Aviation and street circus souvenir post card
Aviator Horace Kearney flew 1,800 pieces of mail during a three-day celebration called "Aviation Meet and Street Circus" that took place in McLeansboro, Illinois, September 26-28, 1912. Kearney made one flight each day, dropping the mail pouch to officials waiting near the post office. Since the same postmarking device was used each day - the dateline reading "Sept. 26, 27, 28, 1912" - there is no way to determine on which day a particular piece of mail was carried. The bulk of the mail consisted of specially-printed souvenir postcards. The Post Office Department assigned the route as No. 635,001.
This postmark, addressed to Frank J. Chapman, McLeansboro, bears the magenta marking with aeroplane. It cancels the 1-cent Washington stamp. In the lower left corner, a handwritten date appears - 9/27/1912. It might have been prepared on the 27th and flown on the 28th.
