One is a female named Virginia who loved to dance but died young. There also are a few “gentle spirits” - as Beach calls them - who seem to be permanent guests. The room where Lindbergh stayed has a photo of the pilot at the crash site as well as several other related images. For others, such as skydivers bound for nearby Skydive Chicago, it is the purpose for their stay. Some visitors are surprised - and pleased - to learn about the Lindbergh connection. ticking off the many countries her guests have come from.

“it has been a wonderful experience meeting people from all over the world,” she said. She especially caters to family reunions and extended-stay guests. She actually had moved back to Virginia but returned when the B and B’s previous owners, who are friends of hers, needed to relocate for personal reasons.īeach is continuously restoring and decorating the house. She took over on March 30, 2007.Ī native of Virginia, Beach was living in Lisle when she began to explore Starved Rock Country and became a regular visitor.

Today the DeBolt house is the Fox River Bed and Breakfast. The newsreel that accompanied the feature “What Price Glory?” reported on competition for the Orteig Prize of $25,000 for the first completed transatlantic flight and Lindbergh’s famous quest began. Perhaps still a little unsettled he went to see a movie. He informed the people this was government property and the gun was returned to him.”īack in Chicago, Lindbergh checked into the Congress Hotel. Looking in the cockpit he noticed his gun missing from the holster that was attached to the panel. “Upon arriving at the crashed plane, Lindbergh found several people gathered. Esther, always helpful in any emergency, told them to take the man to the Jason DeBolt farm where they would find the crashed plane. Johnson called the operator and told her the story. They picked him up and took him to their home. Driving around on country roads they found a lone man walking along, dragging his parachute. “In the meantime,” said DeBolt, “Francis and Ella Johnson, who lived one and half miles northeast of my home also heard this plane circling and lowering in altitude, set out in their Maxwell car to find the crashed plane. Esther Barr, 24, of Ottawa, “the well-known telephone operator was on duty,” he recalled. DeBolt went back home and got on the phone.

Day of infamy crashing