The Celanese Corporation maintained a state of the art Boeing 247 twin-engine airliner aircraft for corporate business in the 1930’s. According to Donald Johnson, for a period of time the corporate aircraft would visit Cumberland’s Mexico Farms Airport twice weekly.
The Boeing 247 aircraft used by the Celanese Corporation.
Other business firms using their aircraft visited this area frequently including; a Stinson Tri-Motor aircraft (both low and high wing models), a Ford Tri-Motor, a Johnson’s Wax Sikorsky amphibian, and various single engine corporate aircraft. For several years during the summer months a barnstorming Ford Tri-Motor would stay a week or so and offer sight seeing flights for local passengers. The Monarch Foods Company used a Ford Tri-Motor as a flying display of their canned food products. Many well known individuals and companies used Mexico Farms in the 1920’s and 1930’s as a landing site while visiting the Cumberland area.
When musical artist and famed musical composer, George Gershwin, became fatally ill in Chicago, an airplane was dispatched from New York to transport Gershwin to New York. Unfortunately, poor weather forced the plane down at the Mexico Farms Airport while on its flight to Chicago, thus hindering the planned rapid transportation of the ailing Gershwin.
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Wings Over Cumberland 