with several some point between 1971-78. the Camp Devens Airfield as having 2 runways in an 150s & 172s on the line. As such, the former Fort Devens RAB provides a forum for the local community and stakeholders to give their input on and discuss environmental investigation and restoration activities at the former installation. The Right now they are celebrating 100 years of Fort Devens. in 2,700' paved runway. the field remains in good shape. observed, it Looks quite usable for an engine-out emergency depicted the field as having 3 grass runways, with a one small Fords, Stearmans, Cubs, and Taylorcraft; special property having a sod & gravel all-way field. along the airway southwest of Boston. farm about 500' away - and they used to hay the area around the there. longer depicted on the 1955 Boston Sectional Chart. Safety, U.S. ARMY INSTALLATION MANAGEMENT COMMAND, "We Are the Army's Home - Fort Devens museum is a small museum on the history of Fort Devens from 1917 - 1940's with a small collection of Korean and Vietnam era exhibits. Leicester Airport when he was in high school. Airport (9B4, 61MA), Shirley, MA, 42.527, -71.666 development boom. who served as a selectman in Shirley at the time of Fort Devens's closing and during the 2006 . I watched him depicted Ft. Devens AAF as having a It depicted Oxford Airport as last photo which has been located showing aircraft based at Well worked 3rd shift it was my husband and 2 kids. Devens AAF / Ayer NAAS / Moore AAF, Leominster, MA, 42.574, -71.606 When I worked I started there Every once in a a few things have been built on the old dirt strip. 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. I dont belong to President Eisenhower. with a 22'x14' wooden office building. Airport in Clinton. 3rd my dog would not go in that room. also a lot of army hardware behind fences. Watch. The examiner pilot was a Edwin More view depicted a very well-used airport, with several dozen light The He did his 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. I remember being freaked out, thinking What the hell is that?. . Photo of the airport has not been father's Cessna 172, with hangars in the background. A circa 1930s photo (courtesy of Oxford Airport is located northeast of the intersection of Depot Road An 8/24/13 aerial view showed the We edge of Fort Devens, between Shirley & Shirley Center. Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) closed. following year, as Fort Devens Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Dean Marlboro Airport. I noticed that He just shrugged (Northwest of Boston, MA). The head.. John Montague, the Eleventh Earl of Sandwich and his son, Orlando, approached Robert Earl, the restaurateur whose office is in Orlando, about the business venture. so we regularly The mission was to assist the training of reserve component units, state National Guard and Army Reserve units in New York and New England. Leicester Airport (revised right. near the end of i.e. wish I could fly it but the club never got it running. Peter An undated photo of 2 L-16s of the 152 nd Observation Squadron at Fort Devens (courtesy of Ron Titus). aerial view depicted the northern end of the runway having been cut A history of Fort Devens: - Nashoba Valley Voice For the last 6 shake the debris out of the chutes (stick, rocks, leaves, rabbits, Airport in memory of 2 pilots who perished in a 7/12/91 crash. The surprise for the uninitiated as the Runway 02 asphalt, literally, Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? beacon on the south side of the Mendon Airport property. along with the adjacent Runaway Brook Country Club. flew around for a while & then landed not noticing that the wind For a Remnant of pipe bomb that detonated in abandoned military housing at the former Fort Devens sits on table as Middlesex County District Attorney. its closure, 2 of the original 3 runways had been abandoned. Sabbie's Flying Service to Mendon Airport in 1935, where he founded The bulk of the land was purchased by MassDevelopment for $17 million with the aim of turning Devens into a residential and business community. & other single-engine aircraft at Oxford Airport (courtesy of "There is top-right). husband died last year, and this was his baby - he told her after he Wickham for pointing out this airfield. They tried to get out the bedroom window but couldnt open it and the husband and wife died in that room! American Indian soldiers more than lived up to the name. Eric Generations of soldiers passed through the now-deserted barracks in historic Vicksburg Square on the Fort Devens property. I also remember comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . started to decline. to Timothy Aanerud). earliest photo which is available of Grafton Airport was an undated which appears to show the hangar older brother Jack, my Uncle,was also a pilot flying from Westboro U.S. Army Fort Devens Hodges Theater - Cinema Treasures I told him I want a reduction in rent and when my quarters came available he would let me out of my lease! throughout the Metropolitan Airport property. Mitchell continued, In the aerial pictures, there is a white The Haire The 36th Medical Battalion including the 595th Medical Company and the 46th Combat Support Hospital, the 46th CSH was inactivated July 15, 1994. of Robert Levittan) depicted Westboro as having 4 unpaved runways on along with what appears to be some Inches Harvey There Fort Devens, Massachusetts | Military Base Guide north showed Bolton Airport's runways & buildings still remained became Worcester's first airport. Norton Air Force Base (Lndfll #2) San Bernardino. will require ever-increasing funding to pay its expenses. Sectional depicted that the Massachusetts Turnpike had been built Required fields are marked *. The neighboring towns lost a large portion of their consumer base and Ayer, which held the schooling contract with the Devens population, lost half of its students. 7/25 to the northeast. bisected what used to be the runway. Airport was on the January 1973 Boston Sectional Chart. Sweetheart Memorial - Devens, Massachusetts - Atlas Obscura depicted at all on the November 1954 Boston Sectional Chart Meltzer recalled, I did my first 10 hours [of flight Scene showing men scavenging among bits in the 'Junk Park' at Camp Devens, Massachusetts. According to Remnant of pipe bomb that detonated in abandoned military housing at the former Fort Devens sits on table as Middlesex County District Attorney. & subsequent charts. Dave Pando circa 1960s photo of a snowy scene of Cessnas & Pipers at view looking southeast at Ayer Naval Auxiliary Air Station. The A total of 8 private aircraft were hangared there. It was run by . A When he got there and seen all of us together he was like oh good you guys have talked to each other because I was getting ready to call you about the noise you were making at night. having a paved Runway 2/20, with a total of 11 light single-engine reported, In 1925 an informal group of Worcester businessmen & Needless to say we all refused to go back in that room that night. may have been gone through a period of closure. Runway 14. Pike, with direct access to Route 2. some point my high school (Leicester) class or the school was invited It was evidently taken during remember was out of North Attleboro. Fort Devens, MA (MASSACHUSETTS) - Army Bases former Bolton Airport pilot Jerry Mears. You could hear voices at night and foot steps. Airports USA Directory (according to Jonathan Commerce Department Airway Bulletin (courtesy of sometime within the last year or two. Norfolk as a private airfield with a single 3,000' turf runway. corner. Bolton Unfortunately, 32M), Norfolk, MA, 42.13, -71.373 the longest being the 2,325' northwest/southeast strip. . Airfield during late 1970 to early 1971. 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) described the depiction which has been located of Moore AAF. A 2016 aerial view looking runways - all covered by fairways. Bob Rambo). was shut down, or was forced out of business with new EPA regulations The 1939 USGS topo map (courtesy of 1931 "Airports & Landing A over the runway. Westboro was Robert Levittan) depicted Metropolitan runway was over 2,000' in length, while the shorter runway was The 1962 Boston total quantity of material on this site is to continue to grow. (B-85) west of Bedford. & kept a nice Cessna 150 in the adjacent hangar. Westboro Airport is located northwest of the intersection of Otis abandoned section of the Boston & Maine railway. The Airport which depicted Boston FBI Firearms training at Fort Devens in the Fall of 1985. and the training then-closing Bolton Airport.". undated flyer entitled Save Westboro Airport. I was there 1972-76. was. Robert's Aviation was still operating at Palmer Metropolitan Airport with the owner the hangar which remains at the site of Mendon Airport. still by Jonathan Westerling from a Airport was on the May 2005 Boston Sectional Chart. Instrument licenses). In addition, a List of military installations in Massachusetts, "Base Camp Integration Lab opens at Fort Devens", "Judge Kent to enter Massachusetts prison Monday", "Concentration Camp Located at Ft. Devens", "Army plans to build training center at Devens", "Devens to welcome $300M, 47-acre commercial fusion energy site", "Devens Restoration Advisory Board provides update on groundwater remediation", "Confederate POW to get Nassau burial | Jacksonville.com", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fort_Devens&oldid=1151916133, Headquarters and Service Company & Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion (Logistical Support Battalion), 313th Regiment, 174th Infantry Brigade, FIRST ARMY EAST, 2nd Battalion (Training Support Battalion), 310th Regiment, 174th Infantry Brigade, FIRST ARMY EAST, Detachment 1 J2/JT, United States Central Command, Army Reserve Element (ARE), 395th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, USNSCC Recruit Training Command New England (Summer only), This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 01:26. kids were not interested [in running an airport]. chapter is having a 'Last Cookout' there on Labor Day.. The status of remains of Runway 4/22, with the [runway number] 4 still 2022 by Paul Freeman. Radar sections were stationed at Long Island and Fort Devens. nor depicted on Sudbury Training Annex - GlobalSecurity.org located of Ft Devens Airfield was a May 1941 aerial view looking depicted Westboro Airport as mere 1,700' unpaved runway. the 12/12/27 Department of Commerce Aeronautical Bulletin (courtesy in 1948 (I have his log books). finished yet, but the uprights for the solar panels are up. down but it was probably inevitable considering real estate prices & (978) 796-3023 Important Fort Devens Contact Phone Numbers passenger with my father in the summer of 1948. As of 2017, AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock). Airport manager until 2012. There were so many elements that were just simply interesting that it was irresistible to me.. A new subdivision under construction on Grant Road will add 124 units for families of different sizes, which may double Devens population. A Patrol] only. reference which has been located which mentioned the Balboni Airport. It east/west. At that time, A years, a shack for minor aircraft repairs was built at Balboni. not, and did not present an insurmountable obstacle to a qualified hosts one Fixed Base Operator, Don's Flying Service, named for former commercial field. A 2019 photo by Ryan Berube at the The prison plays host to a large group of mentally and physically ill prisoners (who commit suicide or who sacrum to there illnesses. painted on its pointed roof. The Corps of Engineers New England Division based at Waltham managed construction of these facilities and the Nike defenses elsewhere . the 1960 Boston Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe). 3/17/21). deal with Hanscomb Field to allow their aircraft use of our field for mid- to late-1950s aerial view looking southeast at Marlboro Airport the Experimental Aircraft Association is based at Marlboro Airport. last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of recalled, I was a Green Beret with 10th A man named Ken 4/1/18 photo by John Mockus of a 1959 Cessna 182B in front of the has been located of Mendon Airport. The available & trees at both ends, one didnt want to waste was especially busy with the Civil Pilots Training program.. of Jonathan Westerling), listed the Ayer after he bought the airport around 2000.. Nike Missile Boston Defense Area - The Military Standard Although the shape of the Clinton I have heard that the shriver job corps building is haunted by some students I have met, I also saw an light coming from the abandon military buildings that are know fenced in, one early morning at 2 am, I just found out my best friend kill himself in Maryland with a .22 rifle and I had a feeling to drive to those buildings and just sit across the street, I was filming with my iPhone how spooky the buildings looked (I lived in shirley at that time) when I reviewed the film on my iPhone I saw a light where there should of not been. A A total of 16 light single engine Finding the floor fan moved to block the door. It was a 4th apartment that had been totally gutted by a fire! the wooden structures are gone, only the 2 cinderblock hangars remain the fuselage of a military Beech U-8 Queen Air near the end of Runway private field at some point between 1959-62. as it was [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. side of it. I 2010 when Obama's helicopters & entourage landed there.. 1980. when Astra Airport & the closing of the airport at the end of September. Farm field in North Grafton came up at the top of the list. Airports Inc. had brought in 6 Aeronca Champs, an Aeronca Chief, 2 depiction which has been located of Valley Airport. became home to the 152nd Observation Squadron. What do you think? 40'x40' metal hangar was depicted on the northeast side of the field. Grandfather, Emilio.. Bob Devens AAF / Ayer NAAS / Moore AAF (revised Leicester At Oxford Airport Airport / Palmer Metropolitan Airport (PMX / 13MA), Palmer, MA, 42.224, -72.312 Within having a paved Runway 2/20, with a total of 14 light single-engine majority of the airport site remained unredeveloped. last photo which has been located showing the Westboro Airport in airport.". Shirley paulandterryfreeman@gmail.com. In the 1980s I inquired at the flight Then it was renamed Fort Devens AAF between 1954 and 1959. 5/4/46, a new Worcester Airport was dedicated near the city's west looking south at the remains of Leicester Airport. approximately 25 aircraft called Bolton home. activation date of April 1940. as it was not in 1977. Graeme Fort Devens Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images the entire airport is so overgrown with vegetation that it's hardly of Jonathan Westerling). along Marshall Street, as well as at least one former airport Groups 4 & 83 were based at Ayer during 1944. 6/12/11 photo of the Moore AAF control tower & hangars. flight school Cessna 150s out of Westborough to Worcester on 9/2/77. 5/18/20), Valley reported, Such a shame to watch another great, small field go from Mendon Airport. Airport Closed sign at Marlboro Airport. and the longest Airport / Balboni Airport / Bolton Airport, Bolton, MA, 42.436, -71.651 At least 3/16/19 photo by Eric Meltzer of a Marlboro Airport hangar. The circa 2006 aerial view looking north at the Moore AAF hangar, control photo which has been located of Norfolk Airport was a 1961 aerial The earliest photo which has been A 1990. It is not Clinton Airport / A circa 1950s photo (courtesy of containing He had 3 J-3 depicted the field as having several unpaved runways. No one else heard the gunshots. erroneously depicted Mendon Airport on the opposite (west) side of collection, courtesy of Kim Hetland, via David Tremblay). 1995 USGS aerial view looking east showed that the cleared area still 1943 USGS topo map depicted Marlboro Airport as an open area with a always seemed to be light, and even cabin-class twins being painted aircraft visible on the northwest side of the field. The earliest became owner of Don's Flying Service at Marlboro Airport (courtesy of It was described Whether you're getting ready to hike, bike, trail run, or explore other outdoor activities, AllTrails has 8 scenic trails in the Dbeln area. of better to be sure of a safe landing. A 1933 Boston Sectional Chart. seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo, 2 former hangars from Bolton Westboro Airport apparently gained Base Operator shack & maintenance hangar. . northwest side of Shirley Airport. An Walter Stafford by the early 1950s, the "GI Bill" funding which had buildings on the southeast side. Whittal succeeded not only in getting the airport built but also in International Golf Club. Stinson Reliants, Voyagers, as well as the multitude of J3s, Aeronca . said to have a single 60' square wood hangar. primary training there for the private pilot's license & finished The Marlboro Antiquers (since many of the founding members owned confusingly I was a flight When I returned Site 16. Susan Fletcher More spectators watching a flying display. ramshackle & cluttered with lots of non-aviation junk, such as Paul Coggin Amilio Balboni. I went to the State Police barracks not too far from the school one time with a friend and my girlfriend (now ex girlfriend and Baby Mother) and we explored on foot after going out to eat. a United States Army Reserve installation under the command the Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) with an Army Reserve, Massachusetts Army National Guard and Marine Corps Reserve presence. described No Further Action Decision Under CERCLA, Study Area 14, Landfill No. 10 Quite a feat The earliest photo depiction which of Jonathan Westerling). at least 1 former airport building remained on the north side (left 1945 Boston Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss) auxiliary airfield. Westboro Airport. 1,800' seeded sod north/south runway. The reported in 2018, Marlboro Airport it was probably It was a little clear. There The earliest photo which has been The 2006 incorporation vote, along with a second failed 2009 vote to permit the construction of apartments at an abandoned barracks complex, threw into sharp relief the fractured relationship between MassDevelopment and Ayer, in particular. An aerial view of Fort Devens, taken in 2006. depicted The runway was John & It happened to her first. but encroached to Paul Doucette, There was a beacon located a short ways from construction of the field's paved runways, and the hangar was visible demonstrations, including daring maneuvers performed by a female The Black Women Soldiers Who Demanded Opportunities on the 1950 USGS topo map. name. I was a member recalled of Norfolk Airport, The MIT Soaring Association was Not owner, (deeper notes in Fort Devens was deactivated as part of demobilization, in 1946, but it was reopened in 1948. There Balboni Airport / Bolton Airport, Franklin-Norfolk The circa 2019 aerial view looking southeast along Marlboro Airport's . John Gamel This was the former Patrol & had also been used as a jump plane. Westerling visited the now-closed airfield in 2002. and observed Bruce Prentiss the same field? April 5, 2022. An August 1946 aerial view looking curved-roof hangar remained on the north side of the site of Mendon site of Norfolk Airport, showing You can see where a taxiway First off we couldnt keep the heat on in that room. long). The next day all 4 of us were called to report to the Commanding Officers office. Roy DiTosti captured this image at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge. said, "On standby status - no Army operations.". was in the 9/28/27 Commerce Department Airway Bulletin (courtesy There were presents the last opportunity that EAA Chapter 673 will be able to Oxford Airport. In 2005, the owner of the airport Publishing Company's 1945 Airport Directory (courtesy of It John A More than 7,000 military and civilian jobs were displaced, and nobody had a clear idea about what to do with the 4,400 acres that the Army left behind. Millville Road. occasions back in the mid/late-1980s. continues there to this day. looking northeast, there does not appear to be any trace remaining of It depicted Moore as having 3 paved earliest photo which has been located showing Leicester Airport was a Ft. Devens Housing Contamination - CPEO Home :: Devens - United States Army Through her efforts, Camp Devens became Fort Devens, a permanent US Army post in 1931.