Story of Clark Dyer's Flying Machine included in Northeast Georgia Guidebook and CD



Cover painting by John Kollock
"Sautee Valley Spring" (1993)

    The secrets and history of eight northeast Georgia 

counties has been captured in a just released book and recording entitled Experience Northeast Georgia. The work was sponsored by the Habersham Electric Membership Corporation to celebrate its 75 years of service to this area. The stories were written and produced by Emory Jones, LLC, of White County and are narrated by the well-known artist and historian John Kollock of Habersham County.

      Of course, no history of this area would be complete without including the story of Clark Dyer's flying machine. It is recounted in the "Choestoe" portion (No. 31) of the book and recorded on the CD in a very delightful fashion.

     There are a total of 75 stories about people and places of historical significance across the eight counties. The book and CDs are available for purchase at the Byron Herbert Reese Farm and the Union County Historical Society in Union County and other retailers as listed at www.seenortheastgeorgia.com.



Work Is Continuing on the Airplane Model

The balloon frame for the flying machine is finished and ready for a covering to be prepared and installed. The pictures below show how the completed project will look.

It is very exciting to see the model of the 1874 airplane coming together!



The Foundation Is Participating in

Belk Charity Day Sale

20-70% Off!

The Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation is participating in Belk's spring charity sale on Saturday, April 27, from 6:00 am to 10:00 am. We have tickets for admission to the sale available for you to purchase right now!

        In return for purchasing a $5 ticket, customers can take advantage of specially discounted merchandise and other items throughout the store. Plus, they receive a $5 credit on Charity Sale purchases completely offsetting the cost of the ticket. Charities get to keep 100 percent of the proceeds from each $5 ticket sold.
        The first 100 customers in each store on the morning of the Charity Sale will receive free Belk gift cards ranging in value from $5 to $100, and a chance to win one of three $1,000 Belk gift cards awarded company-wide.

        This is a great fund-raising opportunity for the Foundation and a money-saving opportunity for you. All proceeds from sale of the tickets will be used to further the education of the public about Clark Dyer's 1874 invention of an "Apparatus for Navigating the Air" (the predecessor of the airplane) through making presentations to and producing and placing exhibits in museums, schools and libraries.

        You can get your tickets in person from Sylvia Turnage or order them by mail by sending your check payable to Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation in the amount of $5 multiplied by the number of tickets you want to Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation, 805 Low Gap Rd., Blairsville, GA 30512.

        Thank you for your participation!

Model Is Nearing Completion

   Here are pictures made yesterday of the work that Jack Allen has completed on the model of Micajah Clark Dyer's flying machine. Jack's model is based on descriptions in Clark's application for the 1874 patent. The pictures were taken from several angles to show how the moving parts fit together to control the direction of the airplane. It seems that the primary purpose of this invention was to prove that it is possible to control the direction of an aircraft by controlling the direction of air flow across the craft. While gliders and hot air balloons were in use at that time, a method had not been invented for controlling the direction of their flight. Pilots were at the mercy of the wind for their direction, sometimes resulting in death.
    You can see the hinged wings and three sets of paddles that Clark used for steering the airplane. The rudder was not attached yesterday when these pictures were made, but it was also used for steering. 
    Clark lived 17 more years after he invented this navigation method, but we have not found documentation for the improvements he made during those years. However, we know from testimony of eyewitnesses that he built an airplane that he flew over his fields some years before his death in 1891, securing his place as Georgia's first aviator.
     The model is nearing completion and we will continue to post updates to keep you informed.

Progress on the Model

Model builder Jack Allen has furnished new pictures of the model he is building of Micajah Clark Dyer’s 1874 airplane. These are shared below for your information and enjoyment. A completion date for the model has not been set yet. Many aspects of the machine require a lot of study and experimentation to produce a good replica.

Thanks for your dedication to the project, Jack.

Update from Flying Machine Model Builder

Model builder, Jack Allen, has furnished photos of the partially assembled model of the Apparatus for Navigating the Air patented by Micajah Clark Dyer in 1874. It is coming together nicely, and we commend Mr. Allen for his precise work on building this working model of the flying machine.

Belk Charity Day Sale

Bargains are waiting!

The Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation is participating in Belk's fall charity sale on Saturday, November 3rd, from 6:00 am to 10:00 am. We have tickets for admission to the sale available for you to purchase right now!

        In return for purchasing a $5 ticket, customers can take advantage of specially discounted merchandise and other items throughout the store. Plus, they receive a $5 credit on Charity Sale purchases completely offsetting the cost of the ticket. Charities get to keep 100 percent of the proceeds from each $5 ticket sold.
        The first 100 customers in each store on the morning of the Charity Sale will receive free Belk gift cards ranging in value from $5 to $100, and a chance to win one of three $1,000 Belk gift cards awarded company-wide.

        This is a great fund-raising opportunity for the Foundation and a money-saving opportunity for you. All proceeds from sale of the tickets will be used to further the education of the public about Clark Dyer's 1874 invention of an "Apparatus for Navigating the Air" (the predecessor of the airplane) through making presentations to and producing and placing exhibits in museums, schools and libraries.

        You can get your tickets in person from Sylvia Turnage or order them by mail by sending your check payable to Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation in the amount of $5 multiplied by the number of tickets you want to Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation, 805 Low Gap Rd., Blairsville, GA 30512.

        Thank you for your participation!

Working Model of Clark's Airplane

Intricate parts of the machine are taking shape.

 

    

Jack Allen, Model Builder

As you see the multitude of parts that comprised Clark’s 1874 “Apparatus for Navigating the Air” and consider the time and place where these parts were designed, formed and assembled, you get an inkling of the genius of pioneer inventor, Micajah Clark Dyer.

     As a matter of fact, as you look at the reproduction of these parts by model builder, Jack Allen, you also feel awestruck that any person today can study the patent of 1874, with its scant descriptions and no stated dimensions for the parts, and create a model-sized replica of the airplane. How fortunate that the old patent met a talented and willing man who could bring the flying machine back to life!

     Everyone is eagerly looking forward to seeing the completed model in the not too distant future. We applaud Jack for his skillful and innovative work on this project.

                                            



Some moving parts of model





Hull is one foot long







Hinged wing at top right



Historic Visions of the Future

Paris stamps - Visions of future flying

        Ken Akins furnished a link to a web page that is very interesting. A set of 19th century postcards shows what French artists thought we'd be doing at the turn of the 21st century. These were produced between 1899 and 1910, and some of the portraits aren't too far off the mark.

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/historic-visions-of-the-future-slideshow/postcards-of-the-future-photo-1347287914.html#crsl=%252Fphotos%252Fhistoric-visions-of-the-future-slideshow%252Fpostcards-from-the-future-photo-1347289263.html

       Postcard number 12 (below) is a portrait showing what France’s air force was predicted to look like in the year 2000. The flying machines portrayed by the artist don't differ greatly from Micajah Clark Dyer’s 1874 patent drawings.

Former IEEE-USA President Discovers Ancestor is Aviation Pioneer

August 27, 2012

There was a very interesting account in the June 2011 issue of Today's Engineer by Chris McManes, telling about the discovery by one of Micajah Clark Dyer's descendents that the story of the 1874 flying machine was authentic. A great story. Read it here:

http://www.todaysengineer.org/2011/Jun/aviation-pioneer.asp

06.11 IEEE-USA Today's Engineer: Former IEEE-USA President Discovers Ancestor is Aviation Pioneer

www.todaysengineer.org

Jim Leonard set out to find if he had Native American ancestry, but the former IEEE-USA president found out something entirely different — a link to early U.S. aviation history.

Five New Articles Found About Patent

Jim Powell has found five more articles reporting Clark's invention. Four of them were published in 1875, one in 1889.

       As you will see if you go to the sites, it is very hard to read the OCR scans of these old newspapers. There are numerous transcription errors, and the topics follow one after the other without paragraph breaks in some of them.

       The Daily Alta California gives a lengthy essay on the history of flight titled Sailing in the Air, Attempts at Aerial Navigation in the Last Hundred Years, in which it is stated: "Micajah Dyer of Union county, Ga., obtained a patent on an air-ship in 1875, but it, too, failed to sail." The author is mistaken in that remark.  An opinion obtained from a patent attorney about Micajah Clark Dyer's patent states that there are four things necessary for approval of a patent application: 

            1. It has to be a new item or process and not a mere obvious change

            2. It must be clearly apparent that the invention works as described

            3. It must be useful in its application

            4. A working model must be submitted with the patent application

       Since Clark's application was approved by the U.S. Patent Office and a patent certificate was issued to him, there is little doubt that the airplane actually flew. Furthermore, we have the testimony of eye-witnesses who saw it fly.     
      Here are links to each of the newspapers:

       1.  Ft. Wayne Weekly Sentinel, Jul. 21, 1875: http://newspaperarchive.com/fort-wayne-weekly-sentinel/1875-07-21/

      2.  Iowa State Reporter, Jul. 14, 1875: http://newspaperarchive.com/iowa-state-reporter/1875-07-14/

      3.  Stevens Point Daily Journal, Jul. 31, 1875: http://front%20page%20...%20newspaperarchive.com/stevens-point-daily-journal/1875-07-31

      4.  Hartford Herald, Jul. 14, 1875: http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=hafnews;cc=hafnews;rgn=full%20text;idno=haf1875071401_sn84037890;didno=haf1875071401_sn84037890;view=pdf;seq=1

      5.  Daily Alta California, Aug. 25, 1889: http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cdnc/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DAC18890825.2.101&cl=search&srpos=59&dliv=none&st=1&e=-------en-Logical-20--41-byTY--IN-boggs-ARTICLE-1001--1889

      Jim Powell's newly found articles bring to 18 the number of newspapers we know about that reported the story of Clark's invention. It is very likely that there will be others found in the future as old newspapers are scanned and made available online.

Eight More Newspaper Articles in 1875 that Reported Clark's Invention

Eight more newspaper stories published in 1875 were discovered this week telling about Micajah Clark Dyer's invention:

    Auburn Daily Bulletin, New York, July 16, 1875

    Daily Inter Ocean, Illinois, July 16, 1875

    Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Ohio, July 2, 1875

    Richmond Times Dispatch, Virginia, July 8, 1875

    Springfield Republican, Massachusetts, July 14, 1875

    Cleveland Leader, Ohio, July 17, 1875

    St. Albans Messenger, Vermont, July 23, 1875

    Rockford Weekly Gazette, Illinois, July 29, 1875

Of course, in addition to those, we already had found five:

    Macon Telegraph & Messenger, Georgia, June 27, 1875

    St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Missouri, July 16, 1875

    Gainesville Eagle, Georgia, July 31, 1875

    Official Gazette of U.S. Patent Office, Vol. 6, Washington, DC, 1875

    Athens Banner-Watchman, Georgia, April 28, 1885

It is so interesting to see this much coverage of Clark's invention. It is very likely that there were even more stories that we've not yet discovered. It was an important event, and one for which he deserves a place in history.

Another Clark Dyer Flying Machine article found



1885 Newspaper sheds light on Micajah Clark Dyer

Last month, Ken Akins, great-great-great grandson of Micajah Clark Dyer, discovered a hitherto unknown article in the Athens Banner-Watchman newspaper archives, dated April 28, 1885, about Clark's flying machine. The article is in the weekly edition, No. XLIV, Vol. XXXI, and it confirms what we have always heard through word-of-mouth stories handed down through generations that Clark had the knowledge for building a more advanced flying machine than the one described in his 1874 patent, but that he did not have the finances to complete the work.

       One has to wonder what more he added to his design in the 11 years between the patent in 1874 and this article about his search for finances in 1885. Most likely he added propeller(s) because we know about his drawings on the flyleaf of the family Bible. Also, he said in his patent that the plane could be powered by steam or “other motive power,” so details of how he planned to do this may come to light eventually.

       Clark would have been nearly 63 years old at the time of this 1885 article, and he lived another six years afterward. Hopefully, we will continue to learn more about what the status of his design was at the time of his death as further documents are uncovered.

       His neighbor, John Rich, who wrote the letter to the editor, makes some interesting comments about Clark: "Mr. Dyer has worked thirty years on his machine. He is not crazed, but is in dead earnest, and confidently believes that he has solved the problem of aerial navigation. He is not a crank nor a fanatic, but is a good, quiet citizen and a successful farmer."

       Here's hoping an article will be uncovered soon that reports the testimony of the people who observed his flights in the 1880s, because we have word-of-mouth stories from at least three witnesses, handed down through the years, who say they saw him fly his machine over his farm in Union County. Perhaps also documentation will be discovered of where his original patent and aircraft went. Lack of newspapers and cameras in the area during that period have made documenting this remarkable piece of history difficult with the passage of time.

Recording of the Clark Dyer Song

On October 27, 2011, Johnny Carter, owner of the National Recording Corporation of Rome, Georgia, invited Sylvia Dyer Turnage, to the NRC studio to record the song she had written about the invention of an airplane by their great, great grand-father, Micajah Clark Dyer. Sylvia wrote the words and music in 1994, but this is the first recording of the song.

The ballad recounts the full story of Clark’s dream of flying, his neighbor’s reaction to this wild idea, his labors in getting the aircraft built with primi-tive tools, and his ultimate success in piloting his craft off Rattlesnake Mountain in the rugged terrain of North Georgia in the 1880s.

Following the recording session, Johnny produced a CD and designed the case cover pictured here. It is available for purchase for $10 and the proceeds from sales will be used to further efforts in acquainting the public with the historical importance of Clark’s invention at this early date in history.

Orders can be placed by sending a check payable to the Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation to the address shown above. Please include information as to where the CD is to be mailed.

Back to Top       Home

Portrait of Clark Dyer by Local Artist Doris Durbin

Artist Doris Durbin of Blairsville, Georgia, painted the above portrait of Clark Dyer, working from an old image believed to be Clark and his wife, Morena, which was apparently taken in the 1880s and discovered about a year ago in the possession of one of Clark’s great, great granddaughters.

The Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation is placing a copy of Ms. Durbin’s painting in the Union County Public Library in Blairsville alongside copies of drawings of Clark’s “flying machine” presently displayed in the Heritage section of the library. The drawings are from Clark’s U.S. Patent No. 154,654 granted September 1, 1874, for his Apparatus for Navigating the Air, which he built and flew in Union County in the 1880s, giving him the distinction of being Georgia’s earliest aviator.

A copy of the painting will also be placed in the Union County Historical Society’s Museum to become a part of the Micajah Clark Dyer Exhibit already on display in the Museum. The Museum is located in the Old Union County Courthouse on the square in Blairsville.

Back to Top       Home

Official gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 6

 By United States Patent Office

Increased digital technology and website improvements have uncovered another discovery in the story of Micajah Clark Dyer. A descendant of MCD sent the foundation the following link, a publication called the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office. It is simply an annual publication with a synopsis of each patent filed that year.

On page 315 is Clark Dyer's patent:
Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 6 [Google Books]

The online version can be downloaded as a PDF and saved to your computer for viewing offline. Both the internet browser and Adobe PDF controls will allow you to zoom in on page 315 for better viewing.

The Gazette reports that Clark filed his patent on June 10, 1874. Of particular interest to the developing story of Clark's invention, the description listed in the Gazette gives expanded details about how the parts of the apparatus fit together to operate.

  Back to Top       Home

Book "Georgia's Pioneer Aviator, Micajah Clark Dyer " by Sylvia Dyer Turnage

Sylvia Dyer Turnage has donated copies of her new book Georgia's Pioneer Aviator, Micajah Clark Dyer to the Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation. Proceeds from sales go to raise funds for Foundation projects.

You can preview and order a copy of the book at the following link: http://www.yourbook.com/BookInfo/IP32675-09.asp

A review of the book by historian Ethelene Dyer Jones (published in the Union Sentinel on March 16, 2010) can be read at this link: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gaunion/mm031110.htm

The book is very informative about Clark Dyer and his inventions.


Back to Top       Home

Family Dedicates Memorial to Clark Dyer

Family members gather around the Micajah Clark Dyer memorial with Bob Barton of WNC Marble & Granite Works who made the monument from granite manufactured by Eagle Granite Co. of Elberton, Ga.

A monument memorializing Clark Dyer’s invention and flight was dedicated at a special program held in the Choestoe Baptist Church Fellowship Hall on July 17, 2010. The program featured a pictorial and oral presentation of the life and accomplishments of Clark Dyer to a gathering of many descendents, some of whom heard this important historical account for the first time.


Andrew Turnage, President of the Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation, discussed the important features of Clark’s craft, which clearly distinguished it from the designs of other flying machine designs in the mid and late 1800s.

Following the program, some of the family members caravanned to the Old Choestoe Church Cemetery where Clark and his wife were interred in 1891 and 1892, respectively, to view the newly erected monument which features two drawings from Clark’s patent and incorporates the original, hand-carved tombstones of Clark and his wife.

Plans are being developed by the Foundation for other monuments to be erected in the future to honor Clark as an inventor who places well ahead of others in his design of a navigable airship. Also, efforts continue to get Clark inducted into the Georgia Museum of Aviation’s Hall of Fame and to build a replica of his aircraft.

Back to Top       Home

Georgia Focus to air story of Clark Dyer’s flight

John Clark of Georgia News Network with Micajah Clark Dyer’s great-great-granddaughter, Sylvia Dyer Turnage, and her son, Andrew Turnage at the Georgia Focus interview.

“Georgia Focus” a weekly, 28-minute talk show program featuring conversations about matters of statewide importance will air an interview with Sylvia Dyer Turnage and Andrew Turnage conducted by John Clark about the importance of Micajah Clark Dyer to Georgia history on July 10th and 11th . The program will be carried on 98 radio stations that comprise the Georgia News Network.






   Find your GNN affiliate and local air time for Georgia Focus (Adobe PDF file).

OR

   Download the Georgia Focus broadcast (10.42MB MP3 large file) used with permission from Georgia News Network.

Mr. Clark found the facts about the invention to be interesting and surprising, not having previously heard the account of the events that occurred in the remote North Georgia mountains in the 1870s which validate the occurrence of manned flight in the U.S. more than a quarter of a century earlier than the widely accepted date.

Upon hearing that efforts were being made to get Dyer inducted into the Georgia Museum of Aviation Hall of Fame, Clark said, “I believe he deserves a place in the museum, and I hope the effort will be successful.”


  Back to Top       Home

Micajah Clark Dyer Monument In Place

The monument memorializing Clark Dyer’s invention and flight is now in place and ready for a family dedication ceremony that will take place in connection with the Dyer-Souther Family Reunion on Saturday, July 17th. A special program will be held in the Fellowship Hall at 1:30 p.m. and will be followed by a walk (or drive) to the cemetery for a dedication.

A formal, community-wide dedication open to the public is planned for later in the fall.

As usual, the Dyer-Souther Reunion will be held at Choestoe Baptist Church Family Life Center on State Highway 180 East (the Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway), Blairsville, Ga.

  Back to Top       Home