Not The First Time The Wright Brothers Memorial Has Been Vandalized

The copper likeness of Orville Wright at the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kill Devil Hills, NC has been stolen, and the pedestal on which the bust sat has been vandalized.

The National Parks Service posted on its Facebook page that it is looking for any information about the incident. "The copper reproduction bust of Orville Wright, located at the foot of the Wright Brothers Monument, was stolen, and the heavy granite base that the bust was mounted to was toppled over and damaged last evening or early this morning," the post reads.

"National Park Service Rangers and local law enforcement officials are investigating this crime. If you have information that could help solve this case, please contact the Dare County Community Crime Line or the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch (ISB)."

The local newspaper OBX Today reports that the vandalism was discovered by resident Samantha Rigney of Kill Devil Hills Sunday morning when she walked up the 90-foot-high hill to watch the sunrise.

National Parks Service spokesman Mike Barber told OBX Today that this is not the first time this has happened. The busts that are on display at the Wright Brothers Memorial are reproductions, he said. The originals have been stolen twice and later recovered over the past several decades.

(Image from NPS Facebook page)

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