Aviation
                                    It may come as a surprise to both residents and visitors to Lee                                 that our little town does have an historical connection to early                                 aviation. It seems that the people of Lee were much taken up back                                 in the early days with the concept of flight. Back in 1927, one T. Lee Roberts actually flew to the Paris airfield of Le Bourget only one month after Charles Lindbergh had done the same thing. 

    Several years before this momentous event, a Lt. L. Victor Beau landed his 450 HP De Havilland in a cow pasture at Lee’s High Lawn Farm, much to the surprise of a herd of prize Jersey cows and their herdmaster. Beau declared it an ideal spot for an “aviation field”, though it never happened, so it seems the folks at High Lawn did not agree, and likely neither did the Jersey.

    Lee’s Congregational Church with its 191 foot high steeple proved to be an excellent landmark for early aviators, as did the 114 by 46 foot sign reading LEE and painted in white on the roof of the Columbia Mill storehouse.

    If you would like to learn more of this exciting time in Lee’s history, and to see some amazing photographs, pick up a copy of Florence Consolati’s book, “See All the People”, and turn to Page 16.