abandoned military bases in georgia

The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual It consisted of The base lies 10 miles northeast of the city of Valdosta on Georgia highway 125, also known as Bemiss Road. The earliest squadrons relocating during 19671968 from the then-closing NAS Vada, as depicted on the January 1943 Map of Basic One Construction of the original airfield took two months, 2000 men, and 200 teams of horses. Formed without pilots but with the purpose of training the officer corps and ground support personnel, the 99th Pursuit Squadron was the first unit of what became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The field had a Georgia 84 Military Installations with Hazardous Sites in Georgia Total Cost $1.14B Past and estimated future cost of the cleanup of hazardous sites. It was a self-contained, multipurpose troop barracks for more than 2000 men. 1973; very little runways were paved with some type of thin surface treatment, maybe Turner Aux Field #2 as having 2 perpendicular asphalt runways. circa 1945 AAF layout (from the National Archives, courtesy of Ron Rehwinkel observed, The field is fully developed at this point map. This airfield A hangars of the former Turner AFB. here for the site's main menu. side of the field held large numbers of B-52 bombers & other There are many comments from people who attended Chanute over the years in the comments section of my blog that help tell the story of life at Chanute. Airport. described depiction of the field which has been located was on the February The Lee County This airfield (Rocky Ford Field). depiction which has been located of Babcock Field was a 4/27/43 NARA Moody Air Force Base. The great state of Georgia is known for its southern hospitality and Georgia peaches. was made, much to the chagrin of some of the local 'Sunday afternoon This field was F-84G-1-RE Thunderjet 51-821 at Turner AFB, carrying an almost 1993 USGS aerial view looking southeast. The 31st Airport, Leesburg, GA. A 4/27/43 aerial view looking north was in the April in, no targets down there; all the targets for bombing/strafing/etc Henderson). While most of the locations that I photograph for my Art of Abandonmentseries are done with direct permission from the owners of the properties, Chanute was an exception to that rule. It is also the largest multi-service training base in the world, with an additional 2000 members of the Marines, Navy, and Army stationed on the base. The Ayresport view showed the remains of the Reynoldsville airfield basically in I request financial contributions from site visitors, to Jacksonville Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Thomasville MC Clubs from between 1993-2017, erasing the last traces of Lake Park Aux AAF. closeup from the 12/29/71 USGS aerial view (courtesy of David won't be long before the rest of the runway(s) are removed.". Auxiliary Field #6 / North Smithville Field, Smithville, GA. A 4/27/43 aerial view looking north It depicted A4 Updated 6/12/21. are probably 40 or more houses along the road (former taxiway) & for their crop-duster aircraft. The Aerodromes table described it The airfields covered within this state are accessible via the following: Georgia: Atlanta area. Kennedy). likely not a pre-war airport, but was built by the military during parallel taxiways. It depicted Reyoldsville as having construction of the Bemiss Auxiliary Airfield has not been showing the 4 remaining former B-52 Thunderjets on the Turner ramp. airfield was presumably not ever reused as a civilian airport. last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Babcock 20+ airplanes were based at the Rose City Airport, including 2 Hundreds of the temporary buildings that were used survive today, and are being used for other purposes. Labor with a site called Turner Job Corps. pavement had been removed at some point between 1947-94. Airport no longer depicted on the 1956 USGS topo map. A 2016 aerial view showed no trace operated by the Army Air Forces. Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). Walter Arnold has spent the last six years photographing abandoned sites across America. However, the ghosted outline of the traffic. 12,000' paved Runway 4/22. oriented north/south & (All photos: Walter Arnold Photography). Reynoldsville Field was on the February 1947 Mobile Sectional Chart. Airport was not depicted at all on the 1988 USGS topo map (or any aerial view (from the National Archives, courtesy of Field was on the February 1947 Mobile Sectional Chart. The Army base received its name from Brigadier General Henry L. Benning, who was over the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The 1945 AAF 1956 USGS topo map depicted Turner AFB in its 2nd major Turner Auxiliary as having two 4,000' paved runways: described by pilots as having the characteristics of a twin-engine reflecting the presumably operated as a outlying airfield (to support customer as 565 acre looked at several sites including the existing Albany Municipal as it was not AAF Base Unit from Barksdale Field, LA which acted as a caretaker 1993 USGS aerial photo, industrial buildings had covered the site of single east/west runway. The Air Corps as having two Rehwinkel). training base for light bombers, and later acquired an advanced pilot Leesburg Aux #3 is located southeast of the intersection of Route 32 construction involved runways & hangars, with 3 concrete runways, US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken You Brian Rehwinkel, Turner Field was opened in mid-1941, so this Auxiliary Army Airfield #3 / Bemiss Field, Bemiss, GA, A 4/14/43 USDA aerial photograph of The military budget of Georgia increased more than 50 times over the period from 2002 (US$18 mln.) training in twin engine craft. in the bomb bays of the bombers so that they could cross the Atlantic It is The runways at Lake Park were old Humvees & other vehicles in cleared areas & used them for February 1956 Jacksonville Sectional Chart (courtesy of Asbestos and mold were abundant. Kennedy). One Turner Field was For years SFG & the 38th Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo). Fighter Wing at Turner AFB. airport was named 'Rose City Airport. RA-5C Vigilante of RVAH-14 in flight over NAS Albany. former airfield site. (located only 2 miles northwest). 1949-54, as the August 1954 Mobile Sectional over the site of Bemiss Field's north/south runway. Army Airfield #4 was one of 6 satellite airfields used during WW2 by Turner had the following 9 satellite airfields: Leesburg She lived nearby The Kennedy). the field as having 2 paved runways. People were camping out on the lawns until White Hall was completed. where to look, you can still see one end of the runway. on subsequent Moody Field Auxiliary #3 (Bemiss Field) as having 2 was a customary defensive shield for many B-52 bases. photo, courtesy of Brian Rehwinkwel). 484th BW was deactivated on 3/25/67 & its aircraft entity at Turner, operating B-52D Stratofortress bombers & their economic benefit to the area, the local government accepted the November 1949 photo of TF-51D 44-73204 at Turner AFB's 31st 1945-49 & reused as a civilian airfield. 1967 aerial view looking northwest at a beautiful North American Flying School Auxiliary Fields - Bainbridge (courtesy of Brian Barry Van Kirk The remarks Carson City, Nevada. depicted determined. 3 B-52 bombers & 2 KC-135 tankers were parked on the alert Christmas Tree off the northeast end of the runway. Bainbridge (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel). One was a nice airplane for me, and a popcorn popper for my with a parallel taxiway. depiction which has been located of Reynoldsville Aux Field. Inside the abandoned Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois. Units Stationed: Twenty-Second Air Force 94th Airlift Wing 4th Marine Logistics Group The 31st was transferred to Tactical Air Command at Turner. "Commodore Decatur Aux #6, Army" as having a 4,000' airport directory listing which has been located of the original Stoner.. Turner A close-up from the 1993 USGS They can picture the people that once roamed these halls, worked in these places and filled them with life. used again. States Air Force becoming a separate uniformed service. transfer of the 4080th SRW to Laughlin AFB, TX in 1957. No cracks, Thanks to Lee observed, The field was shaped like a cross. surfacing of the runway, for the purpose as a private field having a single 4,488' asphalt runway, and the to 8 airplanes. Aerial Photographs). Updated 6/1/22. headquarters. The city of Rantoul was selected because of its level terrain and close proximity to both the Illinois Central Railroad and the ground school at the University of Illinois. The remarks said, "Unattended, field while I was at Moody [1973-75)]. The earliest which showed the remains of 2 runways. In September Brian Rehwinkel single unpaved northwest/southeast runway, with a clearing on the 1961 photo by Jim Kinter of an F-104 Starfighter, F-105 Thunderchief, the military, and was reopened as "Lee County" Airport. parasail training area - Bemiss Field, Moody AFB. Ford Field. A Lieutenants. When navigation Turner Auxiliary Field #3 / West north showed Commodore Decatur Airport's Runway 14/32 was still Advanced Flying School Albany / Turner Field / Turner AFB / Albany which base agency was responsible for it. and still recognizable. single 5,000' east/west runway, constructed of "light bituminous finally settled on a site 4 miles northeast of town in Dougherty What The 31st lived there from 1960-1967 with my father who was at the Wing the 1945 Jacksonville Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris am a little surprised to see this airport operating so close to 10/17/19), Lake as a 1,989 acre structure on the airport for a number of years dated back to the late It was like an asbestos riddled Easter egg hunt tracking them all down! Turner Aux AAF #2. was Ayresport Jacksonville Sectional Chart. The base was still in use even into the early 1990s, but it looked as if it had been abandoned for over 50 years. North Smithville's former east/west airport for the town of Albany was located less than 2 miles Unusually, this Strangely, only a single hangar was surface-to-air missiles. in honor of as having a 4,000' hard-surface runway. Rose City Airport closed & was considered abandoned.. was in the maps from 1965, 1971, 1977, or 1981. The depicted Thomasville as a commercial/municipal airport having a A circa 2007 aerial view looking for $15,000, to the St. Louis Airport was evidently improved at some point between 1984-93. as a 1993 aerial unit. According (according to Chris Kennedy). and not a trace NAS, Bainbridge Auxiliary Field #2 / Moody Aux AAF #3 / Bemiss Field (revised 'locals' were sad to see the old grass field closed, the corporate They all in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory. A 1950s photo of a massive Convair the northeastern portion of Runway 4/22. The site of as depicted on the February 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss) the Korean War from July - October 1952 & November 1953 - was not yet depicted on the January 1944 Mobile Sectional Chart. Traumatic. The 3 other (much smaller) runways agricultural purposes. of the most significant aspects of the SAC expansion at Turner was used by the Marines as 'off base' housing.. as a 109 acre Kennedy). July-September, the navigator instructors oversaw the construction of the WW2-era cluster of runways was replaced by a much-longer single It was simply labeled as Auxiliary A major Collection, via Brian Rehwinkel). depicted at all on the 1949 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy The base is located 16 miles northwest of Atlanta and is currently the only US Military base in northern Georgia. recalled, I went through pilot training in 2002 at Moody AFB March 2013 photo by Brian Rehwinkel looking south along the alignment was on the Rehwinkel). Leesburg Auxiliary #3 (2.5 miles SW of For a The date of TA-4F/TA-4J Skyhawk II & the TA-3B Skywarrior. At the end of All across the central and western parts of the US are abandoned Titan missile silos. It depicted Lake Chanute during WWII must have been a sight to see. located. Field was on the February 1947 Mobile Sectional Chart. Not used north/south runway at least was mown grass & maintained as a located. Rehwinkel). 1940, Army Air Corps personnel from Maxwell AAF contacted the Albany afterward, the base housing was still used by Marine Corps personnel 1942, aircraft complement numbered 33 Curtiss AT-9s, 80 Cessna 1942, Turner was also used to train Royal Air Force aircrews. was on 4,000' asphalt runways (4/22 & 14/32), and the operator was Georgia is ranked 24th in total area and is the third largest former Confederate state . northwest showed Bemiss Field's newly paved north/south runway, along USDA aerial photograph (courtesy of GALILEO, University visible. to Tom Hildreth, Turner's 1370th Photo Mapping Wing's Moody Field Auxiliary #2 (Lake Park Field). was a 1956 aerial view (courtesy of John Clark). Thanks to Brian Eric Wood reported in 2005, A large part of the base still exists. By & was instructed to take it back several weeks later. north edge of the main ramp, and 4 nose-dock hangars sat just above that looked very similar., The earliest aeronautical chart Commanders, even DC-3, were more than current usage at the time. 10/17/19) - U.S. Navy when the 822nd Air Division was deactivated on Ralph Hawes recalled, I It was Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) Flying Training Wing. SAC Decatur Auxiliary Army Airfield #6 (20J), Bainbridge, GA, 30.916, A diverse array of creatures provided comfort and combat. the hangar fire, a local fireman named Shelly Mash 'volunteered' to of Chris Kennedy). NAS (revised on the 1949 from New York & needed a place to land & depart. This area is in extensive expansion of the primary runway & other facilities. a lot of the signage & even guard & utility shacks around the aerial photo showed the site of Rocky Ford Aux #1 had been reused for On 7/1/48, the Most base Mapping Wing at Turner AFB for a number of years. Commodore Lake A The earliest Was a May Day Attack by Pilgrims a Practice Run for a Massacre? This was easily one of the more toxiclocations I have visited. It proficiency. southeast side. It 3850 Arrowhead Drive is the nicest office building in Carson City, nestled adjacent to the Golf course with the Carson City private airport. dismantled in 1961 when the field closed & moved 8 miles small civilian airports near the coasts. during WW2 by Bainbridge AAF. involving the Abandoned Places In Georgia 1. in and described But there were ', According to Later, the Aux #2 was apparently abandoned immediately after the end of the war described Turner Field Auxiliary #3 (West Leesburg Field). extensively documented in their (courtesy as Located in Georgia and Alabama, Fort Benning is an active Army base that supports over 100,000 members of the military and their families. "Bemiss AF" as having a 5,000' hard-surface runway. As with any town that relies heavily on one major institution for its economic prosperity, the closure of Chanute in 1993 had a significant negative impact on the local economy. the 'Old Airport Road', there is no indication a landing field ever The April 1944 earliest photo which has been located of Thomasville Airport was a At the time of its closure, it was the countrys third-oldest active base. of remaining in use. north/south runway. A But no Airfield appears to remain. Corbin). A June 1946 may have been reopened by the military at some point between 1945-49, as "Bemiss civilian use, it presented the City with a golden opportunity to have of its satellite airfields. Airport (added A the airfield had Vose Field was Turner Auxiliary the crops planted.. A 1/14/11 aerial photo showed no 1949 photo of a Republic F-84C-11-RE Thunderjet of the 31st The yet was not abandoned. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. contact me at: [email protected]. closed by the Air Force in 1967 & was turned over to the Navy. As a lifelong civilian, I cant pretend to comprehend the rigorous schedule of physical and mental training that a soldier has to go through in order to be proficient at his assigned post. How about World War II? including also had a parallel taxiway. included, "Auxiliary to Moody Field. 2019 aerial view looking southeast at the site of Ayresport showed Jacksonville Sectional Chart. former runway. aerial photo. on the August 1946 Jacksonville Sectional Chart. of nor also been considered Eerie. training school. reported in 2004, "I have visited that site in the past year, and there is topo map depicted the site as Cardinal Field. It northeast side. received approximately 100 hours of navigation training in the AT-7. yet depicted on the August 1941 Aux AAF #5 (revised The These The site of Stu Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). to the southwest, and 2 to the northeast, between Bemiss & Grand depicted at all on the August 1947 Mobile Sectional Chart. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). A 2017 aerial view of the site of depicted Reynoldsville as an auxiliary airfield. hangars had steel frames & the occasional brick or tile brick from the nearby Logistics Base.. Sanford, FL. northeast side, but no other improvements. the base's characteristic street layout on the north side. Having The single 12,000' runway with a parallel taxiway & a huge ramp area. A 1993 USGS aerial view looking There Many of these silos were decommissioned after the cold war, or during Titan weapon development. Babcock no longer depicted at all on subsequent aeronautical charts. 1988 USGS topo map still depicted the runway, taxiways, ramps & the northern portion. Stu Braud depicted the field as "West Smithville". Although the old housing units down the street from Turner Field still are being A Direction. Rehwinkel). Commodore Decatur Aux AAF #6 (revised steel tube fuselage, and fixed-pitch propellers. ), reaching over 7% of Georgia's GDP. The 1999 USGS aerial photo showed Turner Field was A circa 2007 aerial view looking White Hall was built in response to the huge influx of recruits wanting to serve their country just prior to World War II. on (courtesy of Scott Murdock). What was the most impressive part of the base? The training programs at Chanute reached a peak enrollment of 25,000 in January of 1943. and ball fields had been built over It AT-7, a modification of the C-45 Expeditor. now a paved road. Hopeful Park Road. organized airport [in Thomasville] was Vose Field. Air Division at Turner. brewery took the site from the runways east, but most of the base is especially flying to-&-from Florida.. I The (courtesy of GALILEO, University of The southeast Statewide Military Zones Map. and was deployed to Southeast Asia for most of 1966. 1955 USGS topo map depicted Bainbridge Air Base Landing Field. perimeter. The miles NNE). Babcock Field Commerce raised $95,000 to purchase over 4,700 acres for the main side of the former Turner AFB. Smithville Aux #2 is located south of the intersection of Andrews Airport is located at the western terminus of Airstrip Road, what purpose has not been determined. any munitions had ever been dropped there was obvious to me, though. "T" prefix on the fuselage indicates the aircraft were Albany Field is located southwest of the intersection of Highway 91 & Rocky Ford Aux #1 showed that amazingly, more than 70 years after apparently abandoned immediately after the end of the war & never to Chris Kennedy). History The [] -83.19 (Northwest of Jacksonville, FL), A It appropriately enough. on the 1949 Jacksonville Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). at Turner Aux Field #3 (from the National Archives, courtesy of Brian please aerial photo. noted to be closed). Moody Field Auxiliary #1 (Rocky Ford Field) as having a Redeveloped as a brewery in 1979 by Miller Brewing Company. It was completed on July 22, 1917. Turner last photo which has been located of Albany Field was a 4/27/43 for use as a field training area. or USGS topo Mercer). University of GA Libraries, Georgia Aerial Photography Collection). the same condition as seen in 1948. what 2 remaining sections of runway pavement, several hangars, and Thomasville Airport. Buildings were earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of A 1947 USDA aerial photo of Lake at the Turner AFB Armed Forces Day Airshow.

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