HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Imeson Field, also known as Jacksonville Imeson Airport, was the
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
serving
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, from 1927 until its closing in 1968. It was known as Jacksonville Municipal Airport prior to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Jacksonville Army Airfield when the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
controlled the facility during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and at its closing the airport was Jacksonville – Thomas Cole Imeson Municipal Airport.


History


Origins

Jacksonville Municipal Airport was built southeast of the intersection of North Main Street ( U.S. 17) and Busch Drive, the site of a prison farm north of downtown Jacksonville. Originally it had a 2,100-foot cinder and shell runway, a 2,500-foot grass runway, a small wooden administration building with a fireplace and a bedroom for the day and night manager, receptionist, mechanic and “gas boy”. The hangar was built with old telephone poles and roofing made using surplus corrugated steel sheets from other city construction projects. By 1934 the Department of Commerce Airport Directory said Jacksonville Airport had four "sandy, sodded, surfaced" runways, all 2,500 feet long, with a row of hangars on the side of the airfield. The manager was listed as Major Herbert A. Macloney. Jacksonville Municipal Airport Number One opened on October 11, 1927. A dedication ceremony prior to the opening included
Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...
, who flew to Jacksonville in the "
Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that Charles Lindbergh flew on May 20–21, 1927, on the Charles Lindbergh#New York–Paris flight ...
" to promote the new airport and Jacksonville's aviation industry. His arrival the day before was greeted by an enormous crowd, estimated at 150,000. The city's population at the time was only 129,500. Aviation was still considered a novelty, but he assured city leaders that air passenger service would span the nation. Eastern Air Service (later known as
Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
) was the first passenger airline at Jacksonville, beginning in 1931. The city attempted to name the airport after Lucky Lindy in 1927, but
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
already had ''Lindbergh Field''. By 1941 the airport had expanded to adding five hangars, a terminal building and five asphalt runways, the longest being . Airlines were Atlanta-based
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
(1924–present), Miami-based
Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
(1926–1991),
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
, National Airlines (1934–1980, which at one time made Jacksonville its headquarters), Boston-based
Northeast Airlines Northeast Airlines was an American trunk carrier, a scheduled airline based in Boston, Massachusetts, originally founded as Boston-Maine Airways that chiefly operated in the northeastern United States, and later to Canada, Florida, the Bahamas, ...
and Atlanta-based Southern Airways (1949–1979). The first scheduled jet flights were Northeast
Convair 880 The Convair 880 is a retired American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller but faster, a niche that f ...
s in April–May 1961.


World War II

As part of the buildup of forces prior to the United States entry into
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Army Air Corps leased Imeson Field from the City of Jacksonville on 6 February 1941. Construction of military facilities at Jacksonville Army Airfield began on 5 April. It was assigned to I Bomber Command,
First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern & Air Forces Space; 1 AF-AFNORTH & AFSPACE) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission i ...
. A flight of the 16th Observation Squadron (Medium) was assigned with light observation aircraft with a mission of monitoring coastal airspace for Nazi
U-boats U-boats are naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the First and Second World Wars. The term is an anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the German term refers to any submarine. Austro-Hungarian Na ...
. Jurisdiction was transferred to
Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control antisubmarine warfare (ASW) activities of the Army Air Forces (AAF). It was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, whi ...
which assigned the 7th Antisubmarine Squadron in December 1942. Antisubmarine aircraft operated with
A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...
light bombers and B-18 Bolo medium bombers equipped with submarine detection equipment. The antisubmarine mission was turned over to the United States Navy in mid-1943, and Naval Auxiliary Air Station Jacksonville began to operate Consolidated PB4Y-1 (B-24D Liberator) long-range bombers from Jacksonville AAF equipped with antisubmarine equipment. The airfield was designated as Naval Auxiliary Air Station Jacksonville #1 by the Navy, however the base remained under Army Air Forces control. The improved PB4Y-2 long-range maritime patrol aircraft, designed by Consolidated specifically for Navy use began to arrive during the late summer of 1944. The base's maximum complement of 67 aircraft was reached in 1945. A contract was initiated with National Airlines in July 1942 by AAF Training Command for National to conduct aircraft mechanics training courses to AAF personnel. With the antisubmarine mission being taken over by the Navy, Jacksonville AAF became an aircraft servicing base for the Army, with the Navy performing the operational missions as a tenant organization. On 31 August 1943 USAAF Antisubmarine Command returned to the control of First Air Force and Jacksonville AAF was transferred to
Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...
jurisdiction, and became a sub-base of MacDill Army Airfield. It was subsequently transferred to control of Chatham Army Air Field, Georgia. During 1944 and 1945
Air Service Command An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...
used Jacksonville AAF as a staging base for Station Complement squadrons prior to their overseas deployment. On 1 July 1944, the host unit, the 4203d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Aircraft Service) was re-designated the 4203d AAFBU (Air Base) as part of the transfer to Service Command. With the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, the Navy antisubmarine patrol aircraft were withdrawn, and Army personnel began to be reduced at airfield. Plans were made to return the airfield to civil control after the Japanese surrender in August 1945.


Postwar use

In the fall of 1945, jurisdiction of Jacksonville AAF was transferred to
Air Technical Service Command An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...
(ATSC), whose mission was the transfer of any useful military equipment to other bases around the country. The base was closed and declared as surplus in 1946, being was turned over to the
War Assets Administration The War Assets Administration (WAA) was created to dispose of United States government-owned surplus material and property from World War II. The WAA was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by Executive Or ...
(WAA) for disposal and return to civilian use.


Tom Imeson

Tom Imeson died in March, 1948. On July 26, 1948 the Jacksonville Municipal Airport was renamed Imeson Airport. It was named after Thomas Cole Imeson (1880–1948), a longtime city councilman whose visionary work led to the opening of the airport in the 1920s. He led an effort that Duval voters approved to fund a bond issue for airport improvements. The Florida legislature authorized it in 1925 and the first bonds were sold two years later. The proceeds paid for the first two runways. He later served as commissioner in charge of airports and highways and promoted improvements to its runways, hangars and terminal buildings. At the renaming ceremony, several hundred citizens attended as well as Collett E. Woolman, President of
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
; Joe Dyer, President of Florida Airways; and
Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (born Edward Rickenbacher, October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
. Imeson was originally a Pablo Beach city councilman who ran a curio business at the Beach. He became a Jacksonville city commissioner who had a strong interest in aviation. At the end of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the United States airmail service was established. Delivery of air mail was much quicker than first class, but the Post Office Department required a formal airport, not just a vacant field which was the case with Paxon Field on the Westside. A group of 73 people met in December, 1924 to establish a local chapter of the
National Aeronautic Association The National Aeronautic Association of the United States (NAA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a founding member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Founded in 1905, it is the oldest national aviation club in the Uni ...
. Imeson was selected as president, and with the group's influence, land was cleared at the city prison farm for an airport.


Crash

An Eastern Airlines flight from Miami to Jacksonville crashed on December 21, 1955 while attempting to land in dense fog. All occupants died including 12 passengers and a crew of 5. Pilot error was determined to be the cause of the tragedy. In an era of multistop airline flights JAX was busier than people nowadays would expect. The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 75 weekday departures: 41 Eastern, 22 National, 9 Delta and 3 Southern.The OAG was then published monthly by American Aviation Publications of Washington DC. The largest airliner scheduled to Imeson was the
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-61 The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is an early long-range narrow-body jetliner designed and produced by the American Douglas Aircraft Company. Work began in 1952 towards the United States Air Force's (USAF) requirement for a j ...
flown by
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
. Delta,
Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
, National Airlines,
Northeast Airlines Northeast Airlines was an American trunk carrier, a scheduled airline based in Boston, Massachusetts, originally founded as Boston-Maine Airways that chiefly operated in the northeastern United States, and later to Canada, Florida, the Bahamas, ...
and
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
flew
Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, the initial first flew on Decembe ...
s, 720s, 727s,
Convair 880 The Convair 880 is a retired American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller but faster, a niche that f ...
s and
McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas Corporation was a major American Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own ...
DC-8 The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is an early long-range narrow-body jetliner designed and produced by the American Douglas Aircraft Company. Work began in 1952 towards the United States Air Force's (USAF) requirement for a j ...
s and
DC-9 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast, single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced as the Douglas DC-9 prior to August 1967, after which point the company had merged with McDonnell A ...
s, and Eastern and National flew
Lockheed L-188 Electra The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. With its fairly high power-to-weight ratio, huge pro ...
s to Imeson. With the appearance of jet airliners in 1959–60 the geography that precluded longer runways became a fatal liability. Jacksonville International Airport opened five miles to the north in 1967 with runways that could handle larger jet airliners; Imeson became a general aviation airport and closed in 1971. Airport diagrams fo
1955
an
1968


Florida Air National Guard

With the closure of the base by Technical Service Command, a small portion of Jacksonville Army Airfield was transferred to the jurisdiction of
Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...
on 15 December 1946 for subsequent use by postwar reserve forces. It became a reserve
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...
base under
Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...
. The
Florida Air National Guard The Florida Air National Guard (FL ANG) is the aerial militia of the United States, U.S. state of Florida. It is a reserve component of the United States Air Force and along with the Florida Army National Guard (FL ARNG), an element of the Flori ...
's 159th Fighter Squadron began operations at Imeson Field on 9 February 1947 with an initial strength of 18 personnel and flying
P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...
s. The unit was called to active duty on 10 October 1950 as a result of the outbreak of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. The unit was released from active duty on 9 July 1952; on 1 July 1956 the primary unit designation was changed to the 125th Fighter Interceptor Group. During the 1950s and 1960s the 125th FIG operated a variety of aircraft, including the F-80 Shooting Star,
F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
and
F-102 Delta Dagger The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger is an interceptor aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Convair. A member of the Century Series, the F-102 was the first operational supersonic interceptor and delta-wing fighter op ...
. In 1968, the 125 FIG relocated from Jacksonville Imeson Airport to a newly constructed military installation at the newly constructed Jacksonville International Airport. With the concurrent closure of Imeson Airport and its conversion to an industrial park, the 125 FIG vacated their facilities and turned them over to the City of Jacksonville.


Imeson Industrial Park

In 1970 Webb International Inc. purchased the former airport and turned it into a new commerce center, Imeson International Industrial Park, with numerous buildings being constructed over the former runways. The southeastern portion of Runway 30 has been reused as Imeson Park Boulevard.


Historic notes

Local pilot Laurie Yonge offered airplane rides from the beaches. Rates were $5 for short hops, $10 for long rides, and $25 for aerobatics. His transport pilot license was the first issued in Florida, and his National Aeronautics Association card was signed by Orville Wright. It was Yonge, flying in the ''Spirit of Jacksonville'', who dropped an invitation from the air to the deck of a ship returning Charles Lindbergh and his ''Spirit of St. Louis''. On May 20, 1929, Yonge set the world's light plane endurance record in a 90 hp. Curtiss Robin. He flew continuously for 25 hours and 10 minutes, a record that stood until 1939. No other aviator has brought such fame and success to Jacksonville as a visionary pioneer and instructor pilot. A hangar at the northeast end of Imeson near North Main Street displayed Laurie Yonge's name until its demolition in the 1970s. Famous passengers arriving at Imeson Field included
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
,
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
and
Rose Kennedy Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy (July 22, 1890 – January 22, 1995) was an American philanthropist, socialite, and matriarch of the Kennedy family. She was deeply embedded in the " lace curtain" Irish-American community in Boston. Her fathe ...
in 1960;
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
and
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
in 1964.


See also

*
Florida World War II Army Airfields During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Florida for antisubmarine defense in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters, attack planes, an ...


References

* Maurer, Maurer (ed.).
Combat Squadrons of the Air Force: World War II
'.
Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. ...
, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1982 . * Maurer, Maurer (ed.), ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II'', History and Insignia, USAF Historical Division, Washington, DC, 1961 (reprint 1983) * Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.





Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields is a website detailing information and first hand memories about airports in the United States which are no longer in operation, or are rarely used. The website was started by Paul Freeman in 1999 as he had d ...
: Florida: Northeastern Jacksonville area Jacksonville Municipal Airport / Jacksonville Army Airfield / Imeson Field
World War II airfields database: Florida

AFHRA Search Jacksonville Army Airfield


External links

{{Florida airports 1927 establishments in Florida 1968 disestablishments in Florida Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Florida Buildings and structures in Jacksonville, Florida Airports in Jacksonville, Florida Airports established in 1927 Installations of the United States Air National Guard Defunct airports in Florida