Providence Airport

Last updated
Providence Airport
Summary
OperatorPrivate
Location Seekonk, Massachusetts
BuiltUnknown
In use1929-Before 1954
OccupantsPrivate
Elevation  AMSL 28 ft / 9 m
Coordinates 41°46′51.45″N71°18′14.87″W / 41.7809583°N 71.3041306°W / 41.7809583; -71.3041306

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

History

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]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Southeastern Massachusetts". Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2017.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)