Liberty in Sullivan County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Otto Hillig
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 28, 2026
1. Otto Hillig Marker
This tablet is dedicated by the citizens of the town of Liberty New York to one of its honored townsmen
to commemorate their successful airplane flight June 26-27, 1931 to Copenhagen Denmark in the airplane Liberty
This tablet marks the official starting point of this memorable flight
Erected 1931.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical date for this entry is June 26, 1931.
Location. 41° 48.062′ N, 74° 45.755′ W. Marker is in Liberty, New York, in Sullivan County. It can be reached from New York 52, on the left when traveling east. The marker is located on the grounds of the Sullivan County Golf Club, by the first tee. It is publicly accessible, and is easily visible from the north end of the parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2514 NY-52, Liberty NY 12754, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York and in the Hudson Valley. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hellers Triangle (approx. 1.9 miles away); Borscht Belt - Ferndale (approx. 2.3 miles away); Borscht Belt - Swan Lake (approx. 3½ miles away); Borscht Belt - Parksville (approx. 3.8 miles away); Borscht Belt - Loch Sheldrake (approx. 5.8 miles away); The New York City Water Supply System (approx. 6.1 miles away); Reflections on Two Hamlets (approx. 6.1 miles away); The Neversink Reservoir (approx. 6.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Liberty.
Also see . . . Otto Hillig (Wikipedia). Excerpt:
Otto Hillig (18741954) lived most of his life in Liberty, New York, and gained fame as a photographer and transatlantic flier. He also had a German-style castle constructed for him near Parksville, New York, and served one term in the New York State Assembly(Submitted on June 29, 2026.)
Withhis plane, he planned a transatlantic flight to Denmark (the homeland of his intended pilot, Holger Hoiriis), and then on to Germany. He named his plane "Liberty", as part of "repaying Liberty for its part in his good fortune." A local editor lauded this project for bringing great publicity to his adopted city .Hillig claimed he was making that expensive and risky flight "just for the fun of it" or "for the thrill". Hillig's modest goal was just "to be remembered pleasantly when I am remembered at all, as the man who flew the Atlantic and then came on back home and went to work."Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 28, 20262. Otto Hillig Marker - wide view
Some highlights of Hillig's plane trip included getting an audience with the King of Denmark, and getting knighted. (King Christian was a "Brother Mason" to Hillig.) Despite the risks of flying there, he refused to load a radio or lifeboat on the plane, saving the room for gas. They ran out of gas on the flight over Germany, anyway, from having strayed off course in bad weather so, they had to land initially short of their objective, Denmark.
Leslie Jones (courtesy Boston Public Library), June 29, 2026
3. Liberty bellanca monoplane in the air (over NYC) on first leg of its flight to Denmark
Full description: Liberty bellanca monoplane in the air (over NYC) on first leg of its flight to Denmark. From Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. with Otto Hillig of Liberty, N.Y., flying photographer and Capt. Hoιrόs, the pilot.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2026, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 29, 2026, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
