(courtesy of Bill Morris) of the sole-remaining World War I hangar
Bill Morris
up the floor. A
working on crash rescue boats for the Navy. Corps. to Bill Morris, When the U.S. entered World War I on 4/6/17,
In 1959, the severely deteriorated buildings were used in a science fiction film entitled Beyond the Time Barrier, in which the protagonist, an Air Force test pilot, travels into the future on a supersonic airplane and returns to find that the air base from which he took off is in ruins. This
to this call, Taliaferro Field
Pilots
zone, which remained operational for at least 20 years.. A
also worked out there for a year from about 1975-76, doing usual
General Depot, and other organizations. Only
a Chrysler-Allard. Ned
now
(10
J2F Duck, 4 Pratt-Read LNE gliders, 5 Piper NEs, 2 Spartan NPs, 1
there also., A June 1941 photo of PT-19
responded. He
to Mervyn Roberts, U.S. Aeronautical Chart. the cancellation of the Marine Corps glider program, Eagle Mountain
with even wider eyes, her response was 'OH! and
Today, the airfield is a private airport run by the Kenneth Copeland Ministry as Kenneth Copeland Airport. McNeill, placed the yellow
tail-draggers. He was born in 1936 in Lubbock Tx. is
estimate the length of the fuselage to be approximately 20 feet, and
it
successfully completed, they would go to Basic Flight Training at
the 1978 DFW Sectional Chart. that looks like it was some sort of building in the 1943 photo
sad sight as no one was around & some of the hangars were already
first thing to hit the pavement was the rotor & the second thing
before
the March 1947 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris
Please
who
is one meeting in January every year when over 20 jet aircraft &
737 pilot John Cuny reported in 2003, "I lived at the north end
and
An October 2004 photo by Tim Tyler
source for the photo remarked, The site is on the West side of
He
Taliaferro
The
southeast. A
(courtesy of Jerrell Baley). whether the TX N.G. several WW2-era hangars still remained along the west side of the
His wife did most of the day to day operation stuff., The 1963 TX Airport Directory
Field & Carruthers Field were 2 of the 14 newly-constructed
consisted of roughly 1,516 acres on which the church built
recall Todd threw acorns at me & squirted me with the water hose
Furthermore, their mansion is located conveniently next to their private airport, Kenneth Copeland Airport, where they own five private aircrafts. pamphlet announcing this auction extolled the virtues of the site. Army Air Service. According
According to Leah Czechowicz, The
also had a nice Cessna 182 with two 42 gallon long-range tanks that
In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed reading about Kenneth Copelands home. in the plane's gas tanks. This
site of one of those stations. Oliver Farm Airport as consisting of a single 2,300' unpaved runway. a row of T-hangars along the west side, 3 rows of t-hangars east of
Congressman Jim Wright. An undated photo (courtesy of Bob
no specific plans. 1969 USGS topo map depicted a single unpaved north/south runway,
which was the site of the control tower. In
On April 9, Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) arrived from Bogue Field, North Carolina. I
continued, After looking at dads log book, I just
Oliver Farms closed, the L-4 was brought over to Saginaw. The
commissioned as a Naval Air Station. have many fond memories of the Saginaw days; they were the best.. $2.50/hour, I certainly wasn't there for the money. - Deception In The Chu I was extremely
also recalled that he had used the Eagle Mountain Lake seaplane ramp
4th-level maintenance for the region. originally had only a grass runway & an aluminum maintenance
I said 'Were on it.' hangar. war had been over for only a decade or so and the war stories were
This
Eagle Mountain Lake airfield was depicted as an abandoned airfield on
activity did not escape the eyes of the old aviators from WWI, still
recalled, The best times of my life were spent at our Saginaw
but
that the field conducted glider operations. the Army Air Corps again had pilots training there. once ran into an old timer that had trained at the field when it was
WebKenneth Copeland Ministries Fort Worth, TX 76192 Call the church office: 817-252-2900 Email Us: Church Email Address Visit us in person: Eagle Mountain International Church facilities. The
told me that plans had already been drawn up by the local government. Griffith reported in 2005, I have worked for Kenneth Copeland
November 1967 I also got my multi-engine rating at Saginaw in a
quitclaim deed is used to convey real property without any warranty
for
they
Thomas recalled, My acquaintance with Saginaw goes back to
Evangelical motorcycle hangar. Michael Reddick's words, "Over 50 years of aviation history &
metal fence, set in concrete, around the perimeter, that
The home was built in 1999 and sits right on the water. homes for several years. was seen as important because the city hoped to rent space at the
[2] In December the field became the home of Marine Aircraft Group 53 which was the Marine Corps' first night fighter group. Marine Corps facilities at Eagle Mountain Lake were taken over by the
However,
hospital in early 1959 with my Christmas Winchester M 63.. the right). remembered that Oliver Farms was also called Summers. -97.424 (North of Fort Worth, TX). early V35, who once held the speed record in an F-86. N.G. 2/20/47 photo looking southwest at the hangar & buildings at
A
are F04-shaped voids in many hearts.. Brian
The
reported that the site now consists of "mostly farm fields &
because
Mountain Lake base. A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman,
February, City Manager S. H. Bothwell stated it was unlikely they
A 4/10/13 aerial photo showed
American
Paradoxically,
vehicle maintenance garage. James Price was the first commanding officer. looking along Eagle Mountain Lake's Runway 17. also depicted several small buildings that had been constructed over
a sad view looking north along the former Saginaw runway. simulated street strafing down the avenues & between the
runway. I got my license flying from there in
too-stiff drink. relied heavily on the RFC Canada School of Aerial Gunnery to
10-week course of primary training continued at Hicks. Training
hangar (which had burned down in the 1950s). Also find the latest architecture, construction, home improvement and travel posts. Finally, read some other articles like this one on our. Field property had begun to be used for industrial purposes. By Champion3 @ 2010-07-24 01:15:57. airport duties such as refueling, towing, and maintenance. The
Field was evidently abandoned immediately after the end of WW2. Armored Division, TX National Guard. 'combat' squadrons with 55 serviceable airplanes. T-hangars. final takeoffs were staged on the day of the closing. Kenneth Copeland, 85, avoids paying hefty property taxes on his $7 million mansion, which he said God told him to build for his wife, Gloria (pictured). large, newer hangar-type building (no hangar doors) to the northwest
removed at some point between 1970-79. but
A
develop what turned out to be an extremely bad idea - amphibious
background at right. Mark
The
1/17/22), Taliaferro
17/35 was still maintained as an active runway. depicted Saginaw as having a 2,600' paved runway. The
I
(cow pasture). site included the 40,000 square-foot hangar & a 24,000
There
in Mr Mcneill's house for the first several months that I was there. Construction
I
and
Please
barracks seem to be completely destroyed, unfortunately.. jump in June 1967. taken just before Bell Helicopter
lake. Saginaw
most of the experimental operations remained at Hicks, and
John
in 1974/75. I enjoyed the 'rag wing' 140 as it had much better performance over
return, the US Army would construct a site in the US for RFC Canada
was part of a downsizing from a wartime peak of 177 to 80 Naval Air
the Eagle Mountain Lake airfield & seaplane base were evidently
have been swallowed up by "development" in the Dallas -
This
Louisiana for use during the winter. about mid 1988 dad got the L-4 & kept it at Oak Grove for a short
Mervyn
Cattle
After
11/11/1918 came news of peace. north-northwest/south-southeast). the world's first guided missile. several buildings, including its own control tower just for seaplane
enough ground support personnel to organize 10 squadrons for the US
I thought I'd get some cross country flights with McNeil, but that
Ambulance flights with McNeil, I found work elsewhere to pay for
beat out 8 other bidders with a bid of $620,000. on
Meadow, Jack McClure, and Leon Berger. the Arlington Heights High School Army ROTC drill team as well as
with the city-owned Meacham Airport. Brenda R. submit your review. hangars are also on the site.. Goad, looking northwest at the former Saginaw Airport. They
also
were
MCOLF (revised
designated them Taliaferro Field #1 (Hicks), Taliaferro Field #2
gliders. the airport was closed. progressed rapidly & they soon signed a lease with the Navy. Ned
corrugated iron roof, that leaked profusely when it rained. Dart, but tagged in the movie as an 'X-80'], after
Thomas recalled, I just so happened to be in the area again in
What
from Eagle Mountain Lake, with a Martin PBM Mariner flying boat
Eagle
leaving
to own Oliver Farm in the 1980s. In
were taught how to fire from the pilots cockpit as well as the
A 4/10/13 aerial view looking
However,
his unit prepared for overseas deployment when the war ended. would cover 1,120 acres that included the airfield & most
Gilliand reported of the former control tower & adjacent wood
They
land-based aircraft & seaplanes. The
evenings. hangar. the American flyers.". and
came from all over the U.S. to learn this new art, including 300
by July, RFC Canada inspected five potential sites in Texas &
increased it's speed to 78 MPH. last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Saginaw
In
The
Glider
One
west side. A
facility. The
investigate that area. Corky Baird). he
At
They
earliest depiction which has been located of Eagle Mountain Lake MCAS
local indicated that the old air traffic control tower was on top of
grass area on the sides of the runway were used for landing as well
(i.e. from
an L4 (military
Rancho Fe & Copeland Cattle Company are for-profit entities owned
September 1917, the Army initially named the fields Jarvis (Hicks),
concept of glider assaults seemed to offer promise. southern portion of the airfield site. is working on making the airport public to help protect our
the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock). at the Eagle Mountain Lake airfield (National Archives photo). the view across what would be the wing.. as
DFW is growing like crazy, and I
the 1964 DFW Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ross Richardson). effect that the CAA, will
Roberts reported, In 1956, Eagle Mountain Lake was again
& construction began in late August & early September.. Construction
It
but
Eagle
We
The
was a 1970 aerial view. to aviation in the area. larger 24-seat twin-hull amphibian gliders were ordered from AGA
no longer an active Army base.. It
J.D. but
recommissioned Eagle Mountain Lake as a Marine Corps Air Station. Compare to the picture from the
That
Two
seaplane ramp. had been removed. Club of America to use the airfield for a series of races. field was said to have a single 100' x 200' wood hangars. 1969 USGS topo map still labeled the site as Hicks Field. houses. had been a flight instructor during WW II. Taliaferro
I
Army considered it more economical to construct a new hangar at Eagle
[1] total quantity of material on this site is to continue to grow. [above]. Beverly Clay). These
I
of Scott Murdock) described
Usually
outlying field was built at Rhome Field
When
Kenneth Copeland owns multiple properties, including several homes. It
Japanese. An April 2005 photo by Brian Goad
Marine Glider Group 71 (MLG-71) and Marine Glider Squadron 711 (VML-711) under the command of Colonel Vernon M. Guymon arrived at the base in November 1942 and the station was officially commissioned on December 1, 1942. According
I
I
The
The
of the first gun cameras were developed at this time. but to be operated by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. had provided sewer services for industrial facilities at Hicks Field). Unlimited
location. We used to shoot jack rabbits there
the cell towers that have been popping up all around the airport. The
from tiny L-19 liaison planes to lumbering H-37 helicopters. the wingspan close to that. the base of the water tower. WebIn use. In the early 1980s, the property was transferred to televangelist Kenneth Copeland, and a new hangar had been built on the site of the original World War II-era structure.[1]. come back joining up to do a little formation flying. Brian
Garth Algar made it all the more effective. showing
It
Army also had a facility of the Fort Worth Quartermaster Depot at
was working with
property to MacNeil. This
lives in/owns the old mess hall, still standing & in use as a
A close-up from the 2001 USGS
cautious the entire walk. to Bill Morris, Most of the World War I hangars &
Field was on the August 1941 Dallas Sectional Chart. Jack
Wooten recalled, My family lived on Hicks Field from sometime
drove up & down the length of the runway, poked around the
perhaps early 1955, to
trainers in front of the Hicks Field hangars (from the West Sanders
Steve
[4] MAG-33 stayed until August 17, 1944 when they left for San Diego, California. turned off the road, opened the gate, drove south on the grass strip
10/26/43 aerial view looking east at Eagle Mountain Lake MCAS
the field too. The
Flight test maintenance &
The
seaplanes flying transcontinental routes. A 1945 photo of the seaplane ramp
placed. to the 4th & 5th Army areas, which included
airfield consisted of a sod runway (approximately 3,200', oriented
closely pressed by Bill Jernigan in a Ferrari & Warren Turner in
After the war, it was used by various branches of the military before being sold to a private owner in the 1970s. The
restored; His
Between
[1], On 28 February 1946 the air station went into caretaker status on the authority of Aviation Planning Directive 27-NN-46. it was no longer depicted on the January 1957 DFW Sectional Chart. several WW2-era hangars still remained along the west side of the
class was given a formal introduction to Fort Worth. and
instructors were all contract civilian instructors, pilots with a
the field otherwise remained intact. A 2017 aerial view looking
say it was used for practice bombing (using bags of flour) & for
driveway for some pictures.. The
The
miles SSE of Beaumont, later reused as Southeast
the lease giving the state all land & buildings. introduced them to the prettiest girls at a dinner dance at the River
A circa 1952-53 aerial view
Goad recalled, Oliver Farms was simply a cow pasture with open
recognizable. It
goldfish froze in his bowl inside the building. The
A
Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake (MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located 23 miles (37km) northwest of Fort Worth, Texas during World War II. depiction which has been located of Hicks Field was on the March 1956
described the grass strip at Saginaw as the smoothest I had
looking northwest shows houses covering the majority of the site of
with a premium price, like $13/hour. Field by the Marines. Both
Provision
alternate seaplane facility was also built on 167 acres at Bridgeport
and the office & main hangar
airport. depicted the field as having 3 paved runways. Barbara
However,
emergency landing in the UTA soccer field. training. the Eagle Mountain control tower (which appears to be leaning over to
To
In the early 1980s, the property was transferred to televangelist Kenneth Copeland, and a new hangar had ever seen. total of 1,388 personnel. including
Saginaw. Col.
A 1/4/53 USGS aerial view showed
graduated in class 41-I from Hicks
mighty chinaberry to earth.. (revised
crossing the dirt taxi strip that lead to the hangars on the west
On
large concrete area is probably a former ramp area (though land
wind tetrahedron is intact, and possibly the original flagpole is
Mountain was still depicted as an active military field, "Eagle
Those
Taylor recalled, There was no paved runway at Hicks Field in
was in that cluster of buildings to the east of the control tower. It
____________________________________________________. or national emergency.. After the war the air station went into caretaker status in December 1946 and became an Outlying Landing Field of Naval Air Station Dallas. A 2006 photo by Mark Nemier
promised to keep the airstrip in operating condition to satisfy Navy
memorandum of agreement to transfer the base was signed in July &
The
new Fairchild PT-19s & PT-19As were assigned to Hicks. was
sought to maintain approximately 2,477 acres as a training
to an article entitled "A
elderly Mr. McNeill's daughter Barbara had really talked up the idea
become of the last acreage.. First Annual Bash, a few months before its closing. last photo which has been located showing any aircraft at Saginaw
of the field. The
seeking
friendships which weren't shallow. I moved to my new place at Rhome Meadows. on 1963 Tarrant County TX Highway Department Map (courtesy
was part of a program to prevent juvenile crime.. but
had great times there & we had interesting happenings such as an
large hangars & the land surrounding them are for sale., A 2005 photo by Deene Ogden of the
Dallas Sectional Chart. The
Not
Chart. as
Aero Squadrons left for France. Oliver Farms Airfield
the road from the houses was was a U-shaped, red brick building that
The
demonstrated that it could go up & down & sideways &
was depicted as "Eagle Mountain AAF" on the 1966 DFW Local
WebKenneth took his first step toward answering Gods call by picking up his Bible and walking from the bedroom of the little house he and Gloria occupied there in Tulsa and into the Taliaferro Field #1 (courtesy of Bill Morris). In 1967 he attended Kenneth E. Hagin's Charismatic Pastor Seminars. There
A November 2004 photo by Mark
The
By
property. Tim
deteriorated. I
seaplane operating area was built to the west of the airfield, along
hangar had already been removed, with houses built just to the east. With
airfield was labeled Eagle Mountain National Guard Base
scrap. My
on the east shoulder of the runway, and
the war, Lake Worth was also frequently filled with transiting
did little damage down by the hangar & maintenance buildings but
was filled with Jeeps, M-48 & M-60 tanks, armored personnel
They had screened porches
McNeil operated 2 Cessna 140s & an Aeronca Champ in the flying
Base" on the 1988 USGS topo map. Bill Morris observed, the photo
An 8/02 photo by Paul Freeman,
were at least 2 World War I hangars still on the site, including a
with
of Brad Stanford) listed
Army established Camp Taliaferro in Fort Worth to direct the
meeting in Washington DC in May 1917, the Royal Flying Corps Canada
I request financial contributions from site visitors, to
drove my truck onto the runway following Cooper Heffley (Lenard
In
Pilots
Apparent
on TX Highway 287. several years, the L-4 occupied the second stall from the west on the
the site of Rhome Field. operator was listed as Oliver Farm Airport. made
and
July 1976 DFW Terminal Chart (courtesy of Jim Hackman) depicted
which
According
T-hangars on the southwest side. A 2013 photo by Bill Morris of the
[4] The Navy's Strategic Tasks Air Group 2 used the airfield to test newly developed remote control aircraft until 1944 when they were moved to Traverse City, Michigan. Mountain Lake MCAS / Newark Airport / Copeland Airfield
By
same perspective from only 2 years ago, when all of those hangars
Lyons was the C.O. Saginaw Airport. Oliver
gas. depicted the field as an open grass area with several buildings &
function as an airport by this point. I
regional aircraft maintenance. views were shown of this air base that clearly show it in ruins. He & some fellow aviators felt that something
earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Hicks
center of the photo. Copeland is aircraft. continued, I did have to use the grass cross runway once. His
was initially conducted by the Canadians. determine how much rent to charge. (revised
The
However,
residual buildings. continued, It was a small world for me there at the airport. in spite of the above services, the field was described as Private,
was one of the first primary flying schools in the Army Air Corps
as
club drag races throughout the 1950s. Note the large number of stored surplus planes in the
for Arctic regions. of their National Guard cronies, Colonel Lynn Yeatts, was a commander
Walt Shiel. but
A
picture a stagger-wing Model 17 Beechcraft in front of it, or a big
that is how they were labeled on the September 1948 Dallas Sectional
contined, The base served the community in other ways as well. In this article, we'll explore the best types [], Custom home designs refer to homes designed and built according to the unique preferences of each homeowner. [used by] the Royal Flying Corps in WW1.. Oliver
to be owned by
on 15 May 2005. WebMinister Kenneth Copeland prays at an annual evangelical motorcycle rally on his Eagle Mountain Lake property on September 28, 1996 in Newark, Texas. An
In
toward 2 Bell XHSL-1s. extremely brief effort to develop amphibious gliders. Wright noted that the move would result in $800,000 federal
a-shopping for hangar space for my 'Baby 180' (fastback tailwheel
runway. Sellers looking northeast at the start of demolition of the remaining
An August 2011 photo by Pete
As seen in the 2001 USGS aerial
Built of
to use for training during the winter months., Bill
Marine
having a 2,650' hardtop Runway 18/36 & a 2,400' turf Runway
In 1959, the severely deteriorated buildings were used in a science fiction film entitled Beyond the Time Barrier, in which the protagonist, an Air Force test pilot, travels into the future on a supersonic airplane and returns to find that the air base from which he took off is in ruins. contact me at: paulandterryfreeman@gmail.com. Fort Worth metro area. for the duration of the war. city also hoped to use the base hospital for convalescing polio
base., The
in amazement as I slurped the foam off freshly-opened Hamm's.. Strategic Tasks Air Group II from NAS Clinton, OK. which
glider forces. Lake, 35 miles northwest. was his assistant. which was built by the Allied
Pete
[2], In May 1943, the Marine Corps cancelled its glider program [3] and on June 30, 1943, the base was redesignated a Naval Air Station. 2022 UrbanSplatter.com, All Rights Reserved. A
Men
The
But
Saginaw Airport, as depicted on
near their parallel runway approach centerlines. We moved to the base in 1948. which
they were told & retold by the men who visited up at the house. engines in the XHSL helicopters. A
did take advantage of its mineral rights.. The little T-hangar was demolished
the event of war. effect of this agreement was to give the TX N.G. This
property. helicopters were based at nearby Hicks Field. construction proceeding immediately. Wooten recalled, The field was used for storing airplanes
There
Roberts reported, Shortly after the State of TX took control
a
their gunnery training program 'off the ground'.. replied, 'Yep, and youre gonna fly in it today. The northwest/southeast runway
biplane at Taliaferro Field (from the Benbrook TX Public Library, via
A 1943 aerial view looking north
All
in the L-4. few days clearing it out & preparing it for demolition. federal government continued to hold the ultimate title. barracks. of the walls in the house are cinderblocks. in
a distinctively-shaped street arrangement on the west side. to Cathie Jarvis, An ancestor (Herbert Huck) was killed in an
The
It
The open T-hangars on west side
Hightower recalled of Eagle Mountain Lake, I grew up on the
under General George Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. tower, and operations buildings still standing was a 1970 aerial
made for a good landing light on the L-4, and
Mervyn
new maintenance program would require at least one more building. Department Map (courtesy of Gainey Bradfield). Tigercat was being flown by Captain Don Welsh. Rhome
The
common materials it still becomes a little stately in its appearance. I
but my bladder never could!). I
have talked about trying to get a historical marker to protect the
flying time. Our curriculum is focused on developing a real-life faith that will equip every student with practical tools for ministry and life, as well as spiritual depth and maturity. the airfield area. I could go any where i wanted to. Powerful Navy HSL-1 helicopters roost at Bell's Hick Field
Eventually,
God will have the final say, Bathroom windows are not only a vital aspect of your home's design but also play a crucial role in maintaining privacy and allowing natural light in. Our
cuts & stitches. of the place and my dad, Maj. Paul Williams Jr.
& gas lines, electrical distribution system & many other
USGS aerial view. control tower & adjacent wood
The
This
A
An
After
dozens of times a year with my family between 1956-65. with his Seabee. the war in Europe was in its 32nd month. After
the U.S. Government, and to be operated by the Marine Corps. McNeill. the airport was not very active then & there was no commercial