Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
North Carolina: Raleigh area
© 2002, © 2009 by Paul Freeman. Revised 2/26/09.
Eagle Airport / Rocky Mount Municipal Airport (revised 10/28/07) - Franklin Field (revised 10/28/07)
Horace Williams Airport (revised 8/16/08) - Original) Lee County Airport (revised 10/28/07)
Raleigh Municipal (revised 2/26/09) - Sanford Lee County (revised 7/19/05)
____________________________________________________
Franklin Field, Louisburg, NC
36.09 North / 78.33 West (Northeast of Raleigh, NC)
Franklin Field, as depicted on the October 1948 Winston-Salem Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airport while open has not been located.
This small general aviation airport was located adjacent to the west side of the town of Louisburg.
Franklin Field was apparently built at some point between 1946-48,
as it was not yet depicted on the April 1946 Charlotte Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of Franklin Field which has been located
was on the October 1948 Winston-Salem Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Franklin Field as being located adjacent to the west side of Louisburg,
and having a 2,100' unpaved runway.
The 1960 Jeppesen Pilot Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Franklin Field as having 2 unpaved runways: 2,080' Runway 8/26 & 1,150' Runway 18/36.
A single building (a hangar?) was depicted to the southeast of the runway intersection.
The Airfields table on the July 1961 Charlotte Sectional (according to Chris Kennedy)
described “Franklin Field” as having 2 turf runways, with the longest being 2,080'.
The Airfields table on the April 1964 Charlotte Sectional (according to Chris Kennedy)
described “Franklin Field” as having only a single 1,850' turf runway.
The 1965 Jeppesen Pilot Guide (according to of Chris Kennedy)
described Franklin as having a single 1,850' Runway 7/25.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Franklin Field
was on the March 1966 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Franklin Field as having an 1,800' unpaved runway.
The last dated reference which has been located to Franklin Field
was its listing in the 1967 AOPA Airport Directory (according to of Chris Kennedy).
It described Franklin Field as having a single 1,850' bare-turf Runway 17/35
(the runway orientation was probably wrong, being contradicted by all other descriptions).
Franklin Field was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1967-71,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the September 1971 Charlotte Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The 1978 USGS topo map still depicted the 2 unpaved runways, but labeled simply as “Landing Strip”.
The 1991 USGS topo map continued to depict the original location of Franklin County as “County Airport” (in the center),
but note that it also depicted the replacement “County Airport” to the west.
As seen in the 1999 USGS aerial photo,
the site of Franklin Field was built over by an industrial facility,
and there did not appear to be any remaining recognizable trace of a former airfield.
As seen in a 2006 aerial photo,
there did not appear to be any remaining recognizable trace of the former Franklin Field.
John Sessoms reported in 2007 that at the site of the former Franklin Field,
“the industrial facility manufactures wooden shipping pallets.”
The site of Franklin Field is located northwest of the intersection of Route 56 & T Kemp Road.
____________________________________________________
(Original) Lee County Airport, Sanford, NC
35.46 North / 79.16 West (Southwest of Raleigh, NC)
Lee County Airport, as depicted on the April 1944 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airport while open has not been located.
Sanford's original airport was located immediately adjacent to the southeast side of the town.
The Lee County Airport was apparently built at some point between 1937-44,
as it was not listed among active airfields in the Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
The earliest depiction of the Lee County Airport which has been located
was on the April 1944 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Lee County as a commercial or municipal field.
The April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
described Lee County Airport as having a 1,900' unpaved runway.
Lee County Airport, as depicted on the 1945 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
Lee County Airport was still depicted to the southeast of the town
on the 1948 Charlotte Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
At some point between 1948-63,
the original Lee County Airport was replaced by a new Sanford Airport to the southwest of the town,
and the original Lee County Airport was apparently closed.
The original Lee County Airport was no longer depicted
on the May 1963 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The precise location of the former Lee County Airport has not been determined,
but the latitude/longitude given in the 1944 directory,
as well as its depiction on the 1945 Sectional Chart
would place it roughly north of the intersection of Route 421 & East Main Street.
As seen in the 1997 USGS aerial photo,
there did not appear to be any remaining recognizable trace of a former airfield.
The general area was occupied by a variety of buildings,
any one of which could be covering the site of the former airport.
As seen in a 2003 aerial photo, there did not appear to be any recognizable trace of the former Lee County Airport in the general area.
____________________________________________________
Sanford Lee County Brick Field (W77), Sanford, NC
35.43 North / 79.18 West (Southwest of Raleigh, NC)
Sanford Airport, as depicted on the May 1963 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
At some point between 1961-63,
the original Lee County Airport was replaced by a new Sanford Airport, southwest of the town of Sanford.
The new airport was not yet depicted on the January 1961 Charlotte Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of the Sanford Airport at its new location which has been located
was on the May 1963 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Sanford as having a 3,500' unpaved runway.
The runway at Sanford had apparently been paved at some point between 1963-72,
as the August 1972 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Robert Brown)
depicted the field as having a single 3,500' paved runway.
The 1980 USGS topo map depicted Sanford-Lee County Brick Airfield
as having a single paved runway with a ramp on the northwest side.
As seen in the 1997 USGS aerial photo,
the airfield consisted of a single paved runway (3/21, 4,300' long),
a ramp & several small hangars.
This former general aviation airport closed in 2000
when the larger Sanford Lee County Regional airport was opened.
The primary reason for the replacement of this airfield was the inability to obtain
a precision instrument approach, due to the proximity of railroad tracks to the runway.
A total of 38 single & multi-engine aircraft were based at the field during its final year of operation.
The property has been purchased by the Central Carolina Community College,
which plans to use the runway for police driver training.
A circa 2000-2005 USGS aerial photo showed the airport remained completely intact,
including the runway, taxiway, and several hangars.
The only sign of closure were the closed-runway “X” markings on the runway.
Melissa Davis reported in 2005, “The Sanford-Lee County airport closed in 2000
is indeed being used by both police & fire departments for training.
Land on the far end of the runway (from the buildings) is now on the property
of the new Southern Lee High School, which opened August 2005.”
Emergency crews training on the property tell of a small plane
that landed on the closed runway a couple of years ago.
The pilot was shocked when the paramedic in charge told him the airport was closed.
A lesson in chart updating, perhaps.”
____________________________________________________
Raleigh Municipal Airport, Raleigh, NC
35.73 North / 78.66 West (Southeast of Raleigh-Durham International Airport, NC)
The 1929 dedication of Raleigh Municipal Airport (courtesy of the NC Division of Archives & History, via Mark Turner).
Raleigh's first air transportation hub was established in 1929 by the Curtiss Wright Flying Service
at the present-day location of the intersection of Tryon Road & U.S. 70-401, south of Raleigh.
The company leased the property, and built 3 runways & a hangar.
According to D. Amos, the dedication of Raleigh Municipal Airport
was attended by such notables as Josephus Daniels & Thad Eure.
Eddie Rickenbacker (former WW1 ace, then owner/pilot for Eastern)
flew a Curtiss Condor (a 15-passenger twin-engine biplane, huge for its time),
which was visible to the right of the hangar in the above photo.
A still from a 1931 movie of Amelia Earhart christening her plane at Raleigh Municipal Airport
(by James Denmark, copyright Jay Denmark of Denmark Studios, used with permission).
Jay reported, “I actually talked to some folks that were there that day.”
Two monoplanes & a biplane in front of the Raleigh Municipal Airport hangar, from a 1931 movie of Amelia Earhart at Raleigh Municipal Airport
(by James Denmark, copyright Jay Denmark of Denmark Studios, used with permission).
A circa early 1930s aerial view looking east at Raleigh Municipal Airport (courtesy of the NC Division of Archives & History, via Mark Turner).
A circa early 1930s aerial view looking northwest at Raleigh Municipal Airport (courtesy of the NC Division of Archives & History, via Mark Turner).
Eastern Air Transport, the predecessor of Eastern Airlines,
began passenger & airmail service to Raleigh Municipal in 1932 using Curtiss Kingbird biplanes.
They operated 2 daily trips between New York & Miami.
The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Raleigh's “Curtiss-Wright” Airport as a commercial airport, consisting of a 300 acre clay & sand field.
It was said to have a total of 5 runways, with the longest being 3,200'.
A hangar was said to have “Raleigh” painted on the roof.
Curtiss Wright Flying Service went bankrupt, and the city leased the property in 1933.
The Serv-Air company provided airport services, including a flying school & passenger flights.
The 1934 Department of Commerce Airfield Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Raleigh Municipal as having 3 clay, sand, and grass runways,
with the longest being the 3,475' northwest/southeast strip.
The hangar was said to have "Raleigh" painted on the roof.
During its heyday, the Raleigh Municipal Airport was a wondrous place.
Folks flocked to air shows that included wing-walkers.
Hundreds visited on Sundays just to watch planes land & take off.
Gene Autry, Dinah Shore, Will Rogers & Amelia Earhart all caused excitement when they landed.
An aerial view looking northwest at Raleigh Municipal
from the 1936 book "Emergency Relief in North Carolina" (courtesy of Nick Demilio).
The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo)
described Raleigh Municipal as having 3 clay & sand landing strips.
The Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Raleigh Municipal as having 3 hard-surfaced runways.
Serv-Air Inc. was listed as providing flight instruction, sales, and service.
A lifelong Raleigh area resident, Gracie Beck (the grandmother of the wife of the author of this web site)
recalled taking a sightseeing flight from Raleigh Municipal Airport in the late 1930s or early 1940s.
By the late 1930s, business was outgrowing the old airport.
The runways of Raleigh Municipal were only 2,100' long,
and could not be expanded due to the geographic constraints of the site.
DC-3s could not take off fully loaded with passengers or cargo because the runway was too short.
of the Raleigh office of the National Weather Service, from 1940-1944.
Raleigh held the lease until 1940,
when it joined in the land purchase for a replacement airline airport,
Raleigh-Durham Airport, 12 miles to the northwest.
Raleigh Municipal lost traffic.
Private owners purchased the facility & later leased it to others.
Raleigh Municipal was used by military aircraft during WW2.
The earliest chart depiction which has been located of Raleigh Municipal Airport
was on the March 1944 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
An undated (circa 1950s?) view of the hangar at Raleigh Municipal (courtesy of the NC Division of Archives & History, via Mark Turner).
Raleigh Municipal was still listed among active airports in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory,
with 3 asphalt runways (14/32: 2,800' long, 4/22: 2,600' long, and 9/27: 1,800' long),
and the operator listed as Justice Aero Company.
The 1964 USGS topo map depicted “Raleigh Airport”
as having 3 paved runways, with a taxiway leading to a single hangar on the east side of the field.
Raleigh Municipal's last airport manager was Bill Wilser, who ran the airport from 1970-1972.
Eddie Lord recalled of Raleigh Municipal Airport, “Where I started flying, with my first flight in a Cessna 150 (N22270) August 6, 1970
and my last flight there on August 28, 1971 (Cessna 150 N61014) when I passed my Private Pilot License check flight.
My instructor was a Johnny Skaar.”
A 1971 photo by Ron Benson of Radger Harris in front of a Beech Staggerwing at Raleigh Municipal.
According to Radger, the plane was “parked near the intersection of Runways 9 & 14, the camera was pointed south.”
Radger Harris recalled, “In 1972 I worked for Norman Bellamy of Garner, NC.
Mr. Bellamy owned a Cessna which he kept tethered at RMA.
Several times he & I took our lunch breaks at the airport flying high over Raleigh,
and once he allowed me to pilot his airplane on takeoff over highway 401 & around the airfield a few times.”
A 1971 airfield directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Raleigh Municipal Airport
as having 3 paved runways, with the longest being the 2,600' Runway 4/22.
The ramp & a single hangar were depicted on the east side of the field.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Raleigh Municipal Airport
was on the 1972 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Robert Brown).
It depicted Raleigh as having 3 paved runways, with the longest being 2,600'.
Photo courtesy of Raleigh Flying Service, via Mark Turner.
Raleigh Municipal Airport closed in 1972.
The property was sold to a developer,
whose dreams of a big shopping center & industrial park never materialized.
A road (Chapanoke Road) was built from Route 401 extending west into the former airport property,
and a half-mile long road segment running north/south was built over the area of the former runway intersection,
partially overlaying some of the runways.
In 1973, the Norfolk Southern Corporation (a railroad company) bought it the property,
and the hangar & administration building were razed in 1974.
Radger Harris recalled, “In 1994 I went to work for Parker-Lincoln Developers (now BPG Ltd.),
and they eventually bought & managed the property & the building at that location.
I was Parker-Lincoln's locksmith at the time & I was responsible for physical security at that property.
I used to walk the runways when I worked there,
and I was familiar with the vagrants & homeless people who lived in the wooded area behind the building.”
Jan Chamblee recalled, “I am a Raleigh firefighter that was assigned to Station 2 on Pecan Road near Sam's Club from 1996-98.
While there, our company routinely trained behind the old Pack & Save grocery store built on the former Raleigh Airport grounds.”
A 2002 USGS aerial view of the site of the former Raleigh Municipal Airport.
The 250 acre site is still owned by Norfolk Southern (as of 2002), but is not used.
They have a few trailers on the Northeast side of the property where they store railroad equipment.
They are apparently just waiting for the right offer.
A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman looking northwest at the front of the shopping center (mostly vacant)
which has been built over the location of the former hangar at Raleigh Municipal.
Amazingly, the remains of the southeast end of Runway 32 are still perceptible in the grass in the foreground,
running straight toward the shopping plaza.
The remains of this end of the runway are also visible in the recent aerial photo.
Paul Freeman visited the site of Raleigh Municipal Airport in 2002.
A small shopping plaza sits (mostly vacant) along the eastern portion of the site, bordering Route 401,
on the land that was previously the location of the ramp & hangars.
The southeast end of runway 14/32 is on a wooded lot adjacent to the parking lot in front of the shopping plaza,
on the northwest corner of Route 401 & Tryon Road.
Remains of the asphalt runway pavement are actually still visible on the grass in front of the shopping plaza,
running diagonally to the northwest directly towards the shopping plaza.
The majority of the former airport property consists of a wooded area
directly adjacent to the back of the shopping plaza.
By driving around to the back of the shopping plaza,
it can be seen that the remains of Runway 14/32
extend away from the shopping plaza parking lot toward the northwest.
A steel railing has been constructed by the current property owner,
which prevents vehicular access to where any of the former runways meet the current shopping plaza parking lot.
A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman looking northwest from the back of the shopping plaza along the remains of Runway 32.
The railings have been placed by the current property owners along the edges of all of the runways,
presumably to keep out vehicles.
A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman looking southeast toward the back of the shopping plaza along the remains of Runway 14.
A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman looking northwest from the runway midpoint along the remains of Runway 32.
Runway 14/32 is the most intact of the 3 former runways,
although even it has several patches of trees which have sprouted up through the former pavement.
The remaining length of Runway 14/32 is 3,400'.
A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman looking southwest along the remains of Runway 4.
The majority of Runway 4/22 has been obliterated
by the shopping plaza parking lot & the road built for the abortive industrial park.
Only the southwest third of Runway 4/22 still exists,
and a large dirt mound has been placed along it
(possibly intended early on after the field's closure to discourage unauthorized landings).
Runway 9/27 is the most deteriorated of the 3 former runways.
The eastern portion has been mostly obliterated by the industrial park roadway.
The western portion of Runway 9/27 still exists (west of its intersection with Runway 14/32),
but the pavement remains are considerably more deteriorated & less obvious than those of Runway 14/32.
No remains still exist of any airport buildings.
The shopping center which bordered the property was mostly vacant,
and the wooded former airport property was the site of several violent crimes.
The airfield isn't depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on current aeronautical charts.
Patricia Brezny reported in 2003, "I live within a few miles of there & pass it often.
There is (at least was for a long time now & probably still is)
a 'for sale' sign located on the Tryon Road side of the property.
I have also noticed that vagrants live behind the shopping mall to the Tryon Road side.
I know that the City of Raleigh would like to straighten out Tryon Road so that it goes directly
(in a straight line across the airfield) from the bridge across the railroad tracks to the intersection with 70/401.
This is actually a part of the Capital Improvements Plan which includes the widening (to 5 lanes) of Tryon Road,
but the City is waiting for the State to replace the bridge across the railroad."
Les Parker reported in 2006, “It is sad for me to pass this along,
but the site of the Raleigh Municipal Airport has been cleared behind the shopping center.
When I passed behind the site a few days ago, heavy equipment was scraping the site.
I saw no evidence of the runways other than piles of concrete.
I don't know what is planned, but the Raleigh Police Department had a major problem
with a homeless camp in the area north & west of the triangle formed by the runways.
I also did not see the 'For Sale' sign as I passed.”
Greg Kissel reported in November of 2006, “The site of the old Raleigh Municipal Airport
has been completely scraped clean within the last few months in preparation for condos.”
George Smart reported in 2007, “The old Raleigh Municipal property was sold by the railroad.
The runways are now completely obliterated ^ building has commenced.”
A 2007 photo by Phil Brooks, looking west from the back of the shopping center at the site of the former Raleigh Municipal Airport.
Phil noted, “I was surprised to arrive at the site of the former Raleigh Municipal Airport to find it in the throes of development!
I did a quick drive-around, and was disappointed that none of the streets had aviation-themed names.
The former airport is now lost to history.”
Marty Lunsford reported in 2008, “The most recent aerial photo of the old Raleigh Municipal Airport shows that it has been completely obliterated.
Except for a tiny patch of bare ground to the southeast of the shopping center between Olympia Drive & Ileagnes Road,
there is nothing left of any of the runways.”
The site of Raleigh Municipal Airport is located at the western terminus of Chapnoke Road,
northwest of the intersection of Route 401 & Tryon Road.
See also:
"When City History Took Wing", The Raleigh News & Observer, 3/6/98.
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nc/wake/bicen/airport.txt
____________________________________________________
Horace Williams Airport (IGX), Chapel Hill, NC
35.94 North / 79.07 West (Northwest of Raleigh, NC)
Williams Airport, as depicted on the May 1941 14M Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The date of construction of Horace Williams Airport has not been precisely determined.
The earliest reference to an airfield at the site which has been located
was in The Airfield Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
which listed a "Martindale" Airport at what would appear to be the same location (2.5 miles north of Chapel Hill).
It was described as being a 50-acre field, having 2 sand & clay runways in an L-shape,
with the longest being a 2,500' east/west strip.
The hangar was described as having "Chapel Hill" painted on the roof.
The Airfield Directory Company's 1938 Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy)
described Chapel Hill's "Martindale" Airport as having 2 sand & clay runways,
with the longest being a 2,500' east/west strip.
The hangar was described as having "Chapel Hill" painted on the roof.
The earliest depiction of Horace Williams Airport which has been located
was on the May 1941 14M Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Horace Williams as a commercial or municipal airport.
Horace Williams Airport was depicted on the 1943 Regional Aeronautical Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
Horace Williams was listed among active airports in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory,
with 3 turf runways (the primary runway was 9/27: 4,900').
The 3 runways of the airport were still depicted on the 1969 USGS topo map.
The number of runways had been reduced to 2 by 1971,
as the 1971 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy) described Horace Williams
as having 2 turf runways: 4,325' Runway 4/22 & 3,500' Runway 8/26.
Two April 6, 1973 photos by Kenneth Keeton of planes at Horace Williams Airport.
At some point between 1971-2001, the primary runway was paved with asphalt & shortened to 4,000',
and the 2 crosswind runways were closed, as seen in a circa 2001 aerial photo.
The outlines of the 2 former crosswind runways were still plainly discernible, both north & south of the paved runway.
In 2002, the field was home to a total of 47 aircraft.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill stunned much of the aviation community
in 2002 when it announced it would close Horace Williams Airport (IGX).
The airport had been owned & operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since the 1940s.
It was described by AOPA as "a beautifully maintained general aviation airport,
providing unequaled access to the Chapel Hill area.
The airport at one time was home to nearly 50 aircraft,
and provides a vital aviation transportation service to local community members, tourist, alumni, and university guests."
Chancellor James Moeser said the airport "has become a financial drain & requires major safety-related improvements
not consistent with the university's commitment to positive town relations."
The decision by the state-owned school came without official public discussion.
Even the university's own MedAir unit (which flies Barons & a King Air from IGX
to transport doctors & medical faculty to outlying areas) was surprised by the announcement.
After hearing of the University's plans to close the field,
the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA) commenced an immediate lobbying effort to reverse the decision.
AOPA President Phil Boyer said "Our more than 380,000 members nationwide,
including many Tar Heels, ask the university to reconsider."
While the university said that safety & security improvements to the airport would be too costly,
AOPA noted that there were other, much less expensive options to address the safety issues.
"We believe all possible alternatives should be explored before deciding to close the airport," Boyer said.
The University Area Health Education Centers Program (AHEC),
providing flights for medical need in support of the university's program
based its MedAir unit at Horace Williams Airport.
The news to close the airport came as a complete surprise to the Medical Air Operations staff,
and they were quickly trying to make accommodations so as to not disrupt their services.
The Chapel Hill Flying Club, which for 38 years was based at Horace Williams Airport,
moved their operations in 2001 after the university did not renew their lease.
This event could have marked the beginning of a process for the university to close that airport.
The University was proposing to redevelop the airport property,
thereby removing the extensive buffer of green-space which surrounded the airport.
Who needs trees, anyway? We need more buildings & parking lots.
Luckily, rational thought prevailed,
and in a rare instance, the proposed closure of this airport was postponed.
According to Justin Pinnix, the state legislature has ordered the University to keep Horace Williams open until 2005.
In 2004, the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association reported that The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
will not be closing Horace Williams Airport in 2005 after all,
thanks to action by the North Carolina Legislature.
An amendment to the state budget bill required the school to keep the airport open
until a replacement facility could be found.
However, the previously stated plans to close this airport
have evidently 'succeeded' in convincing many aircraft to move elsewhere.
Stephen Clossick reported in 2004, "I live 2 miles from Horace Williams Airport.
Sometimes when taking my daughter home, we go by the airport and she wants to go see the planes.
There's so little action there that seeing a plane take off or land is a rarity."
____________________________________________________
Eagle Airport / Rocky Mount Municipal Airport (RMT), Rocky Mount, NC
35.96 North / 77.79 West (East of Raleigh, NC)
Rocky Mount "Eagle" Airport, as depicted on the 1935 Norfolk Airway Chart.
The date of construction of this former municipal airport is unknown.
The earliest reference to Rocky Mount's Eagle Airport which has been located
was in The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It described Rocky Mount's "Eagle” Airport as a commercial field located ½ mile north of Rocky Mount.
The airfield was said to consist of a 4-acre rectangular sand & sod field,
measuring 1,400' by 1,200'.
The 1934 Department of Commerce Airfield Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
listed Rocky Mount "Eagle Airport" as a municipal airport,
located "One mile north of Rocky Mount, just north of Tar River on west side of Highway #40."
The airfield was described as consisting of a rectangular sand & clay field,
measuring 3,600' north/south by 1,400' east west.
Hangars & buildings were said to be located along the southeast side.
The airport was evidently renamed Rocky Mount Municipal Airport at some point between 1934-36,
as that is how it was labeled on a hangar pictured in the 1936 book "Emergency Relief in North Carolina" (courtesy of Nick Demilio).
An aerial view looking south at Rocky Mount Municipal Airport
from the Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
The field was described as having a 3,600' x 1,500' sand & sod landing area.
An aerial view looking northeast at Rocky Mount Municipal Airport
from the Airport Directory Company's 1941 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The field was described as having a 3,600' x 1,800' sand & sod landing area.
A single hangar was depicted on the east side of the field.
The directory contained an advertisement for the Rocky Mount Flying Service.
The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Rocky Mount Municipal as having 2 paved runways (4,005' Runway 15/33 & 3,785' Runway 3/21),
as well as a taxiway leading to a ramp on the southeast side of the field with a single building (a hangar?).
Rocky Mount Municipal Airport was described in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory as having 2 paved runways,
and the operator was listed as Rocky Mount Air Service.
The Aerodromes table on the 1965 Norfolk Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
described Rocky Mount Municipal as having 2 asphalt runways, with the longest being 4,005'.
In the words of Joe Benson,
"I flew a Cessna 210 from Opa Locka up to RMT in 1967 & I landed on Runway 21.
The next night, [I departed] off of Runway 3.
The only buildings even then were the FBO right on US 301."
Jan Chamblee recalled, “Living in Nash County most of my life, my family made frequent trips to Rocky Mount in the 1960s through 1980s.
I remember cropdusters & private aircraft flying out of there.
I recall being on the airfield & seeing the cropdusters parked at hangars that backed up
to a convenience store / gas station property adjoining Centura Highway which was Hardees Boulevard at that time.”
Rocky Mount Municipal Airport was renamed Rocky Mount Downtown Airport
at some point between 1965-72,
after the larger Rocky Mount Wilson Airport had been built to the south.
"Rocky Mount Downtown" Airport was depicted on the August 1972 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Robert Brown)
as having 2 paved runways, with the longest being 4,000'.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Rocky Mount Municipal Airport
was on the November 1976 CG-21 World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted "Rocky Mount Downtown" Airport as having 2 paved runways, with the longest being 4,000'.
The 1977 USGS topo map depicted the “Municipal Airport”
as having 2 paved runways, with a few small buildings on the southeast side of the field.
The 1980 USGS topo map depicted the “Rocky Mount Downtown” Airport as having 2 paved runways.
The 1983 USGS topo map depicted the “Muni Airport” as having 2 paved runways.
According to Jan Chamblee the Rocky Mount Downtown Airport was evidently closed “around 1983 or 1984
since I participated in sports car autocross on the closed runways during that time frame.
These events were sponsored by the Tar Heel Sports Car Club.”
As seen in the 1993 USGS aerial photo,
both runways still remained largely intact, but marked with closed-runway "X" symbols.
Joe Benson continues, "The parking ramp was still there when I visited in 1994 but no buildings of any kind.
The stadium was there but you could drive the full length of both runways.
I was sitting on the centerline in my Bronco & a cop came by & just stared at me but didn't stop.
A penny for his thoughts. I guess he couldn't tell when someone is reminiscing."
Adelia Ramey (of the City of Rocky Mount's Department of Planning & Development) recalled in 2005,
“When we first moved here in 1997 the site was used for recreational soccer.
There were 1,000 kids & their families swarming all over the fields
and using the runways as a parking lot.
That stopped about six years ago [1998] when they discovered the contamination.
It was from the crop dusters dumping out their tanks on the ground.
It took a long, long time to clean up.”
A 2000 photo by Paul Freeman looking northwest along the abandoned Runway 33.
Paul Freeman visited Rocky Mount Municipal in 2000,
to find that both runways were still very much in existence.
A small football stadium had been built on the portion of Runway 3/21 below the runway intersection,
and Runway 15/33 was apparently used for parking for stadium events (and was open & accessible by car).
Most of the northern end Runway 3/21 was fenced off,
with a sign indicating that it will not be open for public access until cleanup of hazardous materials is complete (buried fuel storage tanks?).
No evidence of hangars or other former airport buildings were noticeable.
A 2000 photo by Paul Freeman looking northeast along the abandoned Runway 3.
Rocky Mount Municipal was still depicted on 2002 sectional charts as an abandoned airfield.
Rocky Mount resident Nick Demilio reported in 2003,
"The old runways are still there.
They have been used as storage pads for various materials by the city (recycling collection points),
for people to take their teenagers out to practice driving away from the traffic, and not much else.
The city built the 'Rocky Mount Athletic Complex' there over 20 years ago.
Rocky Mount Senior High plays its home football games there.
The city has been talking for years about turning the rest of the 'old airport' property
into a more ambitious municipal athletic complex with many baseball, softball, and soccer fields.
That plan is supposedly ready to start building after being held up by the hazardous waste found there...
not old aviation-related stuff but PCB's contaminating the soil - how they got there I don't really know.
It is an official 'Superfund' site and has been cleaned up.
The pavement is cracking but still drivable,
and some of the old markings painted on the runways are still there."
In 2005, the City of Rocky Mount's website described the “Rocky Mount Sports Complex” as “opening Fall 2006”.
It said “Work on the Rocky Mount Sports Complex is moving forward at a rapid pace,
and the old airport grounds are moving aside for 'fly balls' instead of flying planes.”
It was reported in 2005 that “The local school board is trying to negotiate
the northern end of that property from the City to use to put in a new high school.
This would come at the expense of land for soccer fields.
The city is not keen on the idea, having already invested heavily in design & site changes.”
A circa 2006 aerial photo showed that all runway pavement from both former runways had been removed,
with ballfields covering the center portion of the former Rocky Mount Airport.
The outline of the northeast end of the former Runway 3/21 was still recognizable, however.
____________________________________________________