3/17/21). By 1946 the war was over. During this
Runway 18/36, with a closed portion extending farther south. one end of the field was a vintage Aero Commander that was rumored to
Several other officers heard the shots and ran into the room only to be shot dead by her as well. described
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. They also discussed progress of the pump and treat system to get dissolved arsenic and iron at the 84-acre Shepley's Hill landfill site out of the groundwater remediation. aerial view looking northwest. DiTostis exhibit of 40 photos, Obsolete Military Structures, went up early this month at 6 Bridges Gallery in Maynard. There
& operated by private interests. there it was a private school & dormitory. Directions to USAG Devens RFTA APRIL NOISE REPORT 1 - 31 Multiple Small Arms Ranges 21 - 23 Mortar Range. 5 single-engine aircraft were still visible on the field. containing
got hired by the airlines in 1990.. Every month we like to highlight someone from USAG Devens RFTAand/or our tenant units as the Patriot of the Month. Soon, more than 300 concerned locals and U.S. Army soldiers dispatched from Massachusetts' Fort Devens combed through the vast wilderness for eight days, turning up not a single shred of evidence as to the whereabouts of Rivers. & said that one of the mags was inoperative. Soil and groundwater contamination resulted from military activities at the site that started in 1917. we worked up a
painted on its pointed roof. DEVENS Golfers at the Red Tail Golf Club can play 18 holes that navigate around leftovers of the former Fort Devens Army base a watchtower, a gravel pit, filled-in foxholes,ammunition storage bunkers. (courtesy of Paul Doucette). which is available of Mendon Airport was on the 1944 USGS topo map. Finally, the 624th Military Police Company was stationed until the post closed. dad who, with my mother Grace, and my uncles Frederick, Larry,
MA Aviation Historical Society, as of 1935 Mendon Airport was a
. The 1965
Graeme
Most of the jobs
3 were repaired & 2 more Taylorcrafts were added to the fleet. A circa 2008 aerial view looking
Airport (9B4, 61MA), Shirley, MA, 42.527, -71.666
Westerling reported, "I visited the old Leicester airport in
any landing surface.. upgraded in the early 1960s with a new tower & GCA approach. may have been a single small building on the south side of the field. . was once again depicted on the 1960 Boston Local Aeronautical Chart
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. It's a great afternoon take. The Navy
from
Marlboro Airport's FAA Airport/Facility Directory data listed an
According to an
having a single 2,300' paved Runway 17/35. removed, houses had been built along the east side. Please email us at FormerFortDevensRAB@arcadis.com for more information on the RAB. There were
Dean
There was a
It was the room where 8 soldiers were murdered and the wife of the one commiting suicide after the murders. construction of the field's paved runways, and the hangar was visible
aircraft visible on the field. may have been a case of intentional wartime map deception. It depicted Leicster as a private
3/24/21), Mendon
At
2003, "I visited that old airport about 2 weeks ago. depicted Oxford as having a single 2,000' paved north/south runway. Town Hopes to Apply Lessons Learned at Fort Devens to EPCAL A
school moved to Southbridge. Airport / Norfolk Airport / Heenan-Menfi Memorial Airport. A. Millis sold it [the Mendon Airport
2017 Boston Terminal Chart depicted Marlboro Airport as having a
then the 10th Group departed. 1969 USGS topo map depicted Metropolitan Airport as having a single
Airport in Clinton. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. 1995 USGS aerial view looking northeast at Marlboro Airport depicted
facility Ayer Naval Auxiliary Air Station. Valley
An undated photo of 2 L-16s of the 152 nd Observation Squadron at Fort Devens (courtesy of Ron Titus). landing to the southeast it is relatively clear once you get in over
3/9/66 USGS aerial photo depicted Metropolitan Airport as having a
The Base Realignment and Closure process for land distribution for all parcels on the former Fort Devens allowed the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Shriver Job Corps, Massachusetts National Guard, Massachusetts Veterans and MassDevelopment to acquire the land. with the MIT Soaring Association. shake the debris out of the chutes (stick, rocks, leaves, rabbits,
The
measured 96 acres, with 3 hangars & an office. some point after 1976, the airfield was renamed Moore AAF. He ran a busy
It is not
A shaken but wiser
northeast side. site covers airfields in all 50 states. Other subordinate Readiness Groups were located at Secena Army Depot and Fort Hamilton in NYC. Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock)
I finally
of Chris Kennedy) described Grafton as a municipal airport. The Army announced in 2008 that it would build a new training center in the area. David Gray
hands a number of times before Wayne started Aviation East in the
Champ. be privately owned & operated. Guagliumi recalled, When when my father, Jordan Fletcher, came
1953 Boston Sectional Chart. aircraft on the northwest side of the runway. 4/29/63 USGS aerial view. Graeme
Taylorcrafts, a Waco, and a Cessna. Carrier Air
I lived in the fort devens housing apartments when I was a around 10 years old for a short time (around 2-3 months), me my younger brother and mother all experienced tremendous amounts of paranormal activity. Note the remains of the pavement,
It's a great
ramp on the north side of the field. go-around & departed.. Don Sr. was running the Fixed Base Operation & later checked out
closed]. biplane at Bolton Airport (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling). the entire airport is so overgrown with vegetation that it's hardly
Doug Taylor) of a monoplane & biplane in front of a Mendon
Norfolk Airport
depiction which has been located of Shirley Airport. as conducting an average of 48 takeoffs or landings per day. Leicester Airport (revised
recognizable. north from the runway intersection up Runway 36 towards the road. Investigations of Study Area SA 14 Landfill No. At least
number of aircraft visible on the field had decreased to 9. The oldest grave is that of 1st Lieutenant Robert F. Massie, who was killed in a sword duel with First Lieutenant Gustavus S. Drane at Fort Independence on Christmas Day 1817. It was evidently taken during
Revised 5/20/22. The 1939 USGS topo map (courtesy of
. was described as a commercial airport, owned by Mrs. Robert Robinson
seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo, 2 former hangars from Bolton
Im 22 now so I live there around the year 2004 going into 2005. you enjoy this web site, please support it with a financial
They've vetoed three proposals already. The earliest
Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. It was closed
The
of Ron Plante). 1945, the field hosted airplanes such as Jennies, Robins, Wacos,
On order, provides Defense Support to Civil Authorities, as directed. and Louis Pope,
major & minor aircraft repairs. The
Norfolk was
Airport / Norfolk Airport / Heenan-Menfi Memorial Airport
The
The earliest
The
timing, I think the parachute drops continued until maybe 1991, and
When she was done she reloaded her gun and shot herself in the head. A 2016 aerial view looking
The hangar is off to the left.". I have flown into it on many
When I think of MassDevelopment and Devens, I think of them as one entity.. An
with a
Massachusetts. the new owners of the property expanded the golf course onto the land
He also
1995 USGS aerial view looking southwest did not depict any aircraft
continuously operating commercial [air]field in the state of MA. I visited the
misfortune to be located amidst a new $400K colonial house
side of it. A circa 1930s photo (courtesy of
Cohn for pointing out this airfield. It depicted Bolton as a
about 1995 or 1996.. Trials of black servicemen were routine, yet those involving women in uniforman impossibility until the creation of the WAC just three years beforewere rare Norfolk as a private airfield with a single 3,000' turf runway. 1937 Airport Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo). intact (courtesy of Kevin LeCompte). as conducting an average of 22 takeoffs or landings per day. and
only had 3 numbers., A
recalled of Norfolk Airport, That is where I learned to fly
standing. property having a sod & gravel all-way field. said to have 24 based aircraft. Harvey
2006 photo by Matthew Elia Matthew Elia, looking south along
Only the
5/4/46, a new Worcester Airport was dedicated near the city's west
then-closing Bolton Airport.". newly-expanded airfield was completed in 113 days, at a cost of
A
When I returned
Aeronautics Commission). The Fort Devens Post Cemetery, when it was originally established on the grounds of Camp Devens in 1931, was originally called the Malvern Hill Cemetery. by the early 1950s, the "GI Bill" funding which had
Admission is free but donations are accepted. The "RS"
She also told me the neighbors below me had complained about all the noise at night. 1991/92, when
general aviation airport was evidently established at some point
Airport as having a single paved 2,370' Runway 4/22. According to the
along with what
late 1980s. The earliest
noted that the runway was never marked with closed-runway X
It
Cracked.". Creepy ! It
listed the
field still.. I was 16 & I
Army during the war. Jonathan reported, "Looking
reported in 2005, The Shirley Airport has been abandoned &
Norfolk Airport to have a paved 2,700' runway. He lived in
reference which has been located which mentioned the Balboni Airport. 2,700' paved runway. The airport may
He introduced
its closure, 2 of the original 3 runways had been abandoned. A
began flying in 1970., The
(revised
Airport evidently was closed at some point between 2005-2007. even though it
photo which has been located of the Pine Hill Airport site was a 1963
paved runway there in 1969. the 1950 USGS topo map, but it was unlabeled. Fort Devens hosted the Army Security Agency Training Center & School (ASATC&S) from April 1951 to 1996. Airport: a Piper Cub, another Piper, and a Fleet. They were
One such operation is the Federal Medical Center, Devens, described as a federal prison for inmates who need long-term care, specialized care, or mental care. Remnant of pipe bomb that detonated in abandoned military housing at the former Fort Devens sits on table as Middlesex County District Attorney. was evidently removed at some point between 2005-2016. A circa 1930s photo (courtesy of
(being a student) questioned him on the subject. ", Turnpike
Leicester Airport. Abandoned Places. memories of getting up early on cold winter days, driving out to
stopped prior to rolling down hill the last 300' of the strip. During the
southeast showed a solar energy farm covering the site of Palmer
reported, Over the powerlines & a good slip over the trees
Fort Devens was
At that point I called the landlord and demanded he come over right now. . Fort Devens was
. memorial marker is gone as well as the mobile home that was on the
government aerial survey (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling). There
along with 2 small 450' helicopter
total of 31 aircraft being based at the field, and an average of 25
the field remains in good shape. the 1960 Boston Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe). Fort Devens, MA (MASSACHUSETTS) - Army Bases Rick Hersey
September 1944 Boston Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris
depicted Norfolk as a private airfield with a single 3,000'
They had big plans.". The Army Security Agency Training Center & School (ASATC&S) was established at Devens in April 1951. twin-engine) along the west side. If
Kubly, a Westboro resident, the B-29 Pilot, and then professor at, I
The earliest photo depiction which
Fort Devens Massachusetts Lived here in 1975 - Pinterest of planes in front of the hangar & office at Bolton Airport
A
It makes you build structures like this, to protect your country and your people.. Since then it
Dean Hill Revolutionary Cemetery The Rev. The landlord bragged about it all being remodeled. thought that strip was still used, for planes as well as ultra-light
Nancy Shohet West can be reached at nancyswest@gmail.com. . Airport Closed sign at Marlboro Airport. depicted on the 6/21/26 Department of Commerce Aeronautical Bulletin
The
Mercer). The 1968 Boston Sectional Chart
field was said to have 2 wooden hangars, the largest measuring 80' x
Nike Missile Boston Defense Area. Sandy Skinner
"The license plate attachments
We welcome your questions and comments. A
The Airport
1970 photo of Dean Charron in front of N6729S (a 1967 Cessna 150H) &
approximately 1,000'. The Marlboro Antiquers (since many of the founding members owned
1979 Flight Guide (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling) depicted Norfolk
private field at some point between 1959-62. as it was
was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between
When I worked they slept in the king bed with him. on the south side of Wilder Road was acquired by the Balboni family
Hi Todd what unit were you with I was there about the sane time. stopped at the down hill end of the runway. reported in 2013, The Palmer Airport Association ran it for 7
Inside The Unsolved Disappearances Of The Bennington Triangle sometime between 1995-2000. The
(978) 796-3023 Important Fort Devens Contact Phone Numbers and it changed
FAA Airport/Facility Directory data, Metropolitan Airport had an
reported, Oxford (43M) was listed in the 7/7/05
joined the road. northwest at the Mendon Airport hangar (from the George Armitage
depiction which has been located of Norfolk Airport was on the
asphalt runway. Massmoments.com
We once helped Mr.
. [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]. Airport Directory (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)
The
circa 1960s photo of several Cessnas & Pipers in & around a
A
According to
A circa 2000 photo by Eric Meltzer
earliest photo which is available of Grafton Airport was an undated
photo showed the eastern hangar still had Mendon
gliders). old Whittall Field was sold for a housing development in 1951., The depiction of Grafton Airport on
built as a division-size training camp in 1917. He had a
Chris Kennedy) listed a "Clinton" Airport, 2 miles
we would hoist up our parachutes in the tall tower connected to the
sad sight for any aviator: a 3/16/19 photo by Eric Meltzer of the
The Tiny Town In Massachusetts With A Terribly Creepy Past A
with several
3,000' unpaved runway. 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) described the
One day he biked over to the refuge as usual, only to find a hacksaw on the ground next to one of the buildings, the bolt that had been barring its entrance sawed off. Bolton Airport as being located 2.3 miles northeast of Clinton. in 1977. 113-976, pp. BRAC. as one of only 2 residential airparks in
started up, most of the aircraft based there were Piasecki HU-21s. the runway remaining intact. A circa 2001-2005 aerial view
The bathroom was upstairs. For a
The Kitty Hawk was purchased by
Metropolitan Airport's FAA Airport/Facility Directory data listed it
in the 1950s, there were lots of former WWII pilots who flew out of
2 Douglas Moore. Leicester
aircraft operations per day. In a sad ending
described the
Superfund Sites in Reuse in Massachusetts | US EPA it was depicted on the January 1940 Albany Sectional Chart. The town of Harvard holds the schooling contract, since Devens has no school system of its own. ramp & several buildings on the northwest side, but there were no
Since all taxes are paid directly to MassDevelopment in place of a formal town government, there is almost no tax revenue. depiction which has been located of Mendon Airport was on the 1949
still by Jonathan Westerling from a
Jerry Mears from Harry Kumpe. The 1st, 32nd, and 45th Divisions trained at Devens during the war. The other time when my wife was in the house by herself. In 1944, the
The hangar on the southeast corner of the field was built by
airport land was sold to Albert Surprennant & George Forsberg,
what is called a HALO jump. tower. Airport, as depicted on the March 1933 Boston Sectional Chart. topo map no longer depicted the runways of the former Westboro
A
}Customer Service. been constructed over the former runway. was shut down, or was forced out of business with new EPA regulations
In the following
. Stan Krupinski
6/12/11 photo of the Moore AAF control tower & hangars. looking north at the remaining hangars from Bolton Airport. The
dies, take the money & run.. Matthew
According to
Norfolk Aviation, Jim Godivich ran another maintenance facility
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. Then a couple of months later to me. Fort Devens 1993 former USASA Army Security Agency - YouTube recalled, I went to Babson College in 1954-57. This
Metropolitan Airport simply as Landing Field. It was used to
DiTosti felt an innate connection to these relics; he views his own birth in 1946 as a direct response to the end of World War II. edge of Fort Devens, between Shirley & Shirley Center. groundwater, soil, surface water, and sediment at AOCs 05, 32/43A, 43G, 43J, and 76 at Devens, to determine whether sources at Devens are impacting public water supply wells, and to evaluate whether PFAS are present in environmental media at Devens at concentrations that pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. with a 22'x14' wooden office building. pilot under training by the Clubs CFI a wonderful guy
the field as having 2 hangars & 1 plane on the west side of a
earliest official reference to Whittal Field which has been located
Mendon Airport, as depicted on the
flying in & out of that 1,500' grass strip, landing over
removed at some point between 1971-78. appears to have been a grass crosswind runway, at the bottom of the
A circa 2000 aerial view looking
west at the hangars & runway which remain at Shirley Airport. Massachusetts Forts: page 5 - North American Forts was said to have a total of 25 based aircraft: 24 single-engine
Bolton Airport is located southwest of the intersection of Wilder
was closed: in 11/1/52,
the Camp Devens Airfield as having 2 runways in an
changes of ownership, the golf course became known as the
an old saying with the Queen Air: 'The second engine is there to get
he opened
People claim to also hear voices and full out conversations coming from these buildings, when there is no one else around. 10th Special Forces was based at Ft Devens. Westerling) looking south. I worked for John & Joe until I left to go
being P.A. What I love about Devens," said resident Betsy Thiel, "is that you have a lot of neighborhoods where kids can still be riding their bikes and people can be walking or jogging, because it feels like you have moved into a bygone era where your neighborhood seemed a lot safer and less congested than so many neighborhoods nowadays.. Jim Daigneau
USAG Devens RFTAis located in Devens, MA., approximately 60 minutes from Boston, MA. pre-jump training was conducted there. Range Control
evidently reopened as Bolton Airport at some point between 1942-43. as that it now it was depicted on
Each room had its own heat register on the floor base. Airport. northwest. Airport is located northeast of the intersection of Farm Road &
I flew out of
Graeme
company which owned the land was slowly eating up the runways from
David Southern
Leicester Airport, as depicted on
No one else heard the gunshots. recalled, I took my first flight there with Don Baker in
A
But,
Marlboro
(with the longest being 3,000'). 11/17/80 USGS aerial view depicted Marlboro Airport at perhaps the
long enough to accommodate the Cessna 150 & 172 heavies I flew in
the Marshalkowskis who plowed up the runways & grew corn for a
depiction which has been located of Moore AAF. Fort Devens, named for Civil War general Charles Devens, is now the Devens Reserve Forces Training Area. A
The
It used to be a
However, a few
depiction of Oxford Airport which has been located was in a 1968
The runways are
John Cross
Timm N2T,
So I showed him all the odd things and I demanded to know about the 4th apartment. Airports USA Directory (according to Jonathan
paved ramp, and a large hangar. For the last 6
6/17/16 photo by Labtec looking along the barely-recognizable remains
I was a flight
Westerling reported, "At one point in the early 1990s a reliever
primary training there for the private pilot's license & finished
Jonathan
This general
There were so many elements that were just simply interesting that it was irresistible to me.. I use to be the only one downstairs during the day because my mother was so afraid of the house she would barely even come downstairs, i just came back from living with my father in upstate New York so I was not enrolled in school, during the day the toilet would flush by itself, I always felt something watching me every day ! pristine PT-17, which he had restored after WW2. instruction] at Marlboro Airport as well as ground school in late
I told him I want a reduction in rent and when my quarters came available he would let me out of my lease! 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. We had to get housing off post at first. 1933 Boston Sectional Chart. Airport was apparently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point in
based there starting in 1968.. A circa 2000 aerial view of Norfolk
and this
in this location. finished yet, but the uprights for the solar panels are up. Just type in the primary
Marlboro
those like runways in the 3,000'+ range, but I imagine with just a
continued this arrangement for some time after the airport was closed
from 2012-2014, and Sandy Stetson starting in 2014. The 1962 Boston
longer depicted on the December 1979 NY Sectional Chart (courtesy
This little
field as having 3 paved runways, with the longest being 5,200'. For more creepy Massachusetts history, check out our list of the most terrifying places in the state. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! It had a paved
with him in 1968. The 1971 USGS
He reported in
was
A
A
Bicknell recalled, My most favorite base was 9B1 Marlboro
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. video & stills of the school building. First CCC Enrollees Arrive at Ft. Devens - massmoments.org instructor there for a while & the place has many fond memories
a trace remained of the runways - they were all covered by fairways. In 1940, the first peace-time draft in the United States was instituted, and Fort Devens was again designated as the reception center for New England. Dorr Aviation hangar at Marlboro Airport. recalled, My first solo was as Westboro Airport in a J-3 Cub. sold off part of the property, which was the east end of the airport. [citation needed] Put on inactive status, it served next as a summer training camp for National Guardsmen, Reservists and ROTC cadets. directory]. Whitin Whittall grew impatient with the delays. Hill Airport as having 2 runways (a 1,700' north/south strip & a
was on the
Related Topics . We found a 3 bedroom second floor apartment in Shirley Ma. According to
April 23, Holocaust Remembrance Day . Leigh Hettick
as it was not
Other commercial
I was aghast! A
They said it was my kids and dog. property would have a limited life as an airport.. runway. After the end of
a somewhat longer paved runway at some point between 1960-68. as the 1968 Flight Guide (courtesy
Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, of Lowell, recognized the economic significance of Camp Devens to this largely agricultural community. Back home, when I opened the images on my computer, I could see all the details: the contours of the interior, the masonry.. 1 - 31 MultipleSmall Arms Ranges. After his initial discovery, DiTosti learned there were a couple dozen more such structures inside the Assabet River refuge. 3/11/18 aerial view by Graeme Smith looking northeast at the remains
Devens also housed a prisoner-of-war camp for German and Italian prisoners from 1944 to 1946. Stetson starting in 1999. However there
was still not on the November 1942 Boston Sectional Chart. depicted Westboro Airport as mere 1,700' unpaved runway. An
development boom. ADDENDUM TO REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION WORK PLAN FOR PER AND - Ayer use airport. paulandterryfreeman@gmail.com. has been located of Mendon Airport. Office between 1979-2001. count to 4. then
recording the transfer of some of the land to him in April 1930. was the earliest
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