Imeson Field
| Imeson Field Jacksonville Army Airfield Naval Auxiliary Air Station Jacksonville #1 |
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1966 USDA aerial photo
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| Location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Elevation AMSL | 20 ft / 6.1 m |
| Coordinates | 30°25′12″N 081°38′24″W / 30.42000°N 81.64000°W |
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Imeson Field, also known as Jacksonville Imeson Airport, was the airport serving Jacksonville, Florida, from 1927 until its closing in 1968. It was known as Jacksonville Municipal Airport prior to World War II, Jacksonville Army Airfield when the United States Army Air Forces controlled the facility during World War II, and at its closing the airport was Jacksonville - Thomas Cole Imeson Municipal Airport.
Imeson Field was built southeast of the intersection of North Main Street (U.S. 17) and Busch Drive, the site of a 175-acre (71 ha) prison farm north of downtown Jacksonville. Originally it had a 2,100-foot cinder and shell runway, a 2,500-foot grass runway, an administration building and a hangar. By 1934 the Department of Commerce Airport Directory said Jacksonville Airport had four "sandy, sodded, surfaced" runways, all 2,500 feet long, with a row of hangars on the side of the airfield. The manager was listed as Major Herbert A. Maloney.
Jacksonville Municipal Airport Number One opened on October 11, 1927. A dedication ceremony prior to the opening included Charles Lindbergh, who flew to Jacksonville in the "Spirit of St. Louis" to promote the new airport and Jacksonville's aviation industry. Aviation was still considered a novelty, but he assured city leaders that air passenger service would span the nation. Eastern Air Service (later known as Eastern Air Lines) was the first carrier to provide passenger service to Jacksonville, beginning in 1931.
By 1941 the airport had expanded to 600 acres (240 ha) adding five hangars, a terminal building and five asphalt runways, the longest being 7,000 feet (2,100 m). Airlines were Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines (1924–present), Miami-based Eastern Airlines (1926–1991), United Airlines, National Airlines (1934–1980, which at one time made Jacksonville its headquarters), Boston-based Northeast Airlines and Atlanta-based Southern Airways (1949–1979). The first jet flights were made by Northeast Convair 880s beginning in April-May 1961.
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