Harriet Quimby Childhood Home / Harriet Quimby

Harriet Quimby (1875-1912), the first American woman to receive a pilot’s license, lived in this house as a child and attended the nearby school. Her parents, William and Ursula Cook Quimby, settled in Bear Lake, present-day Arcadia Township, in 1867 and acquired this property in 1874. Ursula produced and sold patent medicines like “Quimby’s Liver Invigorator,” which was advertised with testimonials from satisfied customers in the Manistee Daily News. Between 1887 and 1890 Harriet and her parents moved to Arroyo Grande, California, which Harriet claimed as her birthplace during interviews later in her life. By 1900 the Quimbys were living in San Francisco where Harriet embarked on a career as a drama critic. Harriet Quimby Early aviatrix Harriet Quimby (1875-1912) was inspired to learn to fly when she covered the October 1910 Belmont Park international aviation meet for Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly newspaper in New York. She authored drama reviews, travel pieces, and eventually wrote about her own adventures as a pilot. On August 1, 1911, Quimby received the first aviation license granted to an American woman. With this success came immense popularity. On April 16, 1912, seeking additional recognition, she became the first woman to fly solo over the English Channel. Her achievement was overshadowed in the press, however, by reports of the sinking of Titanic. On July 1, 1912, Quimby and a passenger died when her plane plunged into Dorchester Bay during a meet at Squantum, Massachusetts.