Hilary Swank’s new film ‘Amelia’ a boon to Earhart’s birth place of Atchison, Kansas

Amelia, opening in theaters nationwide on Oct. 23, 2009, will most likely up the interest in Atchison, Kansas. The biopic, starring Oscar winner Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, is the story of Amelia Earhart — born in Achison, Kansas on July 24, 1897. Known as one of the world’s most celebrated aviators, Earhart and went on to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She disappeared during a circumnavigational flight around the globe in 1937 over the central Pacific Ocean near Howard Island.

The Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison is housed in Earhart’s early childhood home built by her grandfather in the early 1860s. The site has been restored to its turn-of-the-century condition and features personal and family memorabilia of America’s most famous aviatrix. It will also include a number of props and costumes from the film Amelia. Each July, Atchison’s Amelia Earhart Festival celebrates her legacy with aviation displays, aerobatic performances and live concerts.

The movie was not filmed in Atchison; shooting locales included South Africa, Hawaii and Canada.