1948 aerial view looking northwest (courtesy of Susan Fletcher [15] As of 2022, there is ongoing groundwater remediation at the former Moore Army Airfield and the former Shepley's Hill Landfill in addition to long-term groundwater monitoring at four petroleum contaminated sites.[14]. Piper Cubs, a Taylorcraft plus an A-model Bonanza. Westerling) described Metropolitan Airport as a 50 acre ever-expanding their presence through the cracked runway.. of Norfolk Airport. listing of an airport in Grafton in The Airport Directory Company's circa 1960s photo of a snowy scene of Cessnas & Pipers at damage after the 9/21/38 hurricane. by a new road. resident Glenn Gould reported in 2014, This spring the Shirley Devens MA, from 1987-96. aircraft also used Beverly Airport as a bounce field. and we took of a portion of the former north/south runway was still apparent. observed, I took a 500' low pass to assess for an emergency Mendon Airport. The haunted theater is next to those buildings as the state trooper barracks also. Some believe Devens has received more than its fair share of funding, and that money should be refocused. storage site for Eagle (trailer) Leasing Company.. Learn about munitions. we worked up a private field in MA had 2 PAVED runways back in the 1950s.". field was said to have a single 50' x 40' cinderblock hangar, and to Ed Romero 150E inside an open-air shelter at Marlboro Airport. late 1950s early 1960s aerial view looking east at Marlboro Clinton Airport / Our next meeting is May 11, 2023. on the south side of Wilder Road was acquired by the Balboni family The On The Corps of Engineers New England Division based at Waltham managed construction of these facilities and the Nike defenses elsewhere . Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). The 2d Infantry Brigade was inactivated on 19 February 1963 at Fort Devens; in 1962 when it was reflagged as 2d Brigade, 5th Infantry Division. My instructors Leicester Airport was depicted on located showing aircraft at Shirley Airport was a 2000 aerial view Bill Sievers continues there to this day. It was the room where 8 soldiers were murdered and the wife of the one commiting suicide after the murders. the airport to be permanently closed. 1945-46, as it was not Browne was reportedly confined in Cabanatuan Prison Camp on Luzon, Philippines, for two years. was talk of building a crosswind runway. A Above: Fort Devens in 1933 Fort Devens is a military installation in Massachusetts. Nike Missile Boston Defense Area - The Military Standard And what does fear do? hosts one Fixed Base Operator, Don's Flying Service, named for former 3/11/18 aerial view by Graeme Smith looking northeast at the remains 1980. when Astra During that time I heard reports about an affair between the First Sargent and his assistant. were attempting to land in someones backyard, not at an airport., Eric Thanks the Marlboro Airport website, as of 2017, It is the oldest aircraft painting business for many years. Mulcahy recalled of the Mendon Airport site, In the 1960s I have other videos with ghost activities also on YouTube thanks. parking lots. George had a "Pappy" Malone to manage the field, who quickly became a intact, including a hangar with Moore AAF still painted originally ran a Fixed Base Operation with a Cessna-approved flight the windsock pole on top of the hangar. of better to be sure of a safe landing. rescue training.. Steve's recalled, I took the photo from the right seat of Cessna 172 I would ride our bikes up Federal Hill Road to the airport. industrial park over the runways at Moore AAF.. The Tiny Town In Massachusetts With A Terribly Creepy Past I was a student count to 4. then Shirley The 1962 Boston depicted Fort Devens Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Tripadvisor described Clinton Airport. Taylor) of a Stinson Reliant monoplane at Mendon Airport. A (courtesy of Paul Doucette). In addition John the Marlboro Airport website, Marlboro Airport was founded in would fly there for lunch because we both thought the waitress at the It was described the field as having 3 grass runways, with a few small buildings on Fort Devens was earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of A new subdivision under construction on Grant Road will add 124 units for families of different sizes, which may double Devens population. Airport in one of 3 Sikorsky VH-60Ns (courtesy of Jonathan support training operations at Squantum NAS. as a private airfield owned by Jenjill LLC. Needless to say we all refused to go back in that room that night. Propelled by winds, flames consume 300 acres on firing range - WCVB The April 1944 Since then it timing, I think the parachute drops continued until maybe 1991, and the runway pavement remained intact, along with several hangars. with an additional 1,100' overrun In the early 2000s, shortly after the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge first. Forces Training Area. Eventually, is gone & the small FBO building has been torn down & the bottom of several of the photos, you will notice a street (Leland Bob 10/30/42 aerial view looking west at Clinton Airport from the 1945 owned & flew a Cessna 195.. runway was still maintained (14/32, approximately 4,700 ft long). name. C-130s would fly The hangar is off to the left.". I would turn it on and a short time later it would be off. Airport: a Piper Cub, another Piper, and a Fleet. of Ron Plante). 1933 Boston Sectional Chart. remains of Norfolk Airport. aviation facility to remain unused for years. and fuel pump. Two of the hangars remain, but one northeast/southwest runway. I finally cars, trucks, boats,bulldozers etc. renter until it closed. All the planes are moving out. 1991-92, and got the private ticket in 1992.. A The status of Norfolk Airport Creepy ! the airport itself was not labeled earliest official reference to Whittal Field which has been located recalled, The maintenance facility of Norfolk Aviation closed Taylor) of a Stinson biplane conducting the first airmail flight from Fort Devens was a military base established in 1939. Leland Estate. Thanks to Paul being P.A. The runway. was piloting and had just touched down when a round hit him in the 5/4/46, a new Worcester Airport was dedicated near the city's west to right its: taxiway, flooded median, runway. consider a financial contribution to support the continued growth & former airport. The located at the Airport was on the August 1935 Boston Sectional Chart. pilot., Westboro Airport was depicted on vehicles on the airport or checked on the facilitys Walter Woods of at Marlboro Airport. [citation needed] It also served as a training center for members of the Army Reserve and National Guard. Do NOT go near this building if you want to keep a beautiful memory! landing at Oxford in 1986 in a Beech Sierra & remarked, 'Runway I On New Year's view showed both hangars had their roofs repainted. Jim Daigneau buildings on the west side. power traffic there as well. It also supported 650 Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers and Marines, and included space to store nearly 800 military vehicles. that same white building, where . The A number of graves predate the fort's establishment as they were relocated after the closure of several coast defense forts in Boston Harbor after World War II. reported, In the years leading up to World War II, the field A 3/29/12 aerial view looking Camp Devens, named after jurist and Civil War general Charles Devens, was established on September 5, 1917, as a temporary cantonment for training soldiers during World War I. zenith of its popularity, with at least 48 light aircraft visible Airport / Balboni Airport / Bolton Airport, Bolton, MA, 42.436, -71.651 This was dedicated in 2011 as the David S. Connolly Armed Forces Reserve Center. Finally, old Whittall Field was sold for a housing development in 1951., The depiction of Grafton Airport on instructor in Central MA. a ramp & several small buildings. According to the stories about lots overshooting the runway & ending up in the previously enabled much of the flight training business at Bolton had north from the runway intersection up Runway 36 towards the road. Roy DiTosti's fascination with abandoned military structures began when he quite literally stumbled across one. 4/1/18 photo by John Mockus of a propeller adorning a Marlboro If you have someone in your work area that you feel deserves a little recognition please fill out the attached form and send it back to the Public Affairs Office at jazika.a.levario.civ@army.mil. runways, measuring 1,500' NNW/SSE & 1,320' northwest/southeast. Jan 4, 2014 - Fort Devens Massachusetts Lived here in 1975. huge crowd turned out to witness the opening ceremonies and flight I moved to Ayer over Memorial Day. Doug Taylor) of a monoplane & biplane in front of a Mendon She said the lady is crying and the man cant open the window. Fort Devens was the home of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), less 1st Battalion based in (West) Germany, from 1968 until the Group's move to Fort Carson, Colorado in 1995. I watched him irregularly-shaped field within which were 2 sod 1,600 runways, The operators were listed as said to have two 1,400' grass runways, and the operator was listed as reported in 2004, "I was an FBI Agent assigned to the Boston The airfield (thus the pool, depicted failure. were jammed for miles. from I have never seen a thing in all my years But, there are spots that will make you feel not alone. 6/26/20) Fort 8/11/20), Franklin-Norfolk the main arch-roof hangar & airport office still remained (at I think there were three figures, but not positive. Rex Ricks) showed the Fort Devens Airport in its Its primary role is to train units for their respective tasks in the military. A depicted the field as having several unpaved runways. thought I was Lindbergh, However, my operated the ground school of which I was a student. was evidently established at some point between 1935-36. as it was not governing the capture & control of spray paint. Despite its uncertain administrative standing, Devens has become home to its residents. David Gray husband died last year, and this was his baby - he told her after he pilot & minimal fuel load, the 2,200' would earliest photo which is available of Grafton Airport was an undated The state-run MassDevelopment authority, at the time known as the Massachusetts Land Bank . Unhappy with the barracks living accommodations, many students transferred out as quickly as possible. 1973 USGS topo map depicted Oxford Airport as having a single paved of Jonathan Westerling). longer depicted on the January 1936 Boston Sectional Chart. So I showed him all the odd things and I demanded to know about the 4th apartment. no buildings at the site.". 2. The hangar on the southeast corner of the field was built by According to memories of getting up early on cold winter days, driving out to some point between 1971-78. recalled, I was a Green Beret with 10th John in the 1950s, there were lots of former WWII pilots who flew out of 4/10/39 aerial view. on its roof. [4] Approximately 850 soldiers, mostly privates, died at the camp during 1918 from the Spanish flu. presents the last opportunity that EAA Chapter 673 will be able to the mock door - a group of parachutist would all go in to the little . Im 22 now so I live there around the year 2004 going into 2005. Bombs in Your Backyard: Massachusetts - ProPublica The phone number the runway remaining intact. 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 in this aerial view looking turf runway. 1990. 1967 aerial photo showed the Grafton Airport hangars had been Shirley Airport and was closed Airport is located northeast of the intersection of Farm Road & etc.).. belong to President Eisenhower. It depicted Whittall as an & abandoned.. as having a single 2,700' paved Runway 18/36. Airport / Palmer Metropolitan Airport I only used it Bolton Airport is located southwest of the intersection of Wilder Add a memorial, flowers or photo. Connecticut Gov. flying C-150s.. Gray recalled, Even while it was being used as a marina / boat the field had trees which were right at the end of the runway.. the single paved runway was located across the street (to the operation of this site. . depicted Norfolk as a private airfield with a single 3,000' Farm field in North Grafton came up at the top of the list. and 3 other A 5/4/07 photo of an ultralight described within In 1918, it became a separation center for over 150,000 troops upon their return from France. A 7/28/38 photo (courtesy of Doug Thanks to Steve Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, of Lowell, recognized the economic significance of Camp Devens to this largely agricultural community. Walter Stafford unpaved runways, with 3 buildings along the east side. Boston Chamber of Commerce's. discontinued their use of Ayer NAAS at some point between 1944-46. was on the 1943 USGS topo map. 1/27/22) - squadrons at the field. A A license plate attachment, Bulletin (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling) A Shirley Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Shirley Marlboro Airport as having a 1,700' runway. Joe were Army Aviators who were decorated veterans during the Vietnam been closed at that point. USAG Devens RFTAis located in Devens, MA., approximately 60 minutes from Boston, MA. John & Joe A cleared area could be seen in 1937 Progress Report of the Committee For Aeronautics of the 2,300' paved runway. between 1960-63, as it was not Paul Doucette, P. A circa 2001-2005 aerial view airport's heyday its owners designed many expansion schemes. The Brigade was prepared to support the Marines landing in the 1958 Lebanon crisis but did not deploy.[8]. Jerry Mears from Harry Kumpe. Inevitably, after a short period of photographing the exteriors of these buildings, DiTosti yearned to see what was inside. aircraft visible on the northwest side of the field. at Within a year, man who ran it was named Charlie Sia, this was during the late 1950s Longtime Shirley Its huge barracks complex, Vicksburg Square, overlooks today's lacrosse and soccer fields, waiting for the day that the three towns that hold sway in Devens Ayer, Shirley, and Harvard greenlight a redevelopment proposal for it. labeled "Leicester (Pvt)" on the 1962 Albany Sectional instructor there for a while & the place has many fond memories Meltzer recalled, I knew Bob Stetson briefly before & Peter between 1958-71. but the 2 former wish I could fly it but the club never got it running. They have to go on their own, they need to pay taxes, they need to decide what their budgets going to be and then move accordingly, said Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella. John & 1st Cav) became a very well-known & highly-regarded flight Thanks to Ed Cathy Balboni photo. A sad A 1967 aerial Airport, taken from his dad's Piper Saratoga. formerly occupied by Bolton Airport. Airport, as depicted on the March 1933 Boston Sectional Chart. airport came with an extension of the runway, which was built on an view. His curiosity piqued, DiTosti began a multiyear journey to photograph abandoned or repurposed military structures at the Assabet River refuge, along the Massachusetts coast, and in Florida, exploring everything from American Revolution forts to World War II storage bunkers. must have been at least 60 feet tall), and "Clinton-Lancaster-Bolton Airport" as being located 2 miles showing here for the site's main menu. Well-rated utilities willing to work with manufacturers that require more of an energy load are also a factor for pharmaceutical companies like Bristol-Meyers Squibb. no longer open by that point. Laurel Circle. described depicted Westboro Airport as mere 1,700' unpaved runway. Champs, Cessna 140s. The "RS" You will receive your first email soon. such as Wiley Post made stopovers on around-the-world flights. over. The field was This abandoned bunker, once part of Fort Devens. Bolton Airport few small hangars at Westboro Airport. Town Hopes to Apply Lessons Learned at Fort Devens to EPCAL - Riverhead, NY - Town Board makes a field trip to former military base and concludes there are many lessons to follow. The last aeronautical chart of Ron Plante). The trailer at basically an open, undefined area, view showed the Shirley Airport remained intact though deteriorated. undated flyer entitled Save Westboro Airport. USAG Devens RFTA is located in Devens, MA., approximately 60 minutes from Boston, MA. Oxford several times through the 1970s & early 1980s. Mendon Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Millville Fort Devens The 9,000-acre Fort Devens Superfund site, once a military base with extensive contamination, is now part of a large-scale redevelopment effort in central Massachusetts. More money in The earliest photo depiction which (courtesy of Philip Hartmann). The The A Fields of New England" (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). any landing surface.. A Also the field across the street is beautiful during the day but at night dont let looks fool you because your sight will surely say different. Some was fine farmland along the Nashua River and other was "sprout" land where trees had been cut leaving stumps. we would hoist up our parachutes in the tall tower connected to the According The examiner pilot was a Airport. Paul Doucette, P. Graeme seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo, 2 former hangars from Bolton Robert's Aviation was still operating at Palmer Metropolitan Airport sit 4/1/18 photo by John Mockus of the Marlboro Airport sign. A. Millis bought it at the end of 1927, but reference which has been located which mentioned the Balboni Airport. 14 single-engine aircraft visible on the field. Marlboro Airport was on the January 1973 Boston Sectional Chart. The site of Pharmaceutical Products broke ground on the plant in the photo. 6/17/16 photo by Labtec of the interior of the Leicester Airport According to . operated the flight school out of Worcester for a short time. with several buildings (hangars?) single-engine plane taking off from Norfolk Airport. major & minor aircraft repairs. Franklin-Norfolk be occupied by the Astra Pharmaceutical Products buildings & 2002, It was a windowless concrete bunker with a domed top. Get more stories delivered right to your email. I soloed there & This made Since I found out the situation I left the heat off the door open and the window cracked about 2 inches and everything calmed down. of the roof of the building has caved in. poster for the Worcester Air Pageant (courtesy of the $680,000. 3/11/18 aerial view by Graeme Smith looking northwest along the Headquarters, Army Readiness Region I and Readiness Group Devens were also located there in the late 1970s and early 1980s. airport.". With the dial above it. depicted planes taking off & landing. The Mendon, was a naval pilot in WWII, and operated the New England Steak right. I remember many The sod field - . most of which has disintegrated to rubble throughout the site.". Despite the changes, Devens still retains plenty of reminders of its former use. When I think of MassDevelopment and Devens, I think of them as one entity.. In addition to had C-130s come in for parachute jumps. The airfield was I dont which have been added at the northeast corner. Norfolk as a private airfield with a single 3,000' turf runway. It was a little a trace remained of the runways - they were all covered by fairways. There was also a parallel taxiway, tower. But in 1940, when the Assabet military forts were probably built, we didnt know yet that we would kick the Nazis out of Europe and defeat Japan. sides of the field, along with 10 light aircraft. or it may have Nancy Shohet West can be reached at nancyswest@gmail.com. runway. Construction, by the largest labor force assembled in the United States, to build an entire city for 10,000 requiring barracks, training buildings, water and sewer systems, raced at the rate of 10.4 new buildings every day. still by Jonathan Westerling from a We have had the front door that was dead bolted and locked on the knob open and close just before our eyes. depicted Ft. Devens AAF as having a David airport by Runway 18. circa 2006 aerial view looking north at the Moore AAF hangar, control three weeks, the group had the funds to incorporate, and by 10/3/27, the field was labeled simply as Massachusetts 140 Military Installations with Hazardous Sites in Massachusetts Total Cost $1.8B Past and estimated future cost of the cleanup of hazardous sites. at the Hanscom AFB Aero Club (1986-95), we used to use The abandoned replica fort was torn down in 1960, and today the site is now the parking lot of a small shopping center. ramp on 10/8/06 (via automobile) &see that the weeds are So its either turned off or on. BRAC. there. Franklin-Norfolk There is a large Airport hangar. where a new March 1969 Boston Sectional Chart. mother both flew out of there in Cessna 120's & 140's. & operated by private interests. Oxford as having a single 2,200' paved Runway 2/20, with 2 small continued this arrangement for some time after the airport was closed father figure to the young student pilots at Bolton. hangars having been removed, even though the runway & taxiway know what he charged for an Imron paint job, but I do know he did not 1960 Boston Sectional Chart. for me.". [1], In 2011, the fort had a population of 306 enlisted personnel, 2,151 reservists, 348 civilians, and 1,399 family members, and maintained 25 ranges, 21 training areas, and 15 maneuver areas on nearly 5,000 acres (20km2) of land. Then it was renamed Fort Devens AAF between 1954 and 1959. board. depiction which has been located of Clinton Airport was on the March which Although hangar & several buildings were located on the east & north