Jump to content

Providence Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Providence Airport
Summary
OperatorPrivate
LocationSeekonk, Massachusetts
BuiltUnknown
In use1929-Before 1954
OccupantsPrivate
Elevation AMSL28 ft / 9 m
Coordinates41°46′51.45″N 71°18′14.87″W / 41.7809583°N 71.3041306°W / 41.7809583; -71.3041306
Map

Providence Airport was an airfield operational in the mid-20th century in Seekonk, Massachusetts.[1]

History

[edit]

On July 21, 1927, aviator Charles Lindbergh visited Quonset, Rhode Island as the first stop on his national tour after his famous transatlantic flight.[2] Lindbergh, a hugely popular figure, stressed the importance of building an airport to serve the Providence area.[2]

In 1928, the Providence Airport Corporation was formed to build the city's first airport.[2] World War I flying hero Clifton Badlam Thompson was chosen as the chief pilot, but Thompson died in an air crash before the airport was complete.[2]

The field, located in Seekonk at Route 6 and what is now Industrial Way, featured two crossed, unpaved runways.[2] Later, a single hangar was built, with the name “Providence Airport” painted on the roof.[2]

Providence Airport was closed sometime between 1951 and 1954.[1] At some point between 1963 and 1995 the land was built over as an industrial park, and no trace of the airport remained.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Southeastern Massachusetts". Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Lennon, Frank (11 November 2017). "Twist of fate, part 1: R.I. aviation pioneer's love of flying turned his family's world upside down". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 12 November 2017.