More than 90 years after Charles Lindbergh's historic solo flight across the Atlantic, a pair of his goggles are coming home.

The Minnesota Historical Society purchased a pair of Lindbergh's flight goggles at an auction in May for $8,500, part of the organization's efforts to document the life of the celebrated and controversial pilot from Little Falls, Minn., and his influence on the field of aviation.

The military-issued eyewear — with green lenses and leather padding — dates from the 1930s, after Lindbergh's historic 1927 trip from New York to Paris. The 33½-hour journey catapulted him to worldwide fame as the first aviator to complete a nonstop transatlantic flight. Lindbergh's career in aviation continued for more than two decades, including stints at Transcontinental Air Transport, Pan American Airways and the Aeronautics Branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce, according to the Historical Society.

Sondra Reierson, a Historical Society curator who led the bid to obtain the artifact, said Lindbergh's widow, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, gave the goggles to her New York City physician, Dr. John Lattimer.

When Lattimer died in 2007, they were purchased by a collector and eventually auctioned off.

Reierson hopes that in the future, the goggles could be part of an exhibit at the Charles Lindbergh House and Museum, at the site of Lindbergh's childhood home in Little Falls.

Matt DeLong — Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society, Star Tribune
This pair of goggles worn by aviator Charles Lindbergh was purchased at auction by the Minnesota Historical Society.

The main terminal at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was named after Lindbergh in 1985, and a statue honoring him was placed on the grounds of the Minnesota Capitol the same year.

But Lindbergh's legacy has come under renewed scrutiny, as public perception of his accomplishments have, for many, been overshadowed by his reputation as a Nazi sympathizer and for anti-Semitic comments made while leading a campaign to keep the United States from entering World War II — as well as revelations that he led a double life with three mistresses in Europe.

The darker aspects of Lindbergh's story are part of the reason the Historical Society and other state agencies have tried to provide a more complete accounting of Minnesota's historical figures and sites in recent years.

"We have to recognize that people we view as heroes are still humans," Reierson said.

Katie Galioto • 612-673-4478