Houlton International Airport – Houlton ME

Description

Constructed under the Federal Emergency Relief Agency/Maine Emergency Relief Agency, with with an 1800 x 75 graded runway and an 1800 x 100 graded runway as part of a state wide airport construction program. The legislative session of the Maine State Legislature of July 22, 1940 issued a report from the state Defense Commission on the pressing need of 6 military airbases out of which Houlton was one. In 1940, the National Youth Administration built a cabin and a hangar at the Houlton Airport. The structures were built as part of  the Aviation Mechanics Project, a program founded “at the Houlton airport in the fall of 1939 to teach youths about aviation mechanics.” (Maine Memory) These projects were suspended when the World War II began. The airport became an Army Air Base in 1941 and further construction was provided by the W.P.A.

The base closed in July 1944. Later that year, the Army adapted the base to a prisoner of war internment camp, in which 3700 German war prisoners were held. The camp was converted to the Houlton International Airport in 1946.

W.P.A. project info:

• “Construct municipal airport”
  Official Project Number: 165‐1‐11‐102
  Total project cost: $669,295.00
  Sponsor: Town of Houlton
• “Improvements to municipal airport”
  Official Project Number: 65‐1‐11‐2213
  Total project cost: $45,805.00
  Sponsor: War Department
• “Construct municipal airport”
  Official Project Number: 165‐1‐11‐44
  Total project cost: $424,820.00
  Sponsor: War Department