Published by The Evansville Courier

In June 1911, The Courier brought to Evansville the first airplanes seen by the public here - or perhaps anywhere in the Midwest.

The two Curtiss biplane 'airships' arrived in crates and were assembled by two pilots who also flew the precarious machines during Evansville's first air show.

The air show took place at the old fairgrounds on South Kentucky Avenue, and the bleachers were full.

The following September, The Courier brought a Curtiss to the city as part of the German Day celebration. And the next year's flying show staged the city's first air mail run - a slightly inflated term, since the mail was dropped just outside the city, picked up by a mail truck, and driven to the Downtown post office.

In 1913, Knecht became one of the first air passengers in the nation when he climbed into the front seat of an open-air cockpit. Until that time, the machines were only one-seaters.

But 1919 perhaps was the most exciting for The Courier. That was the year Knecht shot and printed the first aerial photographs of Evansville. He took the photos with a large, heavy Graflex camera while standing in the open cockpit of a two-seat airplane.

The Evansville Aero Club was founded in 1919 and so was the earliest Evansville airport, located at Slaughter Avenue (Division Street) and Green River Road.

Editor Carroll was credited with actively supporting the airport. In January 1920, The Courier air-dropped newspapers to several towns between Evansville and Washington, Ind.