Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Southwestern Missouri
© 2002, © 2006 by Paul Freeman. Revised 12/3/06.
Bolivar Memorial Airport (revised 6/6/06) - Myers Park Memorial Municipal (revised 12/3/06)
Sullivan Memorial (revised 1/30/05) - West Plains Municipal (added 3/7/04)
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Bolivar Memorial Airport, Bolivar, MO
37.61 North / 93.43 West (Southeast of Kansas City, MO)
Bolivar Memorial Airport, as depicted on the March 1945 Tulsa Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The first airport for the town of Bolivar was located on the southwest side of the town.
Bolivar Memorial Airport was evidently established at some point between 1944-45
(like hundreds of other airports across the U.S.),
as it was not yet depicted on the March 1944 Tulsa Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction which has been located of Bolivar Memorial Airport
was on the March 1944 Tulsa Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Bolivar as a commercial/municipal airport.
An aerial view looking south at Bolivar Memorial Airport, from a circa 1957-61 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The field was depicted as having two grass runways, with a row of small hangars on the northeast side of the field.
The 1965 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Bolivar Memorial as having two unpaved runways: 2,550' Runway 1/19 & 2,500' Runway 8/26.
A small buildings was depicted on the east side of the field.
The 1981 USGS topo map continued to depict the “Bolivar Airport”
as having 2 unpaved runways.
At some point between 1981-96, a new Bolivar Municipal Airport was constructed to the east of the town,
and the status of the original Bolivar Memorial Airport changed to a private airfield.
Bolivar Memorial Airport had gained a paved runway at some point between 1981-97,
as the 1997 USGS aerial photo depicted the field was as having a paved north/south runway.
However, both the paved runway & the grass east/west runway were marked with “X” closed-runway symbols.
It is not clear if the field was closed at this point,
or if the “X” markings were part of the field's private status.
A circa 1990-2005 aerial view looking north at Bolivar Memorial Airport.
The July 1999 CG-20 World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Bolivar Memorial as a private airfield.
Bolivar Memorial Airport was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1999-2004,
as it was depicted as an abandoned airfield on the June 2004 Kansas City Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
A later aerial photo (circa 2001-2005) showed that the former Bolivar Memorial paved runway had been reused as a street.
The site of the Bolivar Memorial Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Route 13 & South Killingsworth Avenue.
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Myers Park Memorial Municipal Airport (H20), Carthage, MO
37.14 North / 94.31 West (Southwest of St. Louis, MO)
An article from the May 30, 1933 issue of the Carthage Evening Press (courtesy of Robert Colson)
describing the dedication of Myers Field on May 30, 1933.
This is yet another former general aviation airport which has been lost to "redevelopment".
Meyers Field was dedicated on May 30, 1933,
according to an article from the May 30, 1933 issue of the Carthage Evening Press (courtesy of Robert Colson).
Edna Myers gave Myers Field Airport to the City of Carthage in memory of her husband Allen Myers.
The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo)
described the "Myers-Carthage" Airport as having three sod runways,
with the longest being a 3,000' northeast/southwest strip.
A hangar was said to have "Carthage" painted on the roof.
An undated aerial view of Meyers Field (courtesy of Robert Colson), showing a total of 3 runways.
According to Robert Colson, "This photo was framed & was hanging in Willis Buck's office when I soloed [in 1947]."
Robert Colson recalled, "I soloed the Piper J-3 Cub, tail number HC-6233-H,
at Meyers Field on February 20, 1947.
My instructor was Ernie Rowlette with the Carthage Air Service.
One of the runways we used the most often was taking off on a northerly heading straight into Carthage,
but pilots were required to make a SHARP climbing turn to the left
before reaching the power lines on the south side of South Garrison Avenue,
because the Civil Aeronautics Board would not let you fly over Carthage on takeoff.
I remember this well because my engine quit at about 600' altitude
on a climbing turn to the left on takeoff.
I made a hard landing on the runway, bouncing my plane to a stop, but no damage to me or the plane."
According to Robert Colson, Meyers Park's Operations Building "was erected in 1948 - a year after I soloed."
The Lou Quinn Flying Service operated 450 hp Stearman biplane cropdusters from Carthage,
according to a vintage envelope (courtesy of Robert Colson).
An aerial view looking northeast at Myers Municipal Airport, from a circa 1957-61 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The field was described as having two 2,000' hard-surface runways: 16/34 & 3/21
(the former east/west runway was no longer visible).
A tiedown area was depicted on the northeast side of the field with several hangars,
but no aircraft were visible on the field.
Myers Park Airport had gained paved runways by 1960,
as the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the field as having two paved 2,200' runways: 3/21 & 17/35.
Taxiways led to a few small buildings on the east side of the field.
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described "Myers Memorial Airpark"
as having two 2,000' hard-surface runways: 16/34 & 3/21.
The operator was listed as Executive Aircraft Company.
According to Mark Ingram, “In July of 1962, Eugene (Gene) Ingram
bought the FBO & Cessna dealership from Executive [Aircraft Company], and formed Carthage Airways, Inc.”
According to an obituary by John Brown (courtesy of Mark Ingram):
“[Ingram] operated an aggressive charter department & flight school [at Myers Memorial Airpark],
along with [single- & multi-engine Cessna] sales & rentals.
Some of Gene's mainstays for charter were the Cessna 205 & 206, Cessna 310 and Cessna 320 'Skynight'.
His two sons helped with the flying after gaining their pilot certificates,
and his wife worked hard in the operations part of the business.
During 1968 Gene flew 1,300 hours, including giving 175 flight tests as a Designated Pilot Examiner.
During this period he flew a lot of freight for a company called Rocketdyne,
and a lot of passengers for a company called Tri-State Motor Transit.
In his service as a Designated Pilot Examiner for the FAA, he conducted 1,852 flight tests."
A 1970 aerial photo by Mark Ingram of the Carthage terminal building.
According to Mark Ingram, Eugene (Gene) Ingram & his family operated Carthage Airways, Inc.
“until 1973, at which time he sold it and joined Leggett & Platt, Inc., to found their corporate flight department.”
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury) described "Myers Park Memorial Municipal"
as having a 3,130' asphalt Runway 3/21 & a 2,000' asphalt Runway 17/35.
A June 30, 1991 photo by Mary Colson of Robert Colson
in front of the Operations Building at Meyers Field.
A June 30, 1991 photo by Robert Colson of a memorial plaque mounted inside the Operations Building at Meyers Field.
A June 30, 1991 photo by Mary Colson of Robert Colson
in front of a cropduster biplane (a Stearman?) in a hangar at the northeast tip of Meyers Field.
"This plane was in this hangar for many years."
Note the cable stretched in front of the plane, with the signs reading "Danger" & "Poison".
The sign on the front of the hanger said "Quinn ????Service".
A 1991 photo by Mary Colson of Robert Colson
in front of the same Piper J-3 Cub in which he had soloed at Meyers Field in 1947.
"Willis Buck, owner & manager of Carthage Air Service was still in operation [in 1991].
He still owned, maintained, and restored the original Piper Cubs we used in 1947."
In 1994, voters approved a proposal to sell Myers Municipal Airport
and rejected a proposal to use the proceeds to build a new airport.
Criticism that the ballot was confusing led to another election in 1995.
In that vote, residents approved building a new airport
and paying the city's share of construction costs with money from the sale of the current airport.
The council voted in 1996 to close the airport.
Members said they didn't want to invest city money in a new airport without a guarantee of federal grant funds,
and they said they wanted to develop Myers Park as a producer of sales-tax revenue.
Myers Municipal Airport was closed in 1997,
based on Circuit Judge George Baldridge's denial of a petition for a restraining order or injunction
against the city-imposed closing.
In the judge's ruling, he denied the plaintiffs' petition for an injunction
blocking the closing of the airport until a new one is built;
the plaintiffs' request for an injunction against further sale or transfer of the Myers Park property;
and the plaintiff's request for a judgment requiring the city to enforce the results of an April 1995 election
in which voters approved building a new airport using a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Myers airport.
The judge's written decision contained only the findings of fact & his denial on all seven counts of the lawsuit.
He declined to elaborate.
The lawsuit filed by the residents' group against Mayor Don Riley & all members of the City Council alleged that:
- The results of the 1995 election were binding,
and the council's failure to enforce it by segregating the proceeds of property sales for a new airport is illegal.
- The city violated state law by not honoring a contract to keep the airport open for 20 years
after receiving grants for improvements to hangars & runways.
- The city violated its own initiative ordinance prohibiting the sale or substantial change in the use of donated property.
- Closing the airport without committing to build a new one is a breach of public trust that will harm the community.
Roger Brown was the last airport manager.
At its date of closing, about 15 planes (described as half the usual complement) still remained at the airport, Brown said.
Brown said he has tried to help aircraft owners relocate their planes,
but that he could find no hangars available in the area.
In the 1997 USGS aerial photo (taken shortly after the airport was closed),
the closed-runway "X" markings were clearly visible on both runways.
A set of four rows of T-hangars sat on the northeast corner of the field.
A new airport was apparently never built, as Carthage still has no public-use airport (as of 2003).
The Carthage Airport was still depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2003 aeronautical charts.
the 2006 aerial photo shows that further construction has taken place on the site of the former airport,
with a new building & parking lot having obliterated the former T-hangars at some point between 1997-2006.
However, much of the length of the 2 former paved runways & taxiways still remained intact.
In the words of Mark Ingram, "It was a tragic story of greed & short-sighted 'powers that be',
and the bones of the formerly busy airport still protrude from the landscape -
refusing for the moment to be completely buried."
The site of the Carthage Airport is located southwest of the intersection
of Grand Avenue & West Airport Drive (appropriately enough).
Thanks to Chris Kennedy for pointing out this former airfield.
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Sullivan Memorial Airport (H62), Sullivan, MO
38.2 North / 91.18 West (Southwest of St. Louis, MO)
An aerial view looking northwest at Sullivan Memorial Airport, from a circa 1957-61 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The field was described as having a 2,100' hard-surface Runway 5/23 & a 1,900' turf Runway 14/32.
A few small hangars were depicted on the northwest side of the field,
which was said to offer fuel, hangars, and tiedowns.
Sullivan Airport, as depicted on the June 1962 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The Sullivan Airport was apparently established at some point between 1948-62,
as it was not yet depicted on the September 1948 Kansas City Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest dated depiction of the Sullivan Airport which has been located
was on the June 1962 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted the field as having a single 2,100' paved runway, oriented northeast/southwest.
Sullivan Airport, as depicted on the July 1973 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The 1986 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Sullivan Memorial as having a single 2,100' paved Runway 6/24,
with a taxiway on the northwest side leading to a terminal building & two other buildings (hangars?).
In 1991 a larger Sullivan Regional Airport was opened one mile north of the town of Sullivan,
and the original Sullivan Memorial Airport was presumably closed at the same time.
As seen in the 1996 USGS aerial photo,
the eastern half of the site of the former airport had been covered with four baseball diamonds & a parking lot.
However, the western half of the former airport remained still largely intact,
with about half of the runway length still remaining,
as well as several former hangars on the northwest corner of the site.
The site of Sullivan Memorial Airport is located south of the intersection of Interstate 44 & Mattox Drive.
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(Original) West Plains Municipal Airport (H63), West Plains, MO
36.75 North / 91.86 West (Southwest of St. Louis, MO)
West Plains Municipal Airport, as depicted in the 1971 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The original West Plains Municipal Airport was located adjacent to the north side of the town.
West Plains Airport was not yet depicted on the December 1955 Tulsa Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
According to Ron Casey (who lived 1/2 mile from the airport),
“West Plains Municipal was built around 1959
and replaced Baker airport which was located just North of the city adjacent to the Howell County fairgrounds.”
The earliest directory reference to the West Plains Airport which has been located
was a listing in the 1963 AOPA Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
Ron Casey recalled, “West Plains Municipal in the early days was home to an FBO [Fixed Base Operator] and 2 flight schools.
The FBO was Conrad Robinson who was a Cessna dealer in the mid 1960s, flight instructor and charter pilot.
Another flight school was that of Charles Hopkins.
Charles even had a Link Trainer [an earl flight simulator] in one of the T-hangar corner offices.
The T-hangars were constructed of concrete blocks.
A row of open hangars were North of the Terminal on the East side of the runway.
During the summers of the mid-1960s the University of Missouri conducted an iodine cloud seeding test from West Plains Municipal.
I received my primary flight instruction & completed my Private check ride at West Plains Municipal in 1968.”
The 1971 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted West Plains Municipal Airport as having a single 3,200' paved Runway 14/32.
A ramp was located at the southeast corner of the field,
and a total of four buildings (hangars?) were located on the east side of the field.
West Plains Municipal was still depicted as an active airport
on the July 1973 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
West Plains Municipal Airport was described in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)
as having a single 3,200' asphalt Runway 14/32.
It was said to provide flight instruction, aircraft rental, hangars, tiedowns, repairs, and fuel.
West Plains Municipal was still depicted on the 1983 USGS topo map.
West Plains was still depicted as "Municipal Airport" on the 1984 USGS topo map,
but that does not necessarily prove the airport was still open by that point.
The original West Plains Municipal Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1982-86,
as it was no longer listed in the 1986 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy).
It was replaced by a new West Plains Municipal Airport, 10 miles northwest of the town.
According to Brad Weisenburger, “The former airport did not meet FAA design standards
nor was it capable of serving the aviation needs in the community.”
According to Ron Casey, “The old Municipal Airport was constrained by location
and could not economically be extended to handle business jets.
An adjacent manufacturer needed additional land as well.”
As can be seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo,
the former runway of the original West Plains Municipal Airport has been reused as a street,
with several large industrial buildings having been built along both sides of it.
The site of the original West Plains Municipal Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Goodhard Drive & Old Airport Road,
appropriately enough.
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