Harold Neumann
Why now? Why after all these years are we bringing Harold Neumann’s accomplishments back to light. A few years ago, two of Harold’s cousins felt that Harold’s accomplishments in aviation were an important part of Geneseo’s history, and that is how the quest to educate our community about Harold Neumann began.
Harold Neumann was born on May 17, 1906 in rural Geneseo, Illinois. With a flying career of 70 years, Harold logged nearly 30,000 flight hours, which is the equivalent of ten years and one month of continuous flying. Just to name a few of his many accomplishments; he was the first commercial pilot to fly non-stop from Paris to Chicago, after which he presented Mayor Richard Daley with a Replica of the Eiffel Tower. This flight made O’Hare Airport an International Airport. Harold won the Thompson Trophy in 1935 at the National Air Race in Cleveland, Ohio. He was also awarded America’s #1 Pilot by National Aeronautical Association in 1935. He was awarded permanent possession of the Greve Trophy for winning three consecutive races. He is acknowledged in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum “Golden Age of Flight” exhibit, for winning the 1935 races.
Along with his racing career and piloting TWA flights, Harold was also a barnstormer and skywriter. He was the first to fly passengers over the North Pole and his first pilots license was signed by Orville Wright in 1929.
The Harold Neumann Project Board will continue to collect memorabilia for the Geneseo Historical Museum Exhibit. We will offer our time and knowledge to educate our community about our own aviation pioneer, Harold Neumann, a farm boy from Geneseo, Illinois.
Underground Railroad
The Richard’s home played an important role in the “Underground Railroad” for slaves passing through Geneseo on the trail to freedom. Visitors can visit the station where the escaping slaves found refuge and see the hidden stairwell, small brick hiding hole and the rooms where the slaves slept. Geneseo was founded in 1836 by abolitionists vowing to break every shackle of bondage.
General Store
The General Store Exhibit at the Museum highlights many shelved items that were from early stores in Geneseo, donated by friends of the museum. The room where the display is housed would have been originally used as a study or office when the house was built in 1855. One large item on display is a seed case that was given to the Museum and many local visitors remember it but are uncertain as to which store it came from. The large case likely had many store homes over the years before finding its way to the Museum. The General Store in a community would have been the center of town happenings serving as a place to shop, socialize and conduct business.
