THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MArCH 22, 2024 Page 5 Welcome to Cliftondale Looking back at the days of high fl ying in Cliftondale By Janice K. Jarosz (Editor’s Note: This is the fi fth in a series of articles about the upcoming “Open House” event set for the fi rst weekend in May at the old Cliftondale School – now known as The MEG – at 5448 Essex St. in Saugus.) B orn in Roxbury, Mass., on Nov. 15, 1883, Harry Nelson Atwood became an American engineer and inventor known for pioneering work in the early days of aviation, including long-distance fl ying and delivering the fi rst air mail drop from the Saugus Race Track, in Cliftondale, Mass. On July 14, 1911, after only three months of training at the Wright Flying School in Dayton, Ohio, Harry fl ew a record-breaking 576 miles from Boston to Washington, D.C., landing on the White House lawn at the invitation of President Taft. He won a $10,000 prize by flying from Chicago to Milwaukee. Between August 14-28, 1911, he fl ew 1,256 miles from St. Louis A Boston newspaper chronicled the days of fl ying in Saugus in 1919. (Courtesy to The Saugus Advocate) to New York City, making 11 stops and spending 28 hours in the air. Atwood funded his fl ying activities with the sale of two diff erent electric meters he designed to General Electric Company, and for the next three years, he served as the chief fl ight instructor at the Burgess Company – building a variety of planes. The idea of building an aviation fi eld on the site of the old Franklin Park Saugus Race Track in the Cliftondale section of Saugus, Mass., was fi rst proposed in December 1910 by the Aeroplane Company of America. They agreed to spend $100,000 to convert the old race track into an airfi eld, a factory to manufacture flying machines and a flight school, but that deal fell through. Next the General Aviation Corporation purchased the Franklin Park Race Track and converted the property into an airfi eld and hired Atwood as an instructor, and it eventually became home to one of the busiest CLIFTONDALE | SEE PAGE 6 8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 Open Daily 4:00 PM Closed Sunday Announcing our Classic Specials Dine In Only: * FREE Salad with purchase of Entree, Monday & Tuesdays * Cheese Pizza - Only $10 Catch ALL The Live Sports Action On Our Large Screen TV’s SHOP LOCAL & DROP BY FOR DINNER! www.eight10barandgrille.com SABATINO/MASTROCOLA INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 Auto * Home * Boat * Renter * Condo * Life * Multi-Policy Discounts * Commercial 10% Discounts * Registry Service Also Available Sabatino Insurance is proud to welcome the loyal customers of ALWAYS READY TO SERVE YOU: Our Staff are, Emma Davidson, Jeimy Sanchez, Josephine Leone, Marie D’Amore, Rocco Longo, Z’andre Lopez, Anthony DiPierro, Darius Goudreau, Laurette Murphy, Danielle Goudreau and Tina Davidson. PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at: WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM
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