Windham Airport and First Air Mail by Tom Beardsley 1-14-2023

Windham Airport celebrates its 85th birthday this year. Air Mail Service also came to Windham in 1938 on Thursday, May 19th in order to celebrate National Air Mail Week. The town of Windham had purchased the 250 acres of land on which Windham Airport is located in 1923 from George Kirby of Mansfield. Willimantic City Engineer  ]ohn Collins was instrumental in the development of the airport, working closely with  the WPA Airport Engineer, Charles Nott, and three New Deal Federal agencies; the  Connecticut Works Administration, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and  the Works Progress Administration. The town of Windham provided $1,500 for the project which officially commenced in January 1934, and the New Deal organizations  provided more than $75,000 to build two landing strips, one projected to be 2,300 feet  by 300 feet, and one 1,700 feet by 300 feet. Construction of the airport had not been completed, but one runway was ready so it was decided to utilize it, "to carry the mail of 28 towns in northeastern Connecticut for the first time by air”. The town of Windham was very proud of its new airport and potential airmail service, so it was time for a celebration. The program opened at 11:45 am on May 19,1938 with a luncheon at the Nathan Hale Hotel sponsored by the Rotary and Exchange clubs and the Willimantic Chamber of Commerce. Guest of honor was airport builder Lieutenant Charles Nott, state engineer for the Works Progress Administration, who was warmly welcomed by Willimantic Mayor Pierre Laramee, and Windham Fist Selectman William Buck. At 1:00 pm all assembled and joined a parade to the new airport. Justice George Hinman was parade marshal. Joe Tubridy, vice-president of the Exchange Club, and Chamber of Commerce President Albert Smith, accompanied him in the lead automobile. The parade formed at the Post Office, and stretched down High Street, ending on Valley Street. Nelson Flagg, attired as a frontiersman, rode a white horse representing the early pony express mail riders. Next came a band consisting of local postal employees, and a line of trucks to carry the mail to be deposited on the mail plane. Next came two more bands, the Willimantic Trade School Band and the VFW Boys‘ Fife and Drum corps. The rest of the parade consisted of town officials and a group of visiting postmasters from neighboring towns. A feature of the parade was three-year-old Richard Arnold, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Arnold of South Street, attired as Uncle Sam leading a miniature mail truck. The CCC enrollees who were building the airport also took part in the parade. They were based at nearby Camp Fernow in Hampton. All local schools had closed at 1 pm so children could witness the parade to the airport. A crowd well in excess of 3,000 gathered at the airport. Hank Keene, a well-known vaudeville act from South Coventry, landed at the new airport in his airplane as a part of a publicity stunt. He then followed the airmail flight to Hartford, carrying his own mail. Former Connecticut Governor John Trumbull owned the Willimantic airmail plane, a  220-horse power Stinson monoplane, and Fred Elser of Hartford piloted it. The plane  flew above the parade, and then landed shortly after the parade had assembled at the airport.(today’s photo)  The entire route was patrolled by a squad of state policeman aboard motor cycles, and a number of area Postmasters, including George Robertson of South Coventry and  William Hanly of Stafford Springs, arrived at the airport in "antique conveyances."  Gerard Loiselle, vice-president of the Willimantic Rotary Club, conducted small  ceremony before the mail was handed over to the pilot. Willimantic Postmaster James Lee then officially turned over the mail to the pilot, and the  Stenson monoplane took off as the National Anthem was played. The plane circled above the city and headed to Hartford to connect with American Airlines‘ Boston and New  York mail plane, enroute to Newark, N .].  The mail consisted of 70 pounds of assorted items, including 2,418 pieces from Willimantic alone. Postmaster Lee predicted that within five years, some 90% of Willimantic's mail would be dispatched by air. The take-off of Willimantic's first-ever airmail plane was perfect. Click photo for larger version

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