whir of an airplane as it travels across the sky or the rumble of a visitor’s auto coming up the road that ends at my house. It is the kind of place that welcomes you to dream impossible dreams. And certainly the legend that came down through my family about the dream that filled the mind of my great-great grandfather, Micajah Clark Dyer, seemed at the time to be impossible.

He lived here, right at the foot of Rattlesnake Mountain where I now live. He was a uniquely intelligent man and built a gristmill on Stink Creek where he ground his and the neighbors’ corn. He hollowed out logs and piped water into his house, giving him the distinction of being the only resident in the community to have running water. He was always working on some new technique or invention in the shop in back of his house. Some of his neighbors thought he was a kook to spend so much time tinkering on gadgets that didn’t seem to them to be worth anything. Their unkind remarks caused him to become very secretive about his creations, and he kept his shop locked, shielding his work from their prying eyes.

His impossible dream began in the mid-1800's when he was just a young man in his twenties with a growing family to support. As he watched the birds flying over his farm he wondered, why can’t a man fly? His education had not advanced beyond the little one-room school in his community. He was a poor farmer, with only primitive tools for building things. Yet, we all knew from the story that had been handed down for more than a hundred years that he designed, built and flew a crude airplane right off the side of Rattlesnake Mountain.

According to legend, the family and neighbors actually saw him navigate the craft over his fields. He reportedly applied for a patent for the machine, and it was believed that after his death in 1891 his widow sold both the contraption and the plans to some brothers named Redwine. The family still firmly believes that those items eventually wound up in the hands of the Wright brothers, who were credited with making the first manned flight in 1903.

In 1980, Kenneth Akins, great-great-great grandson of Clark Dyer and a teacher at Union County High School, became very interested in knowing whether the family legend could be verified. He teamed up with another historian, Robert Davis, and they searched records, interviewed all of the elderly residents of Choestoe, and tried to find as many facts as possible about the flying machine. They wound up with many verbal testimonies from credible people, and they were convinced that the story was true, but they could not find a patent or any contemporaneously written report about the remarkable invention. The Times, a Gainesville, Ga. newspaper, published a story about their findings on March 16, 1980, with the headline “Not everyone believes Wright brothers first.”

It was another dozen years before I started to realize the need for keeping the legend of Clark Dyer’s invention alive for future generations. This led to my writing and publishing The Legend of Clark Dyer’s Remarkable Flying Machine in 1994. I included everything we knew about the invention and what we had heard about its outcome. By the time I finished the book, I had reconciled myself to the sad reality that my family and I would never have any documentary proof that my great-great grandfather built and flew an airplane here in the North Georgia Mountains almost 30 years before the Wright Brothers flew theirs.

Then, in late 2004, a relative whispered to me in church something about finding Micajah Clark Dyer’s patent. I thought he was asking if we had ever found it. I shook my head and whispered back that we were never able to find it. He said excitedly, “No, no. I’m telling you that someone has found his patent!”

He said a young man named Joey, one of Clark Dyer’s descendants, had typed in “Micajah Clark Dyer patent” on Google, followed the links, and succeeded in accessing the patent in the U. S. Patent Office files.

Sure enough, when I got home I was able to perform the same search and get to the Patent Office where, for the first time, I was able to see Patent No. 154,654 issued to Micajah Clark Dyer of Blairsville, Ga. on September 1, 1874, for an “Apparatus for Navigating the Air.” The drawings and specifications looked like something an engineering PhD. had drawn up! The aeronautical principles he had addressed were way ahead of anything that others trying to invent a flying machine had yet envisioned.

I now had proof that the legend was fact. Clark Dyer really was a genius who had designed a craft that included new and innovative methods for navigating the air. He had done this despite living here in these remote mountains, without any formal education, without any sophisticated tools, and with only basic materials.

Later, we found two newspaper stories that were published in 1875 about the invention, one in the Gainesville (Ga.) Eagle and the other in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. But, obviously, there was not enough publicity to cause Clark Dyer to be included in the history books.

I knew we had to get public recognition for this man’s accomplishments. He was very deserving of honor for his work, even though it was long past due. I was determined to do whatever I could to see that he would get credit now.

I decided to write our State Representative, Charles Jenkins, and ask him if he would introduce legislation to name State Highway 180 from the junction of U.S. Highway 19/129 to the Brasstown Bald Mountain Spur the “Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway.” Mr. Jenkins responded favorably and enthusiastically, saying he agreed that the evidence I sent him fully supported giving Clark Dyer this honor. He introduced the resolution during the legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly. The House and Senate ultimately passed it unanimously, and the Governor signed it on April 28, 2006.

On July 15, 2006, the road sign was unveiled at a well-attended ceremony, and now everyone who drives along this popular road gets the opportunity to recognize a pioneer aviator who had to wait 132 years for “his day” to come.

Next time you hear a legend that sounds far-fetched, don’t dismiss it too fast as only an idle tale. When you least expect it, evidence may pop up and prove it to be true!


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