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Dorothy Binney Palmer
Born
Dorothy Binney

(1888-07-20)July 20, 1888
DiedMay 9, 1982(1982-05-09) (aged 93)
Other namesDorothy Binney Putnam
Dorothy Binney Upton
Dorothy Binney Blanding
EducationWellesley College
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1911; div. 1929)​
​
​
(m. 1930, divorced)​
​
​
(m. 1940; div. 1947)​
Lewis Hamilton Palmer
​
​
(m. 1947; died 1951)​
Children2

Dorothy Binney Palmer (née Binney; July 20, 1888 – May 9, 1982) was an American explorer, socialite, and friend to Amelia Earhart.

Early life

[edit]

Palmer, born Dorothy Binney on July 20, 1888,[1]: 8  was the daughter of Edwin Binney,[2] the manufacturer known for Binney & Smith company which produced Crayola crayons.[3] Growing up she was known as Dorfry to her friends and family,[4] and she was a championship swimmer.[5] Palmer went to Wellesley College where she participated in plays such as "The Tempest",[6] "Trail of Lonesome Pine", and "Princess Far Away",[2] and she was praised for her acting and dramatic ability.[7] Palmer was also an athlete who rowed crew.[8][9] She graduated from Wellesley College in 1910.[9] Later that year Dorothy and her sister Mary Binney were written up in the paper for besting two men while setting a swimming record in Stamford, Connecticut.[10]

After her sophomore year in college, she met George P. Putnam in 1908 who was leading a climbing trip up Mount Whitney with the Sierra Mountain Club; after the hiking trip they had an "understanding" about their plan to marry.[11] They announced their engagement in 1910,[12] and she married Putnam and became Dorothy Binney Putnam on October 26, 1911, in a wedding held at her parents' house in Sound Beach, Connecticut.[13]

Life with George Putnam

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In 1911, Dorothy Binney Putnam and George Putnam had a house built in Bend, Oregon. The house, known as Pinelyn, was added to the United States' National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Dorothy and George arrived in Bend, Oregon in February 1912 a honeymoon that had taken them to New York, Central America, San Francisco, and Portland. Their new house, Pinelyn, was 2800 square feet, cost more than $4000 to build, and by 1913 had an added tennis court.[11] The house, now known as the George Palmer and Dorothy Binney Putnam House, is located in the Drake Park Neighborhood Historic District and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[14] While they lived in Bend, George Putnam sold lots on the Bend riverfront and named the resulting road Dohema Road after the three Binney sisters: Dorothy, Helen, Mary.[11]

Dorothy established the home as a social gathering place in Bend, and threw parties with music, dancing, and skits; she founded the local Glee club and raised funds for people undergoing cancer care.[15][16] She was known for her work in the suffrage movement and encouraging other women to help pass the laws needed to allow women the right to vote.[17]

On December 3, 1912, she cast her vote in Oregon, the second woman allowed to do so after the Governor's wife had cast the first vote.[15] She gave birth to her first child, David Binney Putnam, on May 20, 1913.[18] They remained in Bend until 1914 when they moved to Salem, Oregon while her husband George was secretary to James Withycombe.[9] In 1916, they moved to Washington D.C. where Dorothy was involved in the war effort.[4]

She had been trained at Mount Holyoke College in a class related to work needs during wartime, and ended up leading nine hundred people in the United States' Inspection Division at the end of World War I.[19][1]: 28  Dorothy and George then moved to Rye, New York,[20] where they built a house without blueprints which included a jungle-themed guest room painted by the artist Isabel Cooper.[21] Her second child, George Palmer Putnam, was born May 9, 1921.[18]

They sold the Oregon house to M. W. Wagner in 1919,[15] the same year that George Putnam published his book The Smiting of the Rock[22] which is about Oregon and has a character based on Dorothy.[23]

Voyages: Arcturus expedition and sailing on the Effie M. Morrissey

[edit]

In 1925, Dorothy Putnam and her twelve-year-old son David Putnam joined one leg of the Arcturus expedition that was being led by William Beebe.[1]: 34  She was one of six women and twelve men on the voyage to the Galápagos Islands.[24] Her name later appeared in the book 'Florida women of distinction' for outstanding achievements because of her participation in this journey.[25] She was described as a "fun-loving woman" who organized activities such as games and charades with the group on the boat. During the expedition, she helped with the identification of fish, and made sure she knew all about venomous and non-venomous snakes so that she could differentiate between them.[4]

Her husband was William Beebe's publicist and was helping to promote the trip.[26]: 166  Her son David wrote a book about the trip with Beebe and the book, David Goes Voyaging, was the first in the series published by George Putnam in which boys wrote about their adventures. In the book, David describes playing like a pirate during the voyage, going to different islands, crossing the equator, and investigating animals.[27] George Putnam had sent Beebe a letter indicating he wanted David to do a book because there was benefit in publishing such a book,[27] and Beebe later warned Dorothy that David might want to become a scientist when he grew up.[28]

In 1926, George Putnam took their son David on an expedition on the Effie M. Morrissey that was led by Robert Bartlett and headed to the east coast of Greenland.[1]: 39–41  Dorothy was able to sail as far as Brigus, Newfoundland,[29] and there are photos of her, George, and David in the archives of the Hagley Museum and Library.[30][31] David also wrote a book about this trip, David Goes to Greenland, and dedicated the book "To my best friend who really should have gone to Greenland, mother".[1]: 41 

Friendship with Amelia Earhart

[edit]

Through George Putnam, Dorothy met and befriended Amelia Earhart,[32] and Dorothy and Earhart flew together in Earhart's Avro Avian plane.[1]: 4  In May 1928 Dorothy and Earhart spent six days together in Boston in preparation for Earhart's transatlantic flight. Dorothy was one of the people financially supporting Earhart's transatlantic flight,[20] and Earhart stayed at a hotel using the name Dorothy Binney as a ruse to remain anonymous before the transatlantic flight.[33] In June 1928 Earhart became the first woman to fly, as a passenger,[34] across the Atlantic.[35] After Earhart returned to the United States she stayed with Dorothy and George in their house while writing her book, 20 Hrs. 40 Min.[32] The book was dedicated to "Dorothy Binney Putnam, under whose rooftree this book was written".[36]: 238 

Dorothy was also interested in aviation and in July 1929, Dorothy Putnam, Amelia Earhart, Dan Schaeffer, Betty Brainerd, Anne Lindbergh, and Charles Lindbergh were the first people to fly across the United States as passengers in a plane.[37] Dorothy Putnam joined the group at the invitation of Earhart.[38][1]: 149–151 

1920s and 1930s

[edit]

Dorothy had a long-time affair with George Weymouth. They first met in 1927 and Dorothy's diaries describe her feelings for him and their relationship over time. Weymouth would become a tutor to her son David, and traveled with David and George Putnam to Baffin Island in 1927.[1] The 1997 publication of Whistled Like a Bird shares the letters which detail Dorothy's thoughts on the relationship over the years.[1]

In 1929 Dorothy moved out of the house she shared with George Putnam in Rye, New York in the middle of a party that he was hosting,[39]: 205  and left for Reno to establish residence,[40] and then filed for divorce under a 'failure to provide'.[41] The newspapers noted that she made no request for alimony given her own status as wealthy.[42] They were divorced by later in 1929[18] and there was a joint custody arrangement for the two children.[43] A 1929 article in the Daily News noted that it was not clear if George Putnam's travels on the Morrissey played a role in their divorce.[44]

On January 12, 1930, she married a decorated World War I veteran, Frank Monroe Upton, in the West Indies and became Dorothy Binney Upton.[45][46] By November 1930, George Putnam and Amelia Earhart had a marriage license, though Earhart denied the wedding took place;[47] in February 1931 Earhart and George Putnam were married.[32] By then, Dorothy Binney Upton and her husband Frank Monroe Upton had moved to Fort Pierce, Florida.[4]

In 1931 Dorothy had Immokolee built in Fort Pierce, Florida. In 1994 the house was listed on the United States' National Register of Historic Places.

In Florida, Dorothy and Upton first lived in an apartment at Casa Caprona,[18] an apartment complex that had been purchased by her mother Alice Binney in 1928.[48][49] Dorothy subsequently built a house in Fort Pierce, Florida that would come to be known as Immokolee which is listed on the United States' National Register of Historic Places.[50] Immokolee had a large pool[51] which Dorothy would open up for meals and swimming to Navy men during World War Two.[51][4] During a financial crisis in Fort Pierce, she put up Immokolee as collateral as reserve against money needed by a local bank.[52]

In her diaries Dorothy discussed Upton's drinking and poor behavior towards her which ultimately led to their divorce.[1]: 196–201 

Starting in the late 1930s, Dorothy began spending time in North Carolina in the region of the Blue Ridge Mountains called Soco Gap.[53] Her sister Mary Binney had married Jim Davey in 1916,[54] and while her sister died in 1937, Dorothy remained friends with her brother-in-law. She bought property from him and he built a cabin that was first called "Sundown Cabin". Sundown Cabin was known for its views from the porch.[55][53] Dorothy brought both Don Blanding and Lewis Palmer to the cabin. When the Blue Ridge Parkway was planned, she and others in the area had to pass their land to the state of North Carolina. Dorothy and the Davey's sued; the lawsuits were settled in May 1951. In 1951, R.Getty Browning, the engineer who led the work laying out the design for the parkway, asked for use of Palmer's cabin and a special use permit was granted and the cabin would come to be known as the "Browning Cabin".[53] Historic photos of the cabin are available,[56] but by 2020 the cabin was in the news because of its deterioration.[57]

Marriage to Don Blanding

[edit]

She was first introduced to the artist and poet Don Blanding in 1912 while she was still married to George Putnam.[58]: 140  Blanding visited Rye, New York and invited Dorothy and George to Hawaii, a trip Dorothy took in 1928.[1]: 82–83  In 1940, Blanding visited Dorothy in Florida which led to their June 14, 1940 wedding at Immokolee, she was then known as Dorothy Binney Blanding.[59] Blanding's Floridays poem is dedicated to Dorothy.[4] After the attack on Pearl Harbor he went to war, and did not return to Florida. Their divorce was finalized in 1947.[1]: 243 

Marriage to Lewis Hamilton Palmer

[edit]

During a 1946 trip to Central America, she met Lewis Hamilton Palmer in Guatemala.[1]: 241 They were married in July 1947,[18] she was known as Dorothy Binney Palmer for the remainder of her life. They took a trip to Africa[60] which she later wrote about in African Overtones, a collection of newspaper articles about the trip.[61][1]: 245  In 1951 he died of a heart attack while they were in New York.[1]: 254 

Final days in Fort Pierce, Florida

[edit]

Dorothy was a world traveler,[62] and Immokolee accumulated items from her travels.[4] The artists Theodore Wassmer and Judy Wassmer were among the people who visited and brought their art to Immokolee.[63] Palmer was also a writer who wrote stories about her travels[4][61][64] and she was a member Association of American Penwomen.[62] Her interest in swimming continued past her childhood, and a pool in Fort Pierce is named the Dorothy Binney Palmer pool which she funded because she felt all children should learn to swim after hearing about a child who drowned.[65]

While in Florida, she helped organize the Fort Pierce Garden Club in St. Lucie in 1931,[18] and served as its president for 24 years.[4] She led beautification projects in Fort Pierce which were detailed in a 1983 newspaper article.[64] She also managed an 80-acre orange grove,[61] and hosted bird counts at her house while serving as the head of the local Audubon Society.[4] In 1975, the Audubon Society made Palmer an honoree during their 75th anniversary.[66]

Palmer died sitting with her son David when she was 93 years old.[61][67] Upon her death, the local newspaper printed two articles sharing details of her life.[4][61] In 1997 her granddaughter, Sally Putnam Chapman, published a book based on Palmer's diaries.[1][68] which was reviewed by The New York Times.[69]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Chapman, Sally Putnam (1997). Whistled like a bird : the untold story of Dorothy Putnam, George Putnam, and Amelia Earhart. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 978-0446520553.
  2. ^ a b "Cupid thaws pair on mountain top". Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.). January 5, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  3. ^ Py-Lieberman, Beth (November 1999). "The Colors of Childhood". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Putnam-Trefelner, Cynthia (May 16, 1982). "She climbed the tallest mountain, forged widest rivers, lived the impossible dream". St. Lucie News Tribune. pp. [1], [2]. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  5. ^ "Colorful Character: Crayola Founder Drawn to St. Lucie County". The Stuart News; Stuart, Fla. May 19, 2003. pp. F1.
  6. ^ Wellesley news. Vol. 8. Wellesley, Mass : Wellesley College. 1909. p. 1.
  7. ^ Wellesley news. Vol. 9. Wellesley, Mass : Wellesley College. 1910. pp. 1, 4.
  8. ^ Joslin, Les; Commission, Hays County Historical (January 25, 2016). Legendary Locals of Bend. Arcadia Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4396-5558-0.
  9. ^ a b c "Historic Oregon Newspapers". The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.). June 6, 1915. p. 2. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  10. ^ "Two girls outswam a man at Stamford". The Boston Globe. October 4, 1910. p. 7. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Crowell, James (February 28, 2019). "Early Bend Takes Flight". Bend Lifestyle Magazine. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  12. ^ "Mountain Romance". The Boston Globe. December 31, 1910. p. 3. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  13. ^ "Clipped From The New York Times". The New York Times. October 27, 1911. p. 13. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  14. ^ "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon.gov. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014.
  15. ^ a b c "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". National Park Service. April 20, 1998.
  16. ^ Case, Bill (December 28, 2017). "Queen of the Air". PineStraw Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  17. ^ Spurr, Kyle (February 16, 2017). "In Bend, it was young love on the frontier". The Bulletin. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d e f Historical quarterly. St. Lucie Historical Society. OCLC 53186117. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021.
  19. ^ Latham, Sally (January 11, 1976). "11 Jan 1976, 42 - St. Lucie News Tribune at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Lovell, Mary S. (1989). The sound of wings : the life of Amelia Earhart. St. Martin's Griffin; Reprint edition. ISBN 978-0-312-03431-3.
  21. ^ "A home that was built without an architect's blueprint". Midweek Pictorial. Vol. 22, no. 18. December 24, 1925.
  22. ^ Putnam, George Palmer; Bend, Palmer (1919). The Smiting of the Rock: A Tale of Oregon. G.P. Putnam's Sons.
  23. ^ Crowell, James (March 10, 1971). The Bulletin. The Bulletin.
  24. ^ "Mrs. Dorothy Binny Putnam speaks on marine gardens". The Palm Beach Post. December 7, 1937. p. 9. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  25. ^ Gale, Gladys (November 16, 1958). "Dorothy Binney Palmer will review 'The Making of a Book" – Arcturus Adventure". St. Lucie News Tribune. p. 3. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  26. ^ Zanglein, Jayne (2021). The girl explorers : the untold story of the globetrotting women who trekked, flew, and fought their way around the world. Naperville, Illinois. ISBN 978-1-7282-1524-2. OCLC 1226803367.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  27. ^ a b Lieffers, Caroline (May 24, 2018). "Empires of Play and Publicity in G. P. Putnam's "Boys' Books by Boys"". Diplomatic History. 43 (1): 31–56. doi:10.1093/dh/dhy035.
  28. ^ Duffus, R. l (November 1, 1925). "Aboard the Arcturus – How Treasure Island Came True for Young David Putnam, Who Sailed Strange Seas With William Beebe". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  29. ^ Bartlett, Bob (1934). Sails Over Ice. C. Scribner's sons. p. 80.
  30. ^ "David Binney Putnam and Dorothy Binney Putnam on board the schooner, Effie M. Morrissey". Hagley Digital Archives. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  31. ^ "George Palmer Putnam, Dorothy Binney Putnam, and David Binney Putnam on board the schooner, Effie M. Morrissey". Hagley Digital Archives. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  32. ^ a b c Enders-Hudson, Julie (November 30, 1984). "Amelia's husband created the legend". St. Lucie News Tribune. pp. [3], [4]. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  33. ^ Associated Press (June 5, 1928). "Woman sea flyer resembles Lindy". Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.). p. 4. ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  34. ^ Bryan, Courtlandt Dixon Barnes aut; Freeman, Michael pht; Golden, Robert pht; Rolfe, Dennis pht (1979). The international air and space museum. New York : Harry N. Abrams. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-8109-0666-2.
  35. ^ Raymond, Allan (June 19, 1928). "Eager Crowds Imperil Miss Earhart As They Welcome Fliers at Burry Port; Police Aid Weary Trio to Battle Way to Refuge in Zinc Works-- Friends Fly From Southampton to Greet Them and Hear Story of Their Adventures". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  36. ^ Booknotes: life stories: notable biographers on the people who shaped America. New York : Times Books. 1999. ISBN 978-0-8129-3081-8.
  37. ^ "Photo of people on board plane for first transcontinental flight". Purdue University. July 1929.
  38. ^ Westbury, Anthony (February 19, 2018). "Historic plane ride stirs memories for FP woman". St. Lucie News Tribune. pp. [5], [6]. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  39. ^ Ford, Corey (1967). The time of laughter. Boston, Little, Brown.
  40. ^ "Mrs. Putnam in Reno". Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.). September 27, 1929. p. 4. ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  41. ^ "Putnam's wife seeks divorce in Reno court". Capital journal. (Salem, Oregon). November 30, 1929. p. 10. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  42. ^ "Mrs. Putnam alleges failure to provide". Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.). December 19, 1929. p. 5. ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  43. ^ "Decree for Mrs. Putnam – Joint Custody of Two Children Granted by Reno Court". The New York Times. December 20, 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  44. ^ "Mrs. G.P. Putnam in Reno, To Sue Nomad Publisher". Daily News. November 29, 1929. p. 69. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  45. ^ "Mrs. George P. Putnam Weds Capt. F.M. Upton – Former Wife of the Publisher Married in the West Indies to a Hero of the Antinoe Rescue". The New York Times. January 30, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  46. ^ "Upton-Putnam wedding made known formaly [sic] at Ft. Pierce". The Palm Beach Post. February 2, 1930. p. 12. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  47. ^ "Mystery to friends of Putnam-Earhart couple". The Boston Globe. November 10, 1930. p. 28. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  48. ^ "Casa Caprona application to the National Register for Historic Places". May 8, 1984.
  49. ^ DeMarko, Sharon; Enders, Julie (June 6, 1982). "The house of the good life". St. Lucie News Tribune. pp. [7], [8], [9], [10]. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  50. ^ Hartman, Bea (2010). Florida's treasures : 55 great sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Bradenton, Florida : Bradenton Press. ISBN 978-0-615-70577-4.
  51. ^ a b Genz, Michelle (July 28, 1985). "Sturdy mansion with a touch of whimsy". The Miami Herald. pp. [11], [12]. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  52. ^ Scanlon, Scott (October 29, 1987). "RP banker recalls panic 58 years go". St. Lucie News Tribune. pp. [13], [14]. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  53. ^ a b c Buxton, Barry M. (1990). "Historic resource study – Davey Farm". National Park Service Data Store. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  54. ^ "Marriage Announcement". New York Times. August 22, 1916. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  55. ^ National Park Service (1996). Visual Character of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina. p. 218.
  56. ^ "Blue Ridge Parkway: Browning Cabin". docsouth.unc.edu. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  57. ^ Fraboni, Frank (March 23, 2020). "Why is historic cabin on Blue Ridge Parkway being allowed to crumble?". WLOS. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  58. ^ The occasional Margareader : food for thought served Buffett style. Cape Cod, Mass.: Peninsula Press. 2010. ISBN 978-1-883684-99-0.
  59. ^ "Mrs. D.B. Putnam Wed – Ex-Wife of George P. Putnam Is Bride of Don Blanding". The New York Times. June 15, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  60. ^ "Lewis Palmers to take African summer cruise". The Miami Herald. June 26, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  61. ^ a b c d e Enders, Cynthia (May 16, 1982). "She inspired regard for reptiles, boosted marriage, art, literature". St. Lucie News Tribune. p. 60. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  62. ^ a b "Recent short stories will be reviewed by Mrs. Palmer". St. Lucie News Tribune. February 19, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  63. ^ Latham, Sally (January 20, 1976). "Nationally famed artists pass this way". St. Lucie News Tribune. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  64. ^ a b Enders, Julie (April 15, 1983). "Dedicated naturalist led garden groups in overwhelming effort to beautify St. Lucie". St. Lucie News Tribune. pp. [15], [16], [17]. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  65. ^ Latham, Sally (October 26, 1975). "Clipped From St. Lucie News Tribune". St. Lucie News Tribune. p. 18. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  66. ^ "Audubon pays tribute to Dorothy Binney Palmer". St. Lucie News Tribune. October 6, 1975. p. 5. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  67. ^ "Obituary for Dorothy Binney Palmer (Aged 92)". The Palm Beach Post. May 10, 1982. p. 21. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  68. ^ Werne, Jo (August 8, 1997). "Unlocking The Past Diaries Reveal Dorothy Binney Putnam's Secret Loves And Passions | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  69. ^ Cheever, Susan (September 7, 1997). "Husbands and Wife". New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2022.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Chapman, Sally Putnam (1997). Whistled like a bird: the untold story of Dorothy Putnam, George Putnam, and Amelia Earhart. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 978-0446520553.
[edit]
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