American Notes HAWAII

High above the Pacific Ocean in a tiny churchyard on the island of Maui, Charles A. Lindbergh's grave is as remote and austere as the legendary aviator said he wanted it to be before he died in 1974. But the seclusion Lindbergh sought in life -- and in death -- is slipping away.

In 1977 the U.S. Interior Department ceded a 1.1-acre plot adjacent to the grave site to Maui County for recreational use. Local residents as well as the Lindbergh family winced at the idea of picnic tables and chain-link fencing, and the park was never built. Now the Federal Government may take back the land and put it up for auction. A driveway could slice through the cemetery within 20 ft. of Lucky Lindy's grave. Whether the site remains in public or private hands, the world is already pressing in on the Lone Eagle: more than 50 visitors a day find their way to his burial ground.