Akron:
Airship and Training Station
Chillicothe:
Camp Sherman was one of 16 National Army cantonments. It was named after the Union Army General Sherman, who was ruthless to The South. So obviously there was no way, that a base named after him would ever end up in a southern state. Unlike many of WWI's national army training bases, Camp Sherman saw very minimal use during WWII. Today, there is a modest National Guard presence, and a couple of prisons.
Columbus Area:
Columbus Barracks
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Early Sanborn Map |
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Circa 1914 |
This
base also saw reuse during WWII. After that, it had an Army Reserve
enclave, until they vacated. Today, much of the base is well preserved.
It was renamed Ft. Hayes, after former President and Ohio native,
Rutherford B. Hayes.
Columbus Interior Storage Depot
Dayton Testing Field No. 1
Fairfield Air Depot
It served as a storage depot and was eventually re-named "Wright Field". Eventually, it merged with the originally named Wilbur Wright Field, which was susequently renamed Patterson Field. Got all that? Today, there is the massive Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Wilbur Wright Field
The naming history of this base could literally be used for an Abbot and Costello piece like, "Who's on First?" Try to follow along. It first started off being named "Wilbur Wright Field". The name was eventually changed to Patterson Field. Then the Fairfield Air Depot to the north was renamed "Wright Field". Yes, two different "Wright Fields" in two different places. Finally, Wright Field and Patterson Field merged and became known as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which is still active. Got all that? There will be a quiz on it, this Friday.
McCook Field
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Unlike the majority of WWI fields, McCook Field did see some use after the war, until it was closed in 1927, and its assets transferred to Patterson Field. Also, unlike many airfields being forced to close due to political pressure exerted by NIMBYs, which are the results of sprawl, McCook was shoehorned into a previously developed area.
McCook was on a mere 265 acres with no room to expand to begin with. With Wright Patterson eventually becoming a bustling Air Force Base, it is likely McCook would have been retained in some capacity at least as an auxiliary field, if it just had some room for growth. The jet engine era requires far more runway (and crash zones) than the Jennies of the WWI era.
Port Clinton:
Camp Perry/Erie Proving Ground
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Rifle Range |
Camp Perry was named after Naval Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry who won a War of 1812 battle in nearby Put-In Bay. It also saw extensive use during WWII. Today, a portion of Camp Perry is still in use by the Ohio National Guard. It boasts of having the world's largest outdoor rifle range.
In addition, there was an area called Camp Perry Proving Ground. The latter had names like Erie Army Depot and Erie Ordnance Depot. It was active between 1918-1967.
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