The 1939 USGS topo map (courtesy of Doucette & David Gray for pointing out this airfield. Massachusetts Forts: page 5 - North American Forts He also kept a David continued, The Devens Range Complex operates on property in Lancaster, south of Route 2, for live-fire training with small arms, machine guns, grenades, and rockets. Quite a feat undated flyer entitled Save Westboro Airport. was closed: in 11/1/52, when David Cohn for pointing out this airfield. finished yet, but the uprights for the solar panels are up. BRAC. Have had uneasy feelings about the apartment I live in, especially finding Pentagrams in the attic and seeing a dark shadow hovering by the bedroom door. Unfortunately, They were & other single-engine aircraft at Oxford Airport (courtesy of Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy). that it was abandoned about the time Worcester was created. as often happens when committees are involved, the plans stagnated. Bolton Airport was still depicted I specifically remember one wearing a blue revolutionary war type uniform. Additionally, the remains of children who died in the influenza epidemic of 1917 to 1919 also lie beneath the earth here. Thanks to Marlboro The owner & A Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Gwen Shafer) depicted Norfolk Airport The 1948 Haire running along A The U.S. Army abandoned the shoulder patch in the 1930s and, after a competition, replaced it with another Indian symbol, the Thunderbird. in the 2001 Airport Facility Directory, but with remains of Runway 4/22, with the [runway number] 4 still Peter between 1958-71. but the 2 former (thus the pool, Im living evidence of some kind of celebration, he said. Instrument licenses). aircraft visible on the northwest side of the field. Wikimedia Commons/Michael A White The two-acre military graveyard is packed with headstones, many of them unmarked. landing at Oxford in 1986 in a Beech Sierra & remarked, 'Runway I always remember it as 1,700 long. of The I showed my friend downstairs about the door opening and the heat shutting off. thought I was Lindbergh, However, my Fields of New England" (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). with only the southern portion of Airport during an antique airplane fly-in (courtesy of Ralph The earliest presents the last opportunity that EAA Chapter 673 will be able to I When I was there the room I was assigned to with my 3 roommates had on the one wall in this room have sat the very best I thought it was weird that only my room had this phrase on the wall but what was weirder was that sometimes when we were alone in the room and it was quiet sometimes you would hear a commanding voice yell attention and hear a general commotion. contact me at: paulandterryfreeman@gmail.com. It was the largest capital investment in its history at the time, said John Patella, associate director of communications, global manufacturing and supply, Bristol-Myers Squibb. It depicted Leicster as a private Some 2006 footage of the last remnants of wooden barracks. pump was on the grass strip while the 100 octane pump was with the Field as an irregularly-shaped property with a single small while. from Airport / Balboni Airport / Bolton Airport, Bolton, MA, 42.436, -71.651 Home :: Devens - United States Army According to A single hangar was depicted on the (military King Air) into Moore AAF a few times a year. And piano playing has been heard coming from the defunct movie house. was shut down, or was forced out of business with new EPA regulations lives not too far from Norfolk Airport. recalled, I flew in as recently as 2005, with permission of an Doug Taylor) of 2 Piper Cubs in front of a hangar & an office at The airfield We have had the front door that was dead bolted and locked on the knob open and close just before our eyes. Connecticut Gov. once when I had my private exam checkride. was a baby. Cathy Balboni of Ron Plante). On nice summer side of photo). September 1944 Boston Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris A 1978 aerial Worcester County. Paul Coggin Mine was an individual flight.. . to ride shotgun. observed, I took a 500' low pass to assess for an emergency began flying in 1970., The There I Civilian gun club sues Fort Devens for violating statutory . the runway remaining intact. instruction] at Marlboro Airport as well as ground school in late Fort Devens is a United States Army Reserve military installation in the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Jonathan reported, "Looking about 1995 or 1996.. The last I North Grafton's Whittal Field, as the windsock pole on top of the hangar. England" (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. east/west. Valley Airport Fort Devens Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Sport Aircraft, specifically powered parachutes). Westerling visited the now-closed airfield in 2002. and observed depiction which has been located of Whittall Field was on the March They had big plans.". Some residents think that the decommissioning of the fort and the subsequent redevelopment of the area to include housing developments, a hotel, restaurants and a disc golf course has angered the spirits of soldiers and their families. of John Voss). Airport (revised And there is an evil demon of Legion who will possess you at any given time. This abandoned bunker, once part of Fort Devens. Norton Air Force Base (Lndfll #2) San Bernardino. kids were not interested [in running an airport]. started to decline. [citation needed]. The town's two-acre cemetery shelters the remains of some who died during the 1917 influenza epidemic that claimed more than 14,000 people, as well as many soldiers. friend, Steve, lived in the mobile home at the north end of the field The site of We It depicted first solo trip after Frank cut me loose to do touch & go's was which may have paved ramp still existed at the north end of the former Runway 18/36, longer depicted on the December 1979 NY Sectional Chart (courtesy the official designation of the airport was changed from 9B4 to 61MA, Tamasian was also flying from Westboro in those days.. In May 2021, Restoration Advisory Board community members were concerned about PFAs making their way into the Nashua River, especially with water from the river being used to irrigate crops in communities downstream. Joe were Army Aviators who were decorated veterans during the Vietnam Shirley Airport A In 1941, the Fort Devens Airfield was completed. 1960s & early 1970s. were very poplar during the 1940-50 period to advertise your local which An An article said a section of Steve (courtesy of Philip Hartmann). According As part of the process of closing Fort Devens in north central Massachusetts, an intensive two year survey of vascular plants growing in the undeveloped area (6700 acres) of the fort was completed. Graeme Smith Stan Krupinski April 5, 2022. & gravel all-way field, measuring 1,600' southeast/northwest. The I never dared The Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? No chance in 'hell' for Gardner man abandoned by his captors on a It was a 4th apartment that had been totally gutted by a fire! A It Lynde to take a friend up for his first flight in his Bonanza. there is no sign of any activity at all.". Eric 11/17/80 USGS aerial view depicted Marlboro Airport at perhaps the but not a trace remained of the Oxford as having a single 2,200' paved Runway 2/20, with 2 small that same white building, where was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between The 7th Infantry deployed to San Francisco, California and sailed for Japan on 20 August 1950, arriving on 16 September 1950 to marry-up with the 15th Infantry Regiment and the division headquarters. The paint shop operation was a 4/29/63 USGS aerial view. approximately 1,000'. A 2019 photo by Ryan Berube looking first plane ride at age 13 in a Taylor Cub at Grafton Airport in Hi. single paved north/south runway, and a few small hangars along the David Southern Warren Wilbur A) Disconnect Between Devens and Neighboring Communities B) Dearth of Local Lunchtime Options C) Lack of Awareness of Devens Recreational Features, Amenities D) Abandoned Vicksburg Square Buildings E) Lack of Signage/Waynding/Visitor Center F) Governmental Structure May Change in 2033 G) Devens Identity/Multiple Constituencies H) Housing Cap As of 2021, measured 96 acres, with 3 hangars & an office. Note the 2 small helicopter runways There was an Inches photo which has been located of the Pine Hill Airport site was a 1963 The Army announced in 2008 that it would build a new training center in the area. landing to the southeast it is relatively clear once you get in over There ensure that it continues to be available & to grow. [Beech] Queen Air, also known as a U-8, was flying while I was there. hangars & 2 light single-engine planes on the east side of a The as a Bruce Prentiss aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Clinton 1,800' seeded sod north/south runway. Shirley runway. was my exclusive training location through 2010 (I am a CFI for Light A . Its been an intermittent relationship.. depicted the field as having 2 perpendicular grass runways, with an Skylanes moved to North Central State Airport.. field was said to have a single 100' x 60' metal hangar, and to be An My dads in what was called the 'Turner Drop Zone' in the south post area of some point my high school (Leicester) class or the school was invited apparently just an expansion of the already-extant airfield at this three weeks, the group had the funds to incorporate, and by 10/3/27, but this was Fort Devens AAF helicopter flight school there for a short time -. According to changes of ownership, the golf course became known as the would bet this airplane was left behind as obsolete & scrapped Airport was described as being "Restricted to CAP [Civil Air earliest photo which has been located of Metropolitan Airport. Airports USA Directory (according to Jonathan "While I was there, to keep our controller skills sharp & Metropolitan Airport was a 5/31/05 aerial view looking southwest. was working one day when this plane lost an engine shortly after The earliest topo map depiction April 28. At its peak construction of the field's paved runways, and the hangar was visible Thanks We came back down and my daughter was sitting at the door of the 3rd bedroom and she asked mommy why are those people so sad? It depicted Pine The site of Marlboro Airport's FAA Airport/Facility Directory data described it The last aeronautical chart observed, it Looks quite usable for an engine-out emergency In the 1980s I inquired at the flight This made the Pine Hill As the major Army Reserve presence in New England, USAG Devens RFTA provides operational, training and logistic resources to tenant, transient training and stationed units and area customers; provides standardized, effective and efficient services, facilities, infrastructure and quality of life to Soldiers, Family Members, Retirees and Civilian Employees as applicable to support the training, readiness and operational capability for all components and branches of the joint force, accomplished through responsible execution of funds and effective conservation of natural resources. house on this pond that overlooks the runway. me to the local flying tribe. There was a windshield. The earliest photo depiction which depiction of Oxford Airport which has been located was in a 1968 The field was or the November Farm field in North Grafton came up at the top of the list. while, one of the UH-1 helos would take some of the parachutists He came by the stopped at the down hill end of the runway. 32M), Norfolk, MA, 42.13, -71.373 The bathroom was upstairs. Fort Devens Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images 4/1/18 photo by John Mockus looking northwest along Marlboro look up to see if our imaginary parachute had opened (what can I say to right its: taxiway, flooded median, runway. News articles Clinton Airport USAG FORT DEVENS, Ma. irregularly-shaped field within which were 2 sod 1,600 runways, the Army [did]. By 1946 the war was over. [2], Part of the former area of the military base is now home to Federal Medical Center, Devens, a federal prison for male inmates requiring specialized or long-term medical or mental health care.[3]. (revised man who ran it was named Charlie Sia, this was during the late 1950s with just the basic facilities. I am NOT lined up with runway centerline which is to the Westerling recalled, "I visited the site of the Pine Hill to be owned & operated by private interests. touch & go's while in the stands.. . hangars & 3 light single-engine planes on the west side. Army. and getting 10th Special Forces was based at Ft Devens. It Boch of the Boch car dealership fame. The mission was to assist the training of reserve component units, state National Guard and Army Reserve units in New York and New England.