Did Amelia Earhart land in St. Albans?

A local story and autograph prompted a deep search for proof that pilot Amelia Earhart visited Saint Albans in the early 30’s.

The story begins with Winifred Barnes, a lifelong resident of Saint Albans who worked for the Central Vermont Railway starting in 1917. Winifred told the story of how she met Amelia Earhart and had the opportunity to fly with her from St. Albans Bay to Burlington, when she received Amelia’s autograph which resides in the Saint Albans Museum archives today. Later in life at 96 when Winifred was interviewed about the flight, she said they flew over Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh, NY. Others have told the story that when Amelia came to a meeting with the Central Vermont Railroad, she grew bored with all the men and left to speak with Winifred. She then asked Winifred if she would like to take a flight with her. The flight was said to have taken place from Swanton and flew over Lake Champlain on May 22, 1934, and so the research for proof began.

Amelia Earhart receiving the key to the city, Burlington Airport May 22, 1934

Oral history and stories passed down are filled with cultural heritage and meaning, but to verify the story as “historical research” we need documentation to back up the claims. The hunt for documentation began by reviewing museum archives and old newspaper clippings from across the state, reaching out to those who interviewed Winifred and who kept records for the Central Vermont Railroad. While there were many articles written about Amelia Earhart and her visits to Vermont, very few mentioned Saint Albans, and only those quoting Winifred showed a connection.

The hunt continued by taking a deep dive into online sources; archives from other museums, social media, and historical documents were all searched for the missing proof needed. We posted requests for information online and even were interviewed by a local TV station, but all the information that came in, was again accounts of Winifred’s story or a brief mention that Amelia landed in Saint Albans. One promising lead was Mr. Wood from Saint Albans who loved flying and told the story to his daughter about a famous person(s) landing at the Bay when he was young. There may have been an article or a photograph of Amelia landing at the Saint Albans Bay. But alas, no article or photograph has yet to surface.

Miss Winnie Barnes’s ticket to fly with Amelia Earhart on May 22, 1934.

The next step of the search was to reach out to other professionals and museums to see if they had any documentation. The Vermont History Access Librarian, Northwest Airlines Archive Manager, Amelia Earhart Hanger Museum, UVM Special Collections, Purdue University, Delta Flight Museum and others were contacted to fill in the gaps and try to prove that Amelia did visit Saint Albans. Below is what we can prove with documented evidence.

May 22, 1934 - Following an event at the Burlington airport in honor of Amelia Earhart, Mr and Mrs. Goss entertained H.L Baldwin, publicity agent for the Boston and Maine Airways, J.H. Fountain, publicity agent for the Central Vermont Airways, and M.E. Barnes, Superintendent of the Central Vermont Railway, Miss Winnie Barnes, and others from Saint Albans attended an event in Burlington.

May 22, 1934 - An invitation to a buffet luncheon at the Burlington Airport on Amelia Earhart Day.

May 22, 1934 - Tickets were handed out from the Central Vermont-Boston-Maine Airways to fly with Amelia in a tri-motored airliner. (The tri-motor Stinson, could seat 8 total) Multiple trips were flown with ticket holders on that date, departing and returning to the Burlington Airport. It is likely that Winnie Barnes was among those who flew with Amelia and that was when she received Amelia’s autograph.

Event ticket with Amelia Earhart’s signature.

We can’t affirm that Amelia Earhart actually visited Saint Albans yet, because of the lack of evidence. Through her connection with the Central Vermont Airways, she made a huge impact within Vermont, nationally and across the world. We are still searching Board meeting minutes from the Central Vermont Airways and correspondences from Amelia.