This is the way it starts. A few optimists get together. One says “Wouldn’t it be great to commemorate [insert idea] right here in [our town]? “That’s a great idea,” says a second. “It could be educational, informative, and patriotic.”
Then a third offers, “It could bring tourist money.” The glow of gold suddenly fills the room. But the fourth, a skeptic, says, “All we need is an infusion of founders’ funds.” And here a dark cloud settles over the scene.
No matter how virtuous, every project needs money to get off, and to stay off the ground. So it is with the National Airmail Museum at Smith Field, Fort Wayne.
It was 100 years ago that the first regularly scheduled airmail service was begun by the postal service. In time, Fort Wayne became a key stop and repair facility for the fledgling transcontinental network.
Therefore, a group of aviation and hometown enthusiasts reasoned Fort Wayne should use Smith Field, the city’s old airport, as the site for a National Airmail Museum. They had the location, the history, and favorable Congressional recognition. All they needed was money.
“That’s not going to be a problem,” says the first. “Agreed,” says the second. “Wikipedia lists 345 museums in Indiana, but there are only six listed in Allen County while Vanderburgh County has 11. There’s a museum gap!”
The skeptical fourth counters, “The Census Bureau reports, in the 2016 County Business Patterns, only 152 museums and historical sites doing business in Indiana. And don’t forget the museums closed for lack of support like the Fairmont/James Dean Museum and the South Bend/College Football Hall of Fame.”
“Let’s not reject a worthy idea,” says the third advocate,
“What supporters in Fort Wayne will demand and deserve, is an objective feasibility study. Is there an audience, a market for an airmail museum in Fort Wayne? We have a good story to tell, but we must tell it in such a way that a 21st century nation will want to see and hear it.
“Our competition won’t be local. Other attractions in Northeast Indiana will complement the National Airmail Museum. Our competition will be other museums and historical sites that have good stories well-presented. Again, County Business Patterns counts over 7,600 such establishments nationally, employing more than 150,000 people full-time with a annual payroll of $5 billion dollars.”
The skeptic then blurts, “You mean to raise money just to demonstrate such a venture can be successful. Then we go around raising more money to get the place open, staffed, and stuffed with stuff that people will want to see? How in blazes do we do that?”
“The starting point,” the first proponent says, “is getting people to our website, nationalairmailmuseum.org”
And so begins another civic, economic, and cultural adventure.
Morton Marcus is an economist. Send comments to [email protected].
