Professor John Wise was one of America’s foremost aeronauts in the 19th century. Between 1835 and 1879, the Pennsylvania native made 462 aerial voyages in a variety of handcrafted balloon airships, including from Bellefonte. However, on his last voyage from a fairgrounds in St. Louis, Missouri, something went terribly wrong. As Wise and a passenger named George Burr ascended, some folks within the fascinated crowd foolishly grabbed the balloon’s drag rope. The 1,800-foot rope was intended to be used for counterbalancing and to measure distance from the ground. Professor Wise and young Mr. Burr shook violently in the airship until they cut the rope free. The damaged airship lifted away on its fateful journey.
John Wise was born in Lancaster in 1808. As a child, he became fascinated with the art of flying, experimenting with kites, dreaming that one day he could build one large enough to carry himself into the heavens. He apprenticed in cabinetmaking and gave up a career in building pianos to follow his dreams. In 1835, he took a leap of faith into professional ballooning, embarking upon his first voyage from Philadelphia that year. In his own words, his calling for ballooning was “more from the scientific attractions it had than from the mere love of adventure and money-making.” Professor Wise was a scientist, and no doubt a brave one.
The professor devoted his life to “the science that governs the art of ballooning.” He constructed silky, varnished balloons that could harness the explosive gases needed to rise miles into the sky. He lectured crowds before and after ascensions and took detailed notes of his observations from above. One time in Danville, he took passengers aloft with him on a 400-foot rope-tethered ride. So many folks wanted to join the fun that he started charging passengers a half-dollar, until he made $80.
Yet most of his journeys were alone, flying into the uppermost regions of the atmosphere, covering thousands of miles, amid all kinds of conditions. For Professor Wise, “traversing the upper heavens” was not only a scientific study, but a religious experience. He conducted grand ascensions all over the U.S., especially in Pennsylvania — from Philadelphia, Lancaster, Allentown, Lebanon, York, Gettysburg, Danville, Carlisle, Hollidaysburg, Lewistown, and Bellefonte, just to name a few.
On April 23, 1842, Professor Wise made his 33rd ascension in his balloon, theUnited States, from the Mifflin County Jail yard in Lewistown. A jail-yard enclosure was ideal for selling $1 tickets for admission of a “lady and gentleman.” Sometimes the inflation of the balloon took an hour or more, so Professor Wise would lecture crowds on balloon science. As usual, he made detailed observations, noting that “the Borough of Lewistown represents the letter Y, which gives a peculiar appearance. The Juniata, meandering through the mountains added much to the beauty of the scenery; my attention was particularly drawn to that portion of the river which passes through the narrows below Lewistown.”
He also noted that he could hear the faint sound of a church bell and mentioned that the “bridges and State Buildings at Harrisburg were discernible in the distance.” Wise made his landing safely near Lock 7 on the Pennsylvania Canal. He noted that the lock keeper, Jesse Frey, “kindly entertained me until the arrival of the packet [boat], by which I reached Lewistown the next morning.”
Less than a month later, on Saturday, May 14, 1842, Professor Wise made a similar voyage in his black balloon from the jail yard in Bellefonte. He reported:
“[T]he towns looked like a chessboard, with Milesburg linked to Bellefonte. At forty minutes after my departure I made the last signal for a hurrah from the spectators on the hill behind the courthouse, and the answer reached me with a faint noise, resembling the screams of a child under a feather bed. At the height of a mile the balloon reached an easterly current, which carried it over Hecla Furnace and Nittany Mountain. The view was magnificent. A number of pillars of smoke were rising from the different iron-works dispersed through Centre County. The endless and lofty Allegheny Mountains bounded the view in that direction.
“The lonely windings of the Erie turnpike [Rattlesnake Pike] were soon lost in the dark defiles of the mountains. Nature’s fragrance perfumed the atmosphere with the sweet odor of its fruits. As I passed over Nittany Mountain, Penn’s Valley distinguished itself from its smaller neighbors. The verdant soil appeared to be more copiously charged with vegetation, and the fields appeared to be generally larger. At four o’clock I made arrangements to land, which was safely effected in Brush Valley, near the house of Mr. John Royer, fifteen miles from Bellefonte.”
Professor Wise believed in the unbounded potential of his balloons. In 1859, although his balloon, Jupiter, failed to reach his intended destination because of lack of wind, Wise made history when he transported the first official U.S. airmail. During the Civil War, he convinced the U.S. government to use his services for reconnaissance at the Battle of Manassas (First Bull Run). However, after his balloon was damaged by tree branches, his war balloon schemes were finished.
One of Wise’s more persistent goals, which also did not happen, was to make a trans-Atlantic journey utilizing the “constant and regular current of air … blowing at all times from west to east.” Despite such unsuccessful efforts, Professor Wise made lasting contributions in advancing scientific and atmospheric knowledge. He was perhaps the first to observe and document the jet stream. His adventures also brought immeasurable wonder and joy to folks across America.
One of those amazed “balloonatics” requested to join Professor Wise on Sunday, Sept. 28, 1879. George Burr was a 29-year-old bank teller who made a fateful decision to fly with John Wise that day. They ascended from Lindell Park in St. Louis in a new balloon, Pathfinder, that had not been used before. After the rocky start, and disappearing out of sight, they were later observed passing Alton, Illinois. Then the Pathfinder was last seen around midnight flying over Miller’s Station (Miller Beach, Indiana), heading toward Lake Michigan, just east of Chicago. Why they could not avoid the lake remains a mystery, but it was theorized that the pair must have drowned on Sept. 29 after descending into the Great Lake.
Burr’s body was found on Oct. 24, washed up on the beach of Lake Michigan; he likely tried to swim back to shore, which is why his body was recovered on the beach. Burr was identified by his brother and was returned home to St. Louis and buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery. Professor John Wise and his balloon were never found. A memorial in his hometown of Lancaster pays tribute to the brave aeronaut. T&G
Local Historia is a passion for local history, community, and preservation. Its mission is to connect you with local history through engaging content and walking tours. Local Historia is owned by public historians Matt Maris and Dustin Elder, who co-author this column. For more, visit localhistoria.com.
Sources:
Fisher, Forest K. It Happened in Mifflin County. Lewistown, Pa: Mifflin County Historical Society, 2006. P. 86-102.
“First U.S. Airmail.” Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Accessed Jan. 31, 2025. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/stamps-take-flight-rarities-and-special-holdings/first-us-airmail
“John Wise, the Aeronaut.” Philadelphia Times (Philadelphia, Pa). Oct. 3, 1879. https://www.newspapers.com/image/52221350/
Linn, John Blair. History of Centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania. 1883. P. 85.
https://archive.org/details/historyofcentrec00linn/page/84/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater
“Probable Death of Professor Wise, the Aeronaut.” Carolina Watchman (Salisbury, NC). Nov. 6, 1879. https://www.newspapers.com/image/58270800/
“Still No Tidings.” Wheeling Register (Wheeling, WV). Oct. 2, 1879. Access Link.
“Restoring John Wise’s Velocipede.” Lancaster History. Accessed Jan. 31, 2025. https://www.lancasterhistory.org/velocipede/
Wise, John. Through the air. Philadelphia, New York: To-day Pub. Co, doi: https://doi.org/10.5479/sil.79885.39088018983569
