Texas Department of Transportation and WWII Aviation Facilities

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Texas Department of Transportation and WWII
Aviation Facilities
Heather Goodson, TxDOT, Austin, TX
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Preserving Texas WWII Aviation Heritage Texas
Department of Transportations Historic
Resources Survey of General Aviation Facilities
Heather D. Goodson Historic Preservation
Specialist Texas Department of Transportation
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Introduction

• Historic Resources Survey Purpose
• TxDOT General Aviation Facilities
• National Historic Preservation Act
• Historical Context
• Foundation for Historic Resource evaluation
• Historic Resources Survey
• Methodology
• Preliminary results

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Historic Resources Survey

• Purpose
• TxDOT General Aviation Facilities
• Grant funding
• Airport planning
• Section 106
• Federal Undertaking
• Identify Historic Properties
• Determine Effects to Historic Properties
• Avoid, minimize or mitigate Adverse Effects to
  historic properties

Credit Ralph Newlan
Credit Ralph Newlan
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Historical Context

• Early history of aviation in Texas
• WWII build-up

Credit Dennis Price

• War years
• Post-war decommissions

Credit www.exploringthenorth.com
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Historical Context Property Types

• WWII Permanent Construction
• Hangars
• Administration
• Communication
• Educational
• Industrial
• Personnel Support/ Residential

• WWII Temporary Construction
• Standardized prefabricated structures
• 700 800 series buildings

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Historic Resources Survey Phase 1
Former WWII facilities
Non-WWII facilities
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Childress Municipal Airport
Credit Ralph Newlan Childress County Heritage
Museum
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Childress Municipal Airport

• Childress Army Air Field
• Bombardier Training School
• May, 1942 December, 1945
• Renamed 2,512th Army Air Forces Base Unit
• POW camp
• Five extant WWII resources

Credits Ralph Newlan www.B17.org
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San Marcos Municipal Airport
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San Marcos Municipal Airport

• San Marcos Army Air Field, San Marcos Air Force
  Base, Gary Air Force Base, Camp Gary
• Navigator training helicopter pilot training
  schools
• August, 1942-December, 1963
• Approx. 10,000 navigators trained
• Nine extant Defense/Air Facility resources

Credit Ralph Newlan
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Galveston Municipal Airport

• Galveston Army Air Field
• Antisubmarine patrol plane headquarters
• Heavy bombardment units fighter plane base
• Instructors indoctrination center
• January, 1943-November, 1945
• 14 extant WWII resources

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Other Facilities in Survey

• Scheduled for Survey
• Terrell Municipal Airport
• Greenville Municipal Airport
• Caddo Mills Municipal Airport
• Dalhart Municipal Airport
• New Braunfels Municipal Airport
• Hondo Municipal Airport
• Kerrville Municipal Airport

• Unexpected survey issues
• Aransas County Airport (Rockport)
• Grand Prairie Municipal Airport
• Quanah Municipal Airport
• Taylor Municipal Airport

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Conclusion

• TxDOT is preserving Texas WWII aviation heritage
  through the NHPA Section 106 process.

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• Heather D. Goodson
• Historic Preservation Specialist
• TxDOT Environmental Affairs Division
• 125 E. 11th Street
• Austin, TX 78701
• 512/416-2619
• hgoodso_at_dot.state.tx.us