Macon Downtown Airport – Macon GA

Description

“Macon Downtown Airport has its origins beginning in World War I as “Camp Wheeler”. As early as 1925, Huff Daland Dusters, the precursor of Delta Air Lines, based its crop dusting operation at Camp Wheeler. In 1936 the City of Macon purchased 250 acres of airfield for $107,000 to replace its inadequate “Miller Field” to support Eastern Air Transport’s passenger and mail service to Macon. Then the Works Project Administration began a $500,000 project that included a hangar, a 24 x 56-ft, administration building, and a concrete apron. The new airport was dedicated on November 11, 1937, and named in honor of then mayor, Herbert Smart.” wiki

A hurricane in 1948 destroyed the hanger.

A new mid-century modern terminal was constructed in 1959, replacing the WPA building.

“With the advent of Airline Deregulation in October 1978, Eastern Air Lines, which had already reduced service to one flight a day, wasted no time in abandoning Macon.” The city considered turning the airport into a business park but lobbying by business’s that utilized the facility prevented that. The airport is now a general aviation airport. Both the WPA and 1959 terminals have been demolished.