Who is the Wright Owner?

Franklin Institute dispute over artifact from early aviation

Rainer Arendt '25

One of the most impressive holdings of the Franklin Institute is a Wright Model B gifted to the museum by draft dodger Grover C. Bergdoll. Built in 1911 by the Wright brothers and subsequently bought by Bergdoll, the two seater with its innovative cables and flaps is one of the best preserved pieces from early aviation history. For nearly a century, the plane has proudly sat on display in the Franklin Institute. The museum has long stated that Begdoll donated the plane in 1933 while living in exile in Germany after evading the World War I draft. However, Bergdoll’s descendants are questioning how it got there and whether their ancestor actually gifted it to the Institute.

A scion of a Philadelphia brewing fortune, Bergdoll, was infamous for his reckless lifestyle and draft evasion. Nicknamed the “Playboy of the Eastern Seaboard”, he gained notoriety for stunts such as buzzing buildings in his Wright Model B and his numerous run-ins with the law. When he failed to report for military service in 1917, his draft evasion became a national scandal and he fled to Germany after a dramatic escape from custody in 1920. In 1921, his assets, including the Wright Model B, were seized by the U.S. government.

After returning to the U.S. in 1939, Bergdoll served four years in prison and spent his later years in decline, battling alcoholism and paranoia. He died in 1966 in a psychiatric hospital. For decades, his family avoided delving into his troubled past but recent research has revived their interest in the fate of the Wright Model B.

The Franklin Institute acquired the plane in 1933, reportedly after museum officials removed it from Bergdoll’s brother’s farm, where it had fallen into disrepair. The museum’s official narrative claims that Bergdoll gifted the plane to the Institute via a verbal agreement, citing newspaper articles and family visits as circumstantial evidence of a transfer. Supposedly, a letter sent to a local flying club stated that the plane was to be presented to the museum by Bergdoll. However, no such letter has been found, and Institute officials have acknowledged doubts of the existence of written documentation.

The Bergdoll family challenges the museum’s account, pointing out that as a fugitive, Bergdoll’s assets were under government seizure at the time, making a legal transfer improbable. Daughter Katharina Bergdoll questions how the museum could have obtained a verbal agreement when her father was in hiding in Germany. She and other Family members are now seeking acknowledgement of what they believe to be an incomplete or inaccurate history of the plane’s acquisition. Most notably, they have requested for the plane to be returned to their family.

Maintaining that the plane was a legitimate gift, the Franklin Institute highlights that neither Bergdoll nor his family disputed the transfer until now. The museum also cites an article from 1934 announcing the donation, alongside a correspondence in which Bergdoll’s wife referred to the plane as no longer belonging to her husband. Still, the absence of concrete documentation has raised questions about how the transaction occurred.

While the Franklin Institute continues to display the plane as a piece of aviation history, the dispute underscores the complexities of preserving historical artifacts. Museums often serve as stewards of cultural heritage, preserving history for public education and safeguarding them from deterioration. However, this role can conflict with ethical concerns, particularly when ownership is contested or when artifacts were obtained under questionable circumstances. In the case of the Wright Model B, the absence of clear documentation shows the challenge museums face in balancing their mission to preserve history with addressing rightful ownership claims.

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