Monadnock Moment No. 105

Era 7: Emergence of Modern America - 1890 to 1930

A Message from the Sky

On the morning of July 27, 1927, the faint sound of an engine was heard in the sky above Keene. The sound grew louder and a small airplane appeared over the city. The plane circled above Keene several times and then, at 11:10 a.m., Charles A. Lindbergh reached out of the Spirit of St. Louis and dropped a large parchment down into the city. Lindbergh flew out of sight. John Rule of Keene picked up the document, a greeting to the city, and presented it to city officials.

Lindbergh had made his famous solo flight from New York to Paris two months earlier. He became a national hero and soon undertook a promotional tour to encourage commercial aviation. His fly-by and hand delivered greetings were the extent of his visit to Keene during the tour.

A portion of the greeting read as follows: "To the city of Keene. We wish to send you this greeting from the air to express our sincere appreciation of your interest in the tour and in the promotion and expansion of commercial aeronautics in the United States."

Lindbergh's solo flight and visit to Keene undoubtedly fueled the thoughts of several Keene residents who were already interested in aviation. Keene's first airport was opened fourteen months later in September of 1928.