Ken Schreiber, a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who spent two decades with American Airlines, grew up in Dayton, Ohio, 60 miles south of Wapakoneta. When he learned in August 2026 that the two‑storey house at 601 W. Benton Street was on the market for the first time in almost four decades, he mobilised friends for a fundraising drive before ultimately pledging $400,000 himself.
The 1944‑built home had been the backdrop to Armstrong’s teenage experiments with model aeroplanes, a basement wind tunnel, and a bedroom window launch pad that sparked his lifelong passion for flight. Since 1988, retired history teacher Karen Mikesell had owned the property, hosting nine astronauts—including Buzz Aldrin—in the home’s former bedroom, yet it never opened to the public.
City officials welcomed the purchase. Wapakoneta Mayor Dan Lee praised Schreiber’s contribution as an investment in American heritage, noting how Armstrong once cycled to the airport to earn his pilot licence before learning to drive. The Wapakoneta Community Foundation has also earmarked funds for the house’s upkeep, anticipating the restoration effort.
The Auglaize County Historical Society plans to restore the house to its 1940s appearance, a process that will require additional fundraising and archival research. Once completed, the site is slated to welcome visitors in 2030, coinciding with the centenary of Armstrong’s birth and offering a tangible link to the astronaut’s early life.