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Pioneer Period (1783-1918)
Exhibition Flights post card
Description:
Wilmington, North Carolina, officials had planned a series of exhibition flights for New Year's Day, 1912. Flights were to take place at Highwood Park, and carrying official US mail was to be part of the demonstration. Unfortunately, very bad weather occurred on this day, grounding the planned flights. Instead, Lincoln Beachey (1887-1915) flew about 1,600 pieces of official US mail a distance of three miles on January 2.
This card is one of fewer than ten surviving items. Although all mail was flown on January 2, it bears a January 1 postmark.
Date:
January 2, 1912
Markings:
Black datestamp cancel: "AEROPLANE MAIL SERVICE / AERIAL SUB-STATION / HIGHWOOD / JAN / 1 / 1912 / PARK/ WILMINGTON, N. C."
Medium:
paper; ink
Museum ID:
2005.6603.9.41
Place of Origin:
Wilmington, North Carolina
Place of Destination:
Wilmington, North Carolina
Collection:
Credits:
The Benjamin K. Miller Stamp Collection, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations
