08/28/2026
Did you know that on four separate occasions during the 19th century, the biggest balloon in the country was launched from Buffalo?
PART 1: Professor Samuel A. King was a well-known aeronaut of his time. Born in Philadelphia in 1828, King made his first flight in a balloon from there in 1851. The first aerial photograph taken in the US was taken from the “car” of his balloon over Boston in 1860. King continued to pilot his balloons well into old age, with newspapers reporting his last flight at the age of 81.
On July 5, 1869, Professor King launched his balloon the “Hyperion” from Franklin Square in Buffalo with four journalists as passengers. This balloon was the largest in the country at the time, holding 65,000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas, and capable of carrying several hundred pounds of ballast along with its passengers. Shortly after liftoff, the balloon was over Lake Erie and quickly losing altitude. The balloon struck the water and skimmed along the surface for about 100 feet before ascending again. After briefly landing in the town of Eden, the party ascended again, reaching a reported height of 2.5 miles above the ground.
As the last of the ballast was thrown out of the car, the balloon slowly descended over the forests and crashed into a large pine tree. The passengers spent the night perched on tree branches 50 feet off the ground. When dawn broke, they managed to cut the anchor line hanging above them, and immediately the basket fell to the ground without injuring a single passenger. The Hyperion, however, did not meet such a fate. The branches of the pine had torn the balloon to shreds. After a short hike, the aeronauts found themselves in the village of Kinzua, Pennsylvania, where, reportedly, the balloon was recovered at a great expense to the travelers.
The Hyperion was fully repaired and once again took to the skies in a flight from Rochester to Cazenovia, NY on October 19, 1869. In 1870, Professor King and the balloon Hyperion returned to Buffalo to once again commemorate Independence Day with a flight. On this occasion, the flight was short, going from Buffalo to Wright’s Corners, near Lockport, NY.
Photos seen below are Professor Samuel A. King and the Hyperion before taking flight in Rochester, NY (Rochester Public Library, NY Heritage Digital Collections).
Stay tuned for Part 2 to learn about flights of the balloon that was named after Buffalo! For more transportation history, check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, or come visit us in person! The museum is currently open Thursday through Saturday, 11am to 4pm.
