Celebrating the Box: Lindbergh Crate in Canaan, ME

Recently, there was mention of some Spirit of St. Louis wallpaper on the second floor of the Curran Homestead Village's Field's House. The 1927 phenomena of the first transatlantic flight by Charles Lindbergh even touched the Curran farm as the wallpaper was produced and sold around 1927 celebrating the event. Either the Currans or Fields put the paper up on the wall, as the Fields continued to spend time at the house during the summer due to a codicil in the deed remaining since the Curran's purchase of the farm in 1914. If you haven't already read Bill Bryson's One Summer: America, 1927 you might, as it identifies how widespread the hero worship of Lindbergh became in contrast to the small potatoes of more recent and ongoing celebrity of this one and that one ( the names slip from memory quite quickly). In addition to Lindbergh, and the cult personality he became, there are some remarkable parallels to be made with the politics and popular culture of 2017.

Spirit of St. Louis wallpaper

In addition there was yet another one of these "solved mysteries" shows on the History channel of recent, and this one presumed to solve the one regarding Amelia Earhart's disappearance during her 1935 circumnavigation of the globe. I have to admit there was some pretty convincing forensics but disappointingly the whole thing was debunked within days. The photo that apparently all was based on was not taken when they thought.

Recently,Wanda Leighton of Orrington, a longtime contributor to the Curran Homestead as well as wife to past and now honorary board member Jim Leighton, in conversation while painting picket fence at the Curran farm a few weeks back both Lindbergh and Earhart came up. Wanda is one of our local pilots coming and going from Fields Pond as a matter of fact; she has a plane with pontoons. She shared with me her involvement and attendance at the second celebration of a monument that was constructed identifying the site of a wooden crate used to transport the Spirit of St. Louis after its landing at LeBourget in France in 1927. The crate is now in Canaan, Maine. I knew nothing about this prior to the conversation but wasn't surprised.

A Turkish friend of mine once commented that Americans have this uncanny ability to make interesting and engaging museums out of what is seemingly the most insignificant fragments of history; he shared that he had been to some museum that included nothing more than bones and pottery shards but the explanations and presentations were as engaging as any museum that had something of great value. Needless to say I am anticipating a summer trip to Canaan.

The crate had been constructed into a cottage to preserve it and to create a museum; just outside the structure a stylized wooden model of the famous plane was set up on a 170 foot cable for children to ride. This was designed by retired Bernard Taylor of Lynnfield, MA who gifted the Spirit of Canaan to Larry Ross for his museum. A drawing for the first ride went to four year old Alex Jones of Detroit, ME. A granite monument at the site identifies the fact that the crate existed in New Hampshire until 1990 when it came to reside in Maine. The site is privately owned by Larry Ross who organized the celebration on May 21, 1994 drawing a number of living witnesses of Lindbergh's famous flight. Wanda accompanied another pilot, Bill Terra, in his plane Aeronca, on that day in May for several passes overhead.

Wanda lent me her archive of that day including several newspaper articles and photographs of the event. I have digitized some of these and include them below:

The top photo is Larry Ross and  John Miller who witnessed Lindbergh take off from Roosevelt Field in New York. Miller is a helicopter pilot and still flies (1994). He belongs to the United Flying Octogenarians.
The second photo includes Austin Wilkins. Wilkens was an engineering student in Paris when Lindbergh landed at LeBourget; he retired from the Maine Forest Service. The wooden construction of Lindbergh's plane is built for a child to ride in; it is tethered to a 170 foot cable.

Wanda snapped this shot from Bill Terra's plane as it flew over Larry Ross' enclave; see the additional building with the Spirit of St. Louis identification numbers "NX211".

Capt. Jack Race from Carbondale, PA in WACO.

This is the structure created from the Lindbergh crate. That's a 1920s Franklin automobile.

DATABASE OF 1920s & 1930s GAS SERVICE STATIONS & GARAGES

Some of the earliest gas and auto stations were re-modeled blacksmith shops. Many blacksmiths transitioned into auto mechanics.

This is one of my favorite designs, as it includes the trapings of a gas service station but also a two bay garage with the long windowed doors.

This is another architectural favorite as it includes many windows as well as the slate roof and scalloped cedar shingle exterior.

This example has the interesting front overhang that could house some vintage gravity gas pumps from the Model T era as well as petroliana as all the photos taken of service stations in the past are filled with advertising. This structure with its industrial steel frame windows and the footprint of the structure here would both exhibition and work space for engine projects.