Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum Explained

Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum
Map Type:Kansas#USA
Coordinates:39.5685°N -95.1783°W
Location:Atchison, Kansas
Type:Aviation museum
Founder:Laidacker M. "Ladd" Seaberg

The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is an aviation museum located at Amelia Earhart Airport in Atchison, Kansas focused on Amelia Earhart.

History

Background

In 1979, Grace McGuire purchased a Lockheed 10-E from the Wings and Wheels Museum in Orlando, Florida. She intended to restore it to flight and use it to recreate Amelia Earhart's attempted circumnavigation. After trying and failing to interest Pratt & Whitney in supporting the effort and being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, McGuire was forced to abandon the effort.[1]

Establishment

Laidacker M. "Ladd" Seaberg, an Atchison economic development promoter, and his wife Karen made contact with McGuire in the early 1990s. They eventually purchased the airplane from her and it was transported to Atchison in August 2016.[2] [3] The following year, the museum announced plans for what would eventually become a 17000square feet hangar.[4] [5]

The building first opened to the public on 1 February 2023, before being officially dedicated 14 April.[6] [7] The museum hired Mindi Love Pendergraft as a new executive director three months later.[8] In the meantime, the foundation had funded the creation and placement of a bronze statue of Amelia Earhart in the National Statuary Hall Collection.[9]

Exhibits

The museum is centered around the restored Muriel -- a Lockheed Model 10-E Electra (identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final flight). The museum also features 14 interactive exhibits, including a virtual reality experience.[10] [11] A bronze statue of Amelia Earhart is also on display outside the museum.[12]

Collection

Events

An annual Amelia Earhart festival is held at the airport.[13] [14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Yglesias . Linda . Airborne . 31 December 2023 . Daily News Magazine . 3 July 1998 . 14–17.
  2. News: Seaberg, Ladd 1946-2017 . 1 January 2024 . News-Press Now . 1 February 2017.
  3. News: Siebenmark . Jerry . Plane Similar to Earhart’s to Begin Journey to Kansas . 31 December 2023 . Wichita Eagle . 7 August 2016.
  4. News: Airport Museum Will Showcase Atchison's Muriel . 1 January 2024 . St. Joseph News-Press . 13 June 2017 . B1, B3.
  5. News: Ljungblad . Tammy . Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum Takes Flight in Kansas . 1 January 2024 . Kansas City Star . 14 August 2023.
  6. News: Trimble . Barbara . Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum Announces Soft Opening . 31 December 2023 . Atchison Globe . 1 February 2023.
  7. News: Grand Opening of the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum on April 14 . 31 December 2023 . Atchison Globe . 6 April 2023.
  8. News: Bonavia . Vanessa . Mindi Love Pendergraft Leads New Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum . 31 December 2023 . Atchison Globe . 20 July 2023.
  9. News: Amelia Earhart Statue Unveiled at U.S. Capitol; Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation Led Statue Project for State of Kansas . 31 December 2023 . PR Web . 27 July 2022.
  10. News: Hrenchir . Tim . Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison to Show Historic Plane and Interactive Exhibits . 31 December 2023 . Topeka Capital-Journal . 11 April 2023.
  11. Web site: Tickets and Virtual Reality Flight . Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum . 1 January 2024.
  12. Web site: The Statue . Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum . 31 December 2023.
  13. News: Bruegger . Maddie . Clem . Marcus . Events Enshrine Legacy in the Sky . 1 January 2024 . St. Joseph News-Press . 21 July 2019 . B1, B4.
  14. News: Lambdin Meyer . Diana . Earhart Museum Takes Flight . 1 January 2024 . Star Tribune . 3 September 2023 . E10.