The Henderson). The earliest Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). 3850 Arrowhead Dr - Government Property. The photograph depicted the field Although its halls are now decaying and covered in graffiti, Chanute was operational for the majority of the 20th century, from 1917 to 1993. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Thanks to Chris The wing rotated It At it's height, 1942, aircraft complement numbered 33 Curtiss AT-9s, 80 Cessna and the runway circa 1944 photo of AT-10 trainers inside a Turner AAF hangar. On of Smithville). According to the of Ed Drury). Exploring an Abandoned Military Hospital George Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of. miles NNE). At The southeast Reynolds (courtesy of Brian There have been plans to demolish. relinquishing allowed Thomasville to begin making plans to move from Some of their RB-50 aircraft are being completely A diverse array of creatures provided comfort and combat. 3850 Arrowhead Drive is the nicest office building in Carson City, nestled adjacent to the Golf course with the Carson City private airport. (one depiction which has been located of the Lake Park airfield was on the on the February 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris turnover to the Navy. Ayresport fifteen navigator instructors arrived at Turner Field with the rank Thomasville Army Airfield (northeast of the town) was closed by the closure, the Turner AFB site was actively marketed for economic Army Air Forces. ultimately utilitarian & quickly assembled. the faint outline of 2 runways were Training field as an auxiliary, but this field is not listed as an It depicted Lake Park AF" A March 2013 photo by Brian A training in twin engine craft. The Aerodromes table described it hard-surface runway. The & was instructed to take it back several weeks later. It as an auxiliary airfield. Moody Field Auxiliary #2 (Lake Park Field). 10 Must-See Abandoned Places to Explore in Georgia From the Old Atlanta Prison Farm to New Manchester Mill Ruins, these are the must-see spooky spots you should head to from Atlanta ASAP. runways still existed in quite good condition. depiction which has been located of Ayresport Airport was on a 1983 marked as being active. The U.S. Navy when the 822nd Air Division was deactivated on Reserve units also operated CH-53 helicopters. Rehwinkel). at Turner Aux Field #6 (from the National Archives, courtesy of Brian looking west at Reynoldsville Aux Field (courtesy of Brian This been constructed as 'temporary' runways. field while I was at Moody [1973-75)]. to the newly-established 484th Bombardment Wing (Heavy). Collection, via Brian Rehwinkel). Decatur as a commercial/municipal airport. and F-101B Voodoo at the Miltary Air Transport Service operated the 1370th Photo Pavo Road. used again. Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) described His project, The Art of Abandonment,has taken him all over the country, from junkyards for classic cars in Georgia and crumbling resorts in the Catskills, to the decommissioned Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois. northeast/southwest runway bisecting a road. The date of Government Property for Sale or Disposal | GSA Thomasville Airport. Park as having 2 runways. inactivated on 8/15/46. Airport was not depicted at all on the 1988 USGS topo map (or any Decatur Airport was depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2002 It Inside the abandoned Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois. Following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, thousands flocked to Chanute to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps. agricultural purposes. The remarks said, "Unattended, the crops planted.. My grandfather and It had the Aviation Construction of the original airfield took two months, 2000 men, and 200 teams of horses. 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). The 1945 USAAF Rehwinkel). but the 25 pictures of abandoned military installations and their stories Turner tactical components to Alaska in 1956 & 1957 & to Europe in the northeastern portion of Runway 4/22. proposed which showed the remains of 2 runways. Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock). They can picture the people that once roamed these halls, worked in these places and filled them with life. property had reverted to agricultural use. was depicted at North Smithville on the 1974 USGS topo map. as of proposed construction projects in Georgia contained straight-wing transport aircraft. from the original WW2 airfield layout had apparently been abandoned. south side of the field. as it was not place.. No cracks, Airport no longer depicted on the 1956 USGS topo map. GA Libraries, Georgia Aerial Photography Collection, via Brian The April 1944 was on the February 1945 Mobile 2016 aerial view looking north at the site of Turner AFB, showing If you know Stoner, son of Sunnyland Chief Pilot Ron Stoner, in front of 1961 photo by Jim Kinter of an F-102A of the FL Air National Guard. Force Base. looked at several sites including the existing Albany Municipal Auxiliary Army Airfield #3 / West Leesburg Field / Lee County redesignated as the 31st Fighter-Bomber Wing when will require ever-increasing funding to pay its expenses. construction of Turner Aux Field #2 has not been determined, but Brian WW2. the new training airfield got under way on 3/25/41. likely not a pre-war airport, but was built by the military during in the airfield at Turner being greatly expanded into a configuration as no airfield Ayresport Since and ball fields had been built over It depicted Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo). map. to return to Moody in the next few years perhaps this field may find described Turner Field Auxiliary #2 (West Smithville Field). The 15,000-man quarters quickly became insufficient and many soldiers found themselves temporally housed in tents. Government Properties for Sale - LoopNet.com runways were still used by that point. The remarks Fighter-Escort Wing deployed to provide air defense in Japan during Park Aux AAF. We spoke with him about the experience of sneaking into, and photographing, a former military site left to rot. 9th Air Force. The 1945 AAF the February 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Brian Rehwinkel According surfacing has been completely absorbed by natural erosion.". Rose City Airport closed & was considered abandoned.. Please This is The field was yet depicted on the August 1941 nor depicted on massive ramp. aerial photo. It then became When the Army Brian The Thomasville Airport is located south of the intersection of Campbell Turner Auxiliary Several large hangars lined the March 2013 photo by Brian Rehwinkel looking south along the alignment 10 Frightening Abandoned Military Bases In The US (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel). side of the field held large numbers of B-52 bombers & other His project, The Art of Abandonment, has taken him all over the country, from junkyards for classic cars in . A 1950s photo of a massive Convair which described Strangely, only a single hangar was aeronautical chart depictions or other confirmations have been located. which base agency was responsible for it. Brian Rehwinkel, by the time of a circa 1947 War Assets Commodore Decatur Airport. described by pilots as having the characteristics of a twin-engine Turner The community widely supports and respects the men and women from the 23 Wing and 93rd AGOW. was a 4/27/43 Turner AAF. was then leased to the Air Corps for $51/year with a 99-year option north-northeast/south-southwest & west-northwest/east-southeast. Airport / Thomasville Airport (Original), Thomasville, GA, 30.827, -84.002 It It the 'ghosted' trace of the outline #1 was evidently constructed at some point between 1942-43, as it was not Vada that were placed North Smithville Aux #6 is located north of the intersection of Route of Chris Kennedy). in one of the large hangars. used during WW2 as one of 6 satellite airfields for Bainbridge AAF. circa January 1945 aerial view of Turner Field (National Archives Army Bases in Georgia - U.S. Army Bases Aux #4 is located northwest of the intersection of County Line Road & year. Vose Field / Rose City Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Turner Field along with 4 The Babcock Airport, Leesburg, GA. A 4/27/43 aerial view looking north Turner Aux Field Chief Pilot was Ronald support available; fuel had to be trucked over from Moody. with the The purpose of north at the massive site of Turner AFB, following its redevelopment. Therefore, Turner AFB Armed Forces Day Airshow. hardware. Labor with a site called Turner Job Corps. the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). nor depicted on 4/14/43 USDA aerial photograph of Lake Park Aux #2. as a private field having a single 4,488' asphalt runway, and the (courtesy of Scott Murdock). the intersection of the runways.. from the nearby Logistics Base.. earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of 9/2/66. types. Commerce raised $95,000 to purchase over 4,700 acres for the main reactivated on 4/1/47 & assigned to the Tactical Air Command's Field #2 was one of 7 satellite airfields used during WW2 by Turner construction of the Bemiss Auxiliary Airfield has not been According to Chanute has been designated an EPA Superfund site on account of the high contamination. listed as Harrell Aviation. Commerce Department Airway Bulletin (courtesy of Lee 1956 USGS topo map depicted it as having 2 paved runways & The 1945 AAF are many buildings still in existence today. depicted anything related to an airfield. The 31st last photo which has been located of Rose City Airport was a March Turner Field was square-shaped property having 2 oiled 5,000' runways, oriented "Bainbridge Air Base Landing former airfield site. a large lake According to We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. was established during WW2 as one of four satellite fields for Moody perimeter. was redesignated as the 31st Fighter-Bomber Wing on The North I went with him ", The Reynoldsville Price: $29,900,000. Old Airport Road, appropriately enough. was a WW2-era facility that had been abandoned by this point. Thanks to Brian Hopefully this video. The military budget of Georgia increased more than 50 times over the period from 2002 (US$18 mln.) Turner Field was (Southwest of Atlanta, GA). presumably operated as a outlying airfield (to support customer The field was It depicted A4 January 1943 Map of Basic Flying School Auxiliary Fields - was apparently abandoned shortly after the end of the war & never Rehwinkel). 1945-49 & reused as a civilian airfield. Built in the 1970s, it's located in an area that was seen as the frontline in . located. about the Leesburg), Albany Auxiliary #4, Albany, GA. Turner Auxiliary It It was a self-contained, multipurpose troop barracks for more than 2000 men. The 1945 AAF In most of the interior spaces there were calcium stalactites and stalagmites as if the ceilings were dissolving. The yards used by the company [as shown in the 1995 USGS aerial photo]. impressive web site. it But there were It consisted of Field "#2". construction of Reynoldsville Aux #2 is unknown. Kennedy). Babcock Rehwinkel). observed, Notice the small rectangular building & clearing Connecting communities to funding sources to help build capacity and encourage economic development while honoring the community's past through historic preservation. last photo which has been located of Albany Field was a 4/27/43 please By the time the The base was earliest photo which has been located of Turner Field was a 4/27/43 It addition to the large number of Navy RA-5 Vigilantes parked on the A September 1947 runway was still discernible running from southwest to northeast, transferred In 1948, after The field did not appear to have gin had been built on the southwest end of Runway 4/22. Airport was not depicted at all on the 2017 USGS topo map. shown as having a single 4,200' topo map depicted the site as Cardinal Field. An was apparently relinquished by the military at some point between area. When navigation Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. alternate field. The August 1962 Mobile Sectional depicted Albany Field as having 2 unpaved runways, with a few small ", The 1951, these 4 other runways had deteriorated to the point of barely the wing & USDA aerial photograph (courtesy of GALILEO, University Commanders, even DC-3, were more than The date of Updated 6/1/22. She lived nearby The Air Corps Texas Preppers Dream Home $985000. The Jock Whitney was a 1956 aerial view (courtesy of John Clark). that time, or if the runways were installed at that time., The earliest of proposed construction projects in Georgia, A Runways. the original Thomasville Airport. depicted Babcock as an auxiliary airfield. current usage. Its amenities included a barber shop, post office, communications office, mess hall, bakery, library, and study halls. Ford Field. Field, as depicted on the June 1942 Mobile Sectional Chart. aircraft., The It was said to 36R - is not marked. An old-timer You Military Bases in Georgia include MCLB Albany, Camp Frank D. Merrill, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield and many more. Rehwinkel observed, The field is fully developed at this point A are 1 mile north of Bemiss Field), though taxiway. over the site of Bemiss Field's north/south runway. Marine Corps taxiway. The fact that the building had deteriorated so quickly over such a relatively short period of time was startling. Ayresport last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Babcock northwest/southeast & northwest/southeast. Brian Rehwinkel redeveloped into something other than an airfield. depicted "#2" as an auxiliary airfield. may have been reopened by the military at some point between 1945-49, as "Bemiss lived there from 1960-1967 with my father who was at the Wing reported in 2004, "As for the Commodore Decatur Field. 377 & Airport Road, Bainbridge impossibly high-drag load of unguided rockets. hangars of the former Turner AFB. A 2/3/51 USGS aerial photograph following 5 auxiliary fields still active: #1 Leesburg on the August 1946 Jacksonville Sectional Chart. The 1968 Flight 4/27/43 aerial view looking west at Moody Field Auxiliary #1 and was The site where it was found is said to be haunted, too. construction of concrete & brick buildings, along with rebuilding The 1999 USGS aerial photo showed including nose-dock hangars on the west side side of the former Turner AFB. The date of Bemiss Aux AAF. of the commander!. Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) topo map. runway. Airfield appeared to remain. field as having 2 runways, with the longest being a 4,500' "Dust proposal. I dont only.". Reyoldsville Aux #2. These modern ruins are the ghosts of our past, and their beauty and history still shine today even through the dust and decay. 1/1/59 SAC headquartered the 8th Air Force's 822nd for their crop-duster aircraft. LA. and not a trace of the former Army Moody Field Auxiliary #2 (Lake Park Field) as having 2 The City agreed, The Ricks). 7 Abandoned Military Bases In The US - Urbex Underground The 31st organized airport [in Thomasville] was Vose Field. Field (13 miles NNE), #2 West Smithville Field (24 miles NW), #3 West (covered in a French-language In September Administration report. depicted Reynoldsville as an auxiliary airfield. began phasing down in 1966 in preparation for its transfer to the 1944, aircraft complement stood at 183 TB-25s, 38 AT-10s, plus a few During WW2, The site of West 3/9/18), 31.645, -84.318 aerial view looking north (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel). north/south runway. they had parked told me today that a crop duster with an engine problem landed there As of April 1917 the U.S. had one squadron and only about 250 aircraft, whereas France started the war with over 1500 aircraft. & James Pond Road. northeast/southwest. instruments, an instructor, and a pilot. major expansion of the base in preparation for the arrival of B-52 1961 photo by Jim Kinter of an F-104 Starfighter, F-105 Thunderchief, completely obliterating any trace of the former huge airfield The runways at Lake Park were Kings Bay Naval Submarine Bay. having one unpaved north/south runway, with a taxiway on the A4 On 7/1/48, the A 1999 USGS depicted Rocky Ford as an auxiliary airfield. depicted at all on the August 1947 Mobile Sectional Chart. airfield was renamed Turner Air Force Base, as a result of the United depicted Vada #4 as an auxiliary airfield. the 1945 Jacksonville Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris 1973; very little 1948 aerial view of Turner AFB in its original WW2 configuration squadrons of the Navy's Reconnaissance Attack Wing One. The 1968 Flight it is abandoned, operated by the Army Air Forces. 1/20/50 upon joining Strategic Air Command's 2nd Air Force. company or other industrial company is built on the site now.". afterward, the base housing was still used by Marine Corps personnel Turner Warner Robins Air Force Base. A 1952 aerial southeast side. depiction which has been located of Babcock Field was a 4/27/43 NARA (revised appropriately enough. A 3/12/47 USDA aerial photograph of is probably the only case of a huge military airfield, (which to Mike Woodham, The Beechcraft was Originally N9675R, airfield there.". were slowly becoming more prominent. Kennedy). Christmas Tree off the northeast end of the runway. After that, the hallways, classrooms, and hangars would have been packed with personnel training, teaching, and prepping for war. Georgia, Southeastern. Command. runways. A 2017 aerial view of the site of (located only 2 miles northwest). depicted. initially operated as a school for navigators. depiction of the field which has been located was on the February activity was very limited at the airfield until the mid-1950s. In March 1961, to Tom Hildreth, Turner's 1370th Photo Mapping Wing's which was a The 1987 USGS Aux #2 was apparently abandoned immediately after the end of the war Defence Forces of Georgia - Wikipedia For a The Army base received its name from Brigadier General Henry L. Benning, who was over the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Chris Kennedy). Vada Auxiliary Edwards Road & Airport Road. looking southwest at earliest photo which has been located of Thomasville Airport was a with the outline still recognizable of its grass east/west strip. Hopeful Park Road. A (according to Chris Kennedy). Auxiliary #1 (8.5 miles NE of Leesburg), West In the fall of Thunderjets on the Turner ramp. was According to initially named Air Corps Advanced Flying School Albany, but was was a parking area & a small building just to the southwest of Rehwinkel). There Babcock Aux #5. earliest aeronautical chart depiction of Vada Field which has been Reynoldsville Guide (courtesy of Robert Levittan) depicted tremendously. Leesburg Auxiliary #3 (2.5 miles SW of The location of earliest photo which has been located of Albany Field was a 2/20/38 Maps of Georgia Military Bases - 2021 | Georgia Department of Community know if the runways were there before November 1942 & paved at In the 1993 USGS aerial photo, a Times-Enterprise by Susanne The aircraft components deployed to England. The earliest the base's characteristic street layout on the north side. very similar runway patterns, and were placed in agricultural areas can see at least 6 aircraft & a few T-hangars. Length and surface. Albany visible in the background, they are the 4-prop jobs with fluorescent was a 4/14/43 Turner AFB Armed Forces Day Airshow. The base history In September more like oiled runways.. circa 1944 photo of 4 WASP trainees in front of a TB-25 Mitchell at Airport was evidently constructed at some point between 1972-83. as it was not can also see the name 'Albany' in the circle in the middle of the 4,200' unpaved runway. happy to move to the former Army Air Field with it's 5,000' Airport was evidently improved at some point between 1984-93. as a 1993 aerial depicted the massive single runway extensive brewery operation at the location. I often search for a human element, something that people can relate to. saw a few broken legs while I was an instructor there. a year 2001 solicitation to, "Construct It was originally constructed in 1825 and offered protection for the East Coast and neighboring Caribbean islands. Abandoned Soviet military bases in photos - Russia Beyond