As the clouds cleared and the weather warmed, we thought that a day trip with the air conditioning would be in order! Having a bit of interest in Amelia Earhart, we drove 30 odd miles back to Atchison, Kansas, to check out the museum in her honor. We noticed when we arrived that there are a number of hills in Atchison, but the highest one looks out over the Missouri River.
And so the finest homes in town were built on that hill. Amelia's grandparents owned one of these homes overlooking the river.
The home on the corner with the black painted chimney was Amelia's grandparents home. Amelia's mother, Amy Otis Earhart, stayed here throughout her pregnancy with Amelia because she had suffered a miscarriage some time before and wanted to have a quiet, restful pregnancy. Amelia's father, Edwin, was a lawyer for several railroads and was away often. Amelia was born in the house, in an upstairs bedroom, on July 24, 1897 and lived there with her grandparents until 1909, during which time she wore this bathing suit.
All of the pieces in the home are faithful reproductions of period pieces, with many being documented as belonging to the family. Amelia's desk, music box and curio cabinet are among her personal possessions on display.
The home was built in 1861, with the final addition of a formal dining room completed in 1873. Amelia's grandparents lived there until their deaths in 1912, when it was bought and lived in by three different owners until 1984. At that time it was bought by the Ninety-Nines, a group of women pilots of which Amelia was the first President. The name comes from the number of charter members. The Ninety-Nines have completely restored the home to the period when Amelia lived there, and maintain it through donations and fundraising events. The admission charge of $5 per person seemed little enough to support this organization and get a glimpse into the life of the most famous woman in the world in the 1930's.
The bed where Amelia was born is placed in the exact location where it stood in on the day of her birth.
And her childs bed and toys are also placed as they were when she lived in her bedroom.
After her parents divorce, Amelia lived with her mother and sister Muriel ("Pidge" to Amelia's "Meelie"), in New York, where she attended Columbia University and exercised her love for adventure at every turn. On February 7, 1931, Amelia married George Putnam.
George was a promoter and had been hired to find a "Lady Lindy", after the fame of Charles Lindbergh. He found his heroine in Amelia after she made her solo trans Atlantic flight in a Lockheed Vega. She had purchased her first airplane on her 24th birthday, a Kinner Canary, in which she learned to fly, and vowed to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. On the return trip by ship from Europe, the ships captain taught her the basics of navigation, which rounded out her training.
She never lost her spirit, and in 1937, she and Fred Noonan began their around the world flight in Oakland, Calif, heading east. Interestingly, the captain of the ship that she had learned navigation from was scheduled to be her navigator on the flight, with Fred Noonan a backup. The Captain had taken six weeks leave from his ship duties and flew with Amelia on the first leg of her first attempt, which took her from Oakland to Hawaii. The plane crashed severely in Hawaii and required extensive repairs. That used up all the time the captain had, so he returned to his duties and Fred stepped in for the next attempt. We all know the rest of the story, where Amelia and Fred had good weather and good flying for most of their trip east. Across the US, then to Brazil and across the Atlantic to Africa, through India and Southeast Asia to New Zealand. Their attempt at the longest and most demanding leg of their journey, from New Zealand to Howland Island, some 2000+ miles over open seas with a full load of fuel proved to be their undoing.
The mystery will never be solved, but she left behind a spirit of adventure never before enjoyed by women. Amelia was a tireless advocate for women's rights and was a figurehead for the movement.
She is a true heroine.
Leaving town, we found a plaque telling about how the town of Atchison was founded.
We ate a picnic lunch here and watched a park employee mow grass in the field next to us.
Taking a long way home found us in the town of Weston, Missouri. An old town if the cornerstone of the church is to be believed.
But with some businesses that have a distinctly modern touch.
We finished our day trip with a stop at Kris & Kates for an ice cream cone. With "Stagger Lee" on the loudspeaker and a sign that says "Lost in the 50's", how could we go wrong?
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