Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Northeastern South Carolina
© 2002, © 2006 by Paul Freeman. Revised 11/11/06.
Coulbourne Airport (revised 7/18/06) - Kershaw Airport (revised 11/11/06) - Lane Airport (revised 11/11/06)
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Coulbourne Airport, Lancaster, SC
34.69 North / 80.78 West (South of Charlotte, NC)
Coulbourn Airport, as depicted on the April 1944 Charlottle Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Coulbourn Airport was evidently established at some point between 1941-44,
as it was not yet depicted at all on the 1941 Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of Coulbourn Airport which has been located
was on the 1944 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Coulbourn as an auxiliary airfield.
An aerial view looking north at Coulbourn Airport from the March 1945 SC Airport Directory (courtesy of Bo Bowman).
The directory described Coulbourn as having two sod runways: 2,000' northwest/southeast & 1,800' northeast/southwest.
The field was said to be privately owned, to consist of a total of 50 acres, and to offer fuel.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Coulbourn Airport
was on the 1966 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Coulbourn as a public-use airport having a 2,500' unpaved runway.
Coulbourn Airport may have still been operational in 1969,
as NTSB records indicate that a Cessna 150 had its lading gear collapse following a hard landing at Coulbourn on April 7, 1968.
The 1969 USGS topo map depicted Coulbourn Airport
as having two unpaved runways, with a single building (a hangar?) west of the runway intersection.
Coulbourn Airport was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1969-71,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the 1971 Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The area of wooded property & surrounding residences was still named “Airport Crossroads” on the 2003 Lancaster County Map,
according to Bo Bowman.
A July 17, 2006 aerial view by Bo Bowman looking north at the site of Coulbourn Airport.
Bo observed, “The runways were located in the center of the approximate triangle of thickly wooded property formed by three roads.”
No recognizable trace of the airport appeared to remain.
The site of Coulbourn Airport is located east of the intersection of Edgeport Drive & Airport Road,
appropriately enough.
Thanks to Bo Bowman for pointing out this airfield.
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33.48 North / 79.88 West (North of Charleston, SC)
Lane Airport, as depicted on the September 1935 V-237 U. S. Navy Aviation Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airport while open has not been located.
The date of construction of the Lane Airport has not been determined.
It was evidently built as one of the Department of Commerce's network of intermediate fields,
which were established in the 1920s & 1930s for the emergency use of commercial aircraft
flying along airways between major cities.
The earliest reference to the field which has been located
was in The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It listed the Lane Airport as the Department of Commerce's Site 24, along the Jacksonville-Richmond Airway.
The airfield was said to consist of a rectangular sod field, measuring 2,800' x 2,350',
and the field was said to have a rotating beacon.
The earliest depiction of Lane Airport which has been located
was on the September 1935 V-237 U. S. Navy Aviation Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Lane as Site 24.
The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo)
listed the Lane Airport as the Department of Commerce's Site 24, along the Jacksonville-Richmond Airway.
The airfield was said to consist of a rectangular sod field, measuring 2,800' x 2,500',
and there was said to be a shed & a rotating beacon.
The earliest depiction of the Lane Airport which has been located
was on the November 1940 Savannah Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Lane as the Department of Commerce's Site 24.
Larry Gamble recalled, "The airport in Lane built up during WW2 as a training base with a squadron of P-39 Aircobras.
It was an auxiliary field to handle overflow from other Air Corps bases that were getting too crowded.
The Army contracted with local homeowners to provide 'Bed & Breakfast' type accommodations.
The Squadron Commander plus several pilots stayed in my Great Uncle's home
and another group of pilots lived at Grandfather's home & in an 'over-the-garage' apartment.
I think this all started in late 1942 or early 1943 & lasted until early 1945."
Lane Airport was depicted on the 1943 Savannah Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
as the Department of Commerce's Site 24.
The April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
listed Lane as "Site 24, JX-RW", and described the field as having a 3,400' unpaved runway.
The field was listed as conducting Army flight operations.
According to Larry Gamble, "After the war, the Air Corps left the field but there was a single hangar,
lighted runway, rotating beacon, radio beacon, and lighted taxiways.
The radio beacon was removed in the 1960's by the FAA."
"FAA Site 24" at Lane was described in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory as having two turf runways:
3,464' Runway 13/31 & 3,347' Runway 4/22.
The field was said to be unattended, and the operator was the FAA.
According to Bill Carter, "Many people in Kingstree remember planes practicing take off & landing at the site.
I know the family that owns the property where the airport was.
I remember him telling me they tore down the tower in the 1970's & sold the metal for scrap."
Alton McCullough recalled, "My grandfather Wayne Gamble, my father Alton McCullough,
and my uncle JP Gamble used this airport through the 1970's and maybe into the early 1980's."
Larry Gamble recalled, "I grew up in the area of that airport.
My family leased the airport from the Brown family, who were farmers.
We were also farmers & operated crop dusters from there.
The old hangar built by the Air Corps sheltered our Cessna 182.
In the early 1970's all but the longer, east-west runway & a single taxiway to the hangar were plowed under to grow crops.
I soloed there on my 16th birthday in 1979.
At one time C-130 aircraft from Pope AFB would use it for it's 'unimproved runway' to practice landings.
It sat on a flyway at WESEL intersection on the Jacksonville sectional & very easy to find."
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)
listed the Lane Airport as having two turf runways: 3,464' Runway 16/34 & 3,347' Runway 9/27.
"Lane Auxiliary Airfield", as depicted on the 1983 USGS topo map.
Lane's former second runway had apparently been abandoned,
as this & subsequent topo maps only depicted a single east/west runway.
Larry Gamble recalled, "The airport saw continuous operation until 1983.
Finally, in 1983, my father sold our Cessna
and the airport was tilled once more returning the entire area to crop land."
However the Lane Airport continued to be depicted on aeronautical charts
as late as on the August 1988 Savannah Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Lane as a public-use airport having a 3,200' unpaved runway.
"Lane Airport", as depicted on the 1990 USGS topo map.
In the 1994 USGS aerial photo,
the outline of a single east/west runway was still apparent in the large open field.
The outline of the former compass rose was also still apparent, in the middle of the runway.
According to Larry Gamble, the former hangar, beacon tower, and control shed for the beacons
were located just west of the former runway, but have all been removed.
Larry also reported in 2004 that Lane Airport's former rotating beacon
"is still in use at the municipal airport in Kingstree, SC about 24 miles away."
The site of Lane Airport is located east of the intersection of Route 377 & Route 375,
adjacent to the tiny community of Gourdin.
Thanks to Bill Carter for pointing out this airfield.
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34.49 North / 80.6 West (Northeast of Columbia, SC)
Kershaw Airport, as depicted on the October 1945 Great Smoky Mountains World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airport while open has not been located.
The Kershaw Airport was evidently established at some point between 1944-45,
(as were so many other new airports across the county, after the end of WW2),
as it was not depicted at all on the November 1944 Charlotte Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest reference to the field which has been located
was in the Haire Publishing Company's 1945 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It described "Kershaw Airport" as a "class 1" facility, owned by the City.
The operator & manager was listed as O. A. Williford.
It was said to have two sod runways:
a 2,100' northwest/southeast strip, and an 1,800' northeast/southwest strip.
The field was said to offer a hangar, repairs, and fuel.
The earliest depiction of the Kershaw Airport which has been located
was on the October 1945 Great Smoky Mountains World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Kershaw as an auxiliary airfield.
The October 1948 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
still depicted Kershaw as an auxiliary airfield.
The April 1966 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Kershaw Airport as having a 2,500' unpaved runway.
Kershaw Municipal Airport was still listed (although in the "Low-Use Airport" section)
of the 1987 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy).
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of the Kershaw Airport
was on the August 1988 Charlotte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
It depicted Kershaw Airport as a public-use airport having a 2,500' unpaved runway.
In the 1994 USGS aerial photo the airport may still have been in operation,
as the two former grass runways were still cleared & in quite good condition.
A few buildings were located on the west side of the airfield,
but it is not known if those dated to the site's days as an airfield.
Kershaw Airport had been closed by 1997,
as it was labeled "Abandoned Landing Strip" on the 1997 USGS topo map.
The two runways were still depicted, though.
The property of the former Kershaw Airport was acquired in 1998 by a group led by Joe Hooker & Bob Humphreys,
and construction started soon thereafter on the Carolina Motorsports Park, a 2.3 mile club-level road racing course.
The track opened in July 1999.
As can be seen in the above recent aerial photo, it appears as if all remnants of the former airfield
have been erased by the development of the race track.
Note that the race track's web site claims that "The site is an old World War II fighter-training base",
but no evidence has been found to confirm the assertion that the airfield was in use earlier than 1945,
or that it was ever a military field.
The site of the Kershaw Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Route 521 & Old Georgetown Road.
Thanks to Chris Kennedy for pointing out this airfield.
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