Mitchel Field Added To Register Of Historic Places

Mitchel Air Force Base was officially added to the U.S. Register of Historic Places, making it one of the most recent places in Nassau County to join the list.

Not much of the original Mitchel Field is left today. Originally 1,117 acres, only the main 108 acres of the Mitchel Field complex remain, located in Uniondale. Originally, Mitchel Field was a hastily constructed air strip built during World War I. After the war, the government continued to expand it, and Mitchel Field became an incredibly busy air field during World War II. The Army closed the field in 1961, and property was sold off for other developments, or incorporated into new uses.

"Today is a proud day as we take a step back in time and celebrate one of the most significant spots in our town and in our country’s history," said Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen. "Nobody could have imagined that this flat, treeless, hard clay surface at the heart of the Hempstead Plains prairie would be the site of history, giving rise to such aviation titans as Glenn Curtiss, Wilbur and Orville Wright, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and Harry Guggenheim. Even legendary writer F. Scott Fitzgerald was stationed there exactly 100 years ago."

In 1938, Mitchel was the starting point for the first nonstop transcontinental flight by B-18 bombers. During World War II, Mitchel Field was one of the most important installations in the Northeast. It was the Headquarters of the First Air Force, the Northeast District and the Air Force Reserve, and all aspects of strategy, defense, research and training of new pilots was directed from Mitchel Field. The field would send up regular anti-submarine patrols, and was used to house a fighter wing to protect New York City. It was also the primary embarkation point for soldiers leaving for the European theater of World War II.

Today, much of Mitchel Field is parking. Many of the old hangars and buildings have been absorbed by other locations in the area, like Nassau Community College and The Cradle of Aviation Museum. The massive suburban growth around the field in the 1950s meant it didn't have the space it needed to expand its runway to accommodate larger planes, forcing its eventual closure.

“Unfortunately, the history books often don’t recognize the tens of thousands of military personnel whose last glimpse of their homeland, before leaving for war -- never to return -- was Mitchel Field," said Gillen. "Likewise, the history books have a hard time capturing the excitement and sheer joy of the almost half a million airmen who would touch down on this hallow ground after years of grueling fighting abroad.”

The designation will allow the county and the Cradle of Aviation Museum to apply for federal funds to maintain buildings that used to be part of the field, according to Newsday.

Photo courtesy Nassau County Executive's Office