Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum

On July 24th, 1897, Amelia Earhart was born in the southwest bedroom of the house at 223 N. Terrace in Atchison, Kansas. When her grandfather purchased it in 1861, it was a one-room cabin; he added more rooms, transforming it into a three-floor home. Earhart lived in this house with her grandparents on and off until she was a teenager and considered Atchison her hometown.

Her adventurous spirit led her to aviation, and she became one of the first female pilots in the US and one of the most courageous. She set many aviation records, including being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She also promoted commercial air travel, wrote books about her adventures, advocated for equal rights for women, and was among the founders and the first elected president of the female pilots’ organization The Ninety-Nines.

While trying to become the first woman to fly around the world, Earhart and her navigator disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean; they were last seen on July 2nd, 1937. After a massive and costly search, Earhart was declared dead on January 5th, 1939.

The house was a private residence until 1984, when a local citizen, Dr. Eugene J. Bribach, contributed $100,000 to the Ninety-Nines to purchase the property. Since then, the Ninety-Nines converted the historic building into a museum celebrating Earhart’s life and achievements. The exhibits reveal more aspects of Earhart’s personality and accomplishments, including her love of photography, clothes designing, and writing, her roles in her family, friends, airline ownership, and more. A walk around the different rooms gives the visitors a glimpse of the past and life in Kansas at the beginning of the 20th century.

Many places around Atchison bear the name of Earhart, and the town holds the annual Amelia Earhart Festival every July.

In July 2022, Kansas dedicated Amelia Earhart’s statue to the National Statuary Hall Collection in the US Capitol.