Harriet Quimby

Harriet Quimby was most probably born in Arcadia Township, Michigan on May 11, 1875. Her parents came to the area to homestead in 1867 on 160 acres located about three miles southeast of present day Arcadia. Harriet went to school in the Arcadia School District in School No. 1, the Gabel School. Sometime between 1887 and 1890 when Harriet was about 12-15 years old, her family left the area. This Arcadia native would eventually find fame as a pioneer aviatrix.

See Also: Aviation Pioneer Harriet Quimby

This Arcadia Area Historical Museum exhibit summarizes Harriet Quimby's accomplishments and her family's history in the area. The exhibit was enhanced in 2012 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her flight across the English Channel.

Animated View: The Quimby Room
Walk into the room, and look around you. This is what you would see. The first poster summarizes Harriet Quimby's accomplishments. The rest of the posters on the first wall are articles from newspapers and magazines of the day describing her accomplishments. The display case at the back of the room includes artifacts and other Quimby memorabilia. The posters on the right wall cover her induction into the Aviation Hall of Fame, the Department of Transportation's tribute, and her family's ties to the Arcadia area. A small display case has a model of a Bleriot XI, the plane she flew. The last wall has a series of posters showing how her commemorative stamp was produced. (9 images, 2 second delay)

Designing the Quimby Stamp
This display shows the process involved in designing and producing a stamp, in this case, the Harriet Quimby commemorative stamp, which was released in 1991.