On this day, November 14, in 1931, American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart landed in Anderson at the old Anderson County Regional Airport, the county’s first unpaved airport located where the Anderson Civic Center stands today.
Earhart’s stopover was part of a 13-state Southeastern tour sponsored by Beech Nut gum. As part of the tour, she gave out Beech Nut gum, souvenir pins and tour programs.
News accounts at the time said she was greeted with great enthusiasm by the locals at each stop, with dignitaries in each town having their pictures taken with her. After initial greetings upon her landing in Anderson County, Earhart rode with Anderson Mayor G.T. McGregor through the town and was presented with some lad-lassie cloth from Gossett Mills.
The visit ended with a speech from Earhart who said, “I have enjoyed my stay here, though it was short, because I had a chance to get my breath and the people have been so nice that I hate to leave.”
Shortly after her comments, she took off in her Pitcairn Autogiro airplane for a dinner engagement in Greenville.
Earhart set many early aviation records, including the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She also wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences, and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots.
During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. She was declared dead on July 2, 1927 at the age of 39.
In 1999, the Anderson County Council and the Anderson County Museum Commission erected a historical marker commemorating Earhart’s visit. It is located on the grounds of the Anderson County Civic Center, the airport’s original site. The Anderson County Museum features photographs and information on Earhart’s 1931 landing in Anderson County in its aviation display.
Video courtesy of Anderson County Media Department.
