: ''For the World War II use of the airport, see Dale Mabry Army Airfield'' Dale Mabry Field is a former airport 3.4 miles west of

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

. It was replaced in 1961 by Tallahassee Regional Airport (now Tallahassee International Airport) and the land is now the campus of

Tallahassee Community College Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tallahassee, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As of fall 2017, TCC reported 24,639 ...

. Some of the runways are used for parking.

History

Origins

In 1928 the City of Tallahassee purchased a tract of land for $7028 for its first municipal airport. The land was previously a dairy farm operated (1910-1928) by Ervin Bostick Revell and Theodore B. Revell. Once the city purchased it, it was named Dale Mabry Field in honor of Tallahassee native Army Captain

Dale Mabry Dale Mabry (March 22, 1891 – February 21, 1922) was an American World War I aviator. Mabry, a native of Tallahassee, Florida, was the son of former Florida Supreme Court Justice Milton H. Mabry and Ella Dale Bramlett. He went on to become a ...

, killed in 1922 while commanding the Army

semi-rigid airship A semi-rigid airship is an airship which has a stiff keel or truss supporting the main envelope along its length. The keel may be partially flexible or articulated and may be located inside or outside the main envelope. The outer shape of the ai ...

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

'' on February 21, 1922, which crashed at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

. The airfield had one grass runway. The airport was dedicated on November 11, 1929, with its first manager being Ivan Munroe. Munroe was part owner and eventually full owner of Tallahassee's first airplane and was a flight instructor. Munroe also formed the Tallahassee Aircraft Company with Jeff Lewis, Frank Lewis and Dick Weeks after serving as a

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

pilot in the Jacksonville area during World War II. The company offered flight training, aerial photography and charter service. Atlantic Gulf Coast Airlines began flights at the airport during its first month. By 1934 the airport had 4 sod runways with the longest at . (Department of Commerce Airport Directory, 1934). In 1937 Dale Mabry Field had two paved runways with a single hangar at the northwest corner of the field. In 1938

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...

began flying to

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, and Montgomery,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

. National Airlines began service to

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

, Mobile and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

that year. The manager was listed as Ivan Munroe.

World War II

In 1940 U.S. Senator

Claude Pepper Claude Denson Pepper (September 8, 1900 – May 30, 1989) was an American politician of the Democratic Party, and a spokesman for left-liberalism and the elderly. He represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1936 to 1951, and the M ...

and Florida Governor

Spessard Holland Spessard Lindsey Holland (July 10, 1892 – November 6, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 28th Governor of Florida from 1941 to 1945, and later as a US senator for Florida from 1946 to 1971. He would be the first per ...

influenced the Army to make Dale Mabry Field a

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 ...

airfield. In October 1940 military activity began with the construction of a railroad siding and drainage improvements to overcome the swamp conditions. Hundreds of laborers began clearing swampland for temporary quarters for Dale Mabry Army Air Base. The need to train pilots prompted the federal government to set a 90-day completion deadline. It was used as a fighter training base by

III Fighter Command The III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946. History Background GHQ Air Force (GHQ,AF) had been established with two major comba ...

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a 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.S. air forces in ...

during the war. In 1945 it was assigned a work detachment of some 126 German prisoners of war as an annex of Camp Gordon Johnston, a larger regional prison camp.

and National Airlines continued to use Mabry, but like other civil airports, Mabry was closed to

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

during World War II. The air base was deactivated in 1945.

Postwar use

After the war, the barracks on the field were used by male students (mostly veterans) attending the

Florida State College for Women Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...

under a program called the "Tallahassee Branch of the University of Florida" (TBUF). In 1947 the Florida State College for Women became the coeducational

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. The TBUF program was then discontinued. The areas of Dale Mabry Field used by these students were called "West Campus". The airport was the airline airport for Tallahassee in the 1940s and 1950s, but the encroachment of the urban area led to the need for a new airport.

Tallahassee Regional Airport Tallahassee International Airport is a city-owned airport five miles southwest of downtown Tallahassee, in Leon County, Florida, United States. It serves the state capital of Florida, and its surrounding areas; it is one of the major airports i ...

opened in 1961, and Dale Mabry Field was closed.

Tallahassee Community College

The land was redeveloped in the 1960s into the campus of Tallahassee Community College. The airport was at what is now Appleyard Drive and W. Pensacola Street. The north–south runway is clearly visible, and part of it is used for parking.

External links

{{Reflist
Abandoned airfields near Tallahassee

Florida Department of State history site

description of historic marker at the site
Defunct airports in Florida 1928 establishments in Florida Airports in Florida Transportation buildings and structures in Leon County, Florida History of Leon County, Florida Airports established in 1928 1961 disestablishments in Florida Airports disestablished in 1961