Lithuania Square

This triangular plot of land at the intersection of South Second Street, Hewes Street, and Union Avenue is a memorial to a historic aviation tragedy. In 1933, two Lithuanian-American pilots named Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas attempted to fly a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker airplane from Brooklyn to Lithuania. The aircraft, which they named the Lituanica, was funded entirely by grassroots donations from immigrant communities who held parachute jumps and air shows to raise the necessary money. Because of their limited budget, the plane lacked both a radio and parachutes for the grueling journey across the Atlantic Ocean.