Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
24 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
24 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
24 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
24 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Maine Presque Isle Double Eagle II Balloon Site
AO Edited

Double Eagle II Balloon Site

A small park commemorates the departure of the first-ever successful transatlantic balloon voyage.

Presque Isle, Maine

Added By
Luke Fater
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Double Eagle II Balloon Site   Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 2.5
Double Eagle II Balloon Site   Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 2.5
  Rubyk / CC BY-SA 2.5
Archival Image of Double Eagle II   Wikimedia Commons
Gondola from the Double Eagle II at the Udvar Hazy Center   Alan Wilson
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On the morning of August 11, 1978, a crowd of 8,000 people gathered in a potato field in Maine’s Aroostook County. Over several hours, a pile of nylon was inflated with helium until the giant silver balloon took shape. Three men loaded supplies and foodstuffs—mostly hot dogs and sardines (allegedly)—into the gondola, unloaded their anchors, and were lifted off into the late-summer sky. The next time they touched ground would be in a barley field just outside Paris, making their journey the first successful transatlantic balloon voyage. Today, a small roadside park featuring a steel replica of the famed balloon now sits at the site of its departure in Presque Isle.

While the Double Eagle II’s flight was the first successful voyage of its kind, it was far from the first attempt. Transatlantic voyages became a fever dream for aviation adventurers as soon as human flight became possible. Between 1859 and 1978, over a dozen unsuccessful transatlantic balloon flights led to the deaths of at least seven balloonists—some of whom were never found. In fact, Ben Abruzzo and Maxie Anderson (two of the Double Eagle II’s pilots) attempted to cross in 1977 but were stymied by foul weather and forced to abandon their gondola off the coast of Iceland. Abruzzo would spend months recovering from frostbite.

The following year, with the addition of a third pilot—Larry Newman—the trio successfully traveled 3,200 miles over the course of 137 hours to complete the voyage. After reaching England, they made another ambitious choice to float to the commune of Le Bourget, France, where Charles Lindbergh had landed after crossing the Atlantic solo in 1927. French citizens on the ground chased the balloon down by car, clamoring to meet Abruzzo, Anderson, and Newman at their final landing spot to join film crews, photographers, and the pilots’ wives.

The land on which the Double Eagle II Balloon Site park sits was donated by the potato farmer who rented the pilots space for that fateful day in 1978. A steel and tin replica of the Double Eagle II rests atop a commemorative brick foundation flanked by two flag poles, which typically fly both French and U.S. flags. The gondola itself is on display in the Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Aside from the groundbreaking nature of its voyage, the Double Eagle II held a record for time spent aloft in a balloon. The record wasn’t broken until 2015 after a crew soared for 160 hours over the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Mexico’s Baja coast. In honor of the trio that lifted off a potato farm in northern Maine, the Baja-bound balloon was named Two Eagles.

Related Tags

Aircraft Flight Balloons Monuments History

Community Contributors

Added By

lukefater

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy, colleencourtney c93b920e

  • Michelle Cassidy
  • colleencourtney c93b920e

Published

July 8, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/balloon-crosses-the-atlantic
  • https://www.pirec.org/facilities-and-parks/double-eagle-ii-balloon-site.html
  • https://thecounty.me/2019/09/19/news/presque-isle-historian-recalls-landmark-balloon-launch-from-local-potato-field/
Double Eagle II Balloon Site
123-143 Spragueville Road
Presque Isle, Maine, 04769
United States
46.627316, -68.021033
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Hartland Bridge

Hartland, New Brunswick

miles away

Maine Solar System Model

Houlton, Maine

miles away

America's First Mile

Fort Kent, Maine

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Maine

Maine

United States

Places 129
Stories 23

Nearby Places

Hartland Bridge

Hartland, New Brunswick

miles away

Maine Solar System Model

Houlton, Maine

miles away

America's First Mile

Fort Kent, Maine

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Maine

Maine

United States

Places 129
Stories 23

Related Places

  • Pillar where the balloon landed

    Merselo, Netherlands

    De Ballonzuil

    In the middle of a forest you can find the first landing place of an air balloon in the Netherlands.

  • John Duigan Monument

    Mia Mia, Australia

    John Duigan Monument

    Dedicated to the first flight of an aircraft to be designed and built in Australia.

  • Monument to a Century of Flight.

    Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

    Monument to a Century of Flight

    Down the road from where the Wright brothers lifted off is another flight tribute practically hidden from sight in the woods.

  • Front of the monument from the ground

    Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany

    Niederwald Monument

    Hilltop monument to the victory of a new nation in the Franco-Prussian War.

  • Lincoln overlooking the town of Wabash, IN

    Wabash, Indiana

    The Lincoln Monument

    Abraham Lincoln never visited Wabash, but his statue found a home there.

  • Taichung City, Taiwan

    Cho Myeong-ha Incident Monument

    A trilingual monument marks the site of a Korean independence activist's assassination attempt on a Japanese prince in Taiwan.

  • Kingston, Missouri

    Far West Temple Site

    This grassy field marks the site of a surprising religious conflict.

  • Pangborn-Herndon Memorial.

    East Wenatchee, Washington

    Pangborn-Herndon Memorial

    A monument tucked within a suburban neighborhood commemorates the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.