Trip Report: South Texas Flashback
First published in 2003. Reformatted 2025. I made several road trips in 2003 using San Antonio as my base of operations. Some of the visits listed here are repeats from 1994--a film "incident" left me without photographs from my Harlingen-Brownsville-Laredo excursion. Others are first-time visits of places I didn't have mapped in 1994, or just didn't have time to visit. Also included here are 2004 photos of Randolph AFB, taken with permission from the Public Affairs office (thanks, MSgt Roberts). Just a reminder PIN means Permanent Installation Number and ILC means Installation Location Code; I include these for Air Force properties when I know them.Saturday, 26 April 2003
Edinburg Auxiliary Field TX, 26-26-30, 98-07-45. Hitting the road at 0600, I headed down I-37 and US 281 to the Rio Grande Valley. This was an auxiliary of Moore Field during WWII, and again (under Moore Air Base) in the 1950s. As far as I could tell, no WWII buildings remain. This is still an active airport, Edinburg International (25R), and it looks like part of the airfield is home to a drag strip.General view Moore Air Base TX, 26-23, 98-20. Moore Field, a pilot training school, opened in 1941 and was declared surplus in 1945. After briefly serving as a municipal airport, it was reacquired by the USAF in 1953 for use as a contract flying school. In 1955, Moore Field was redesignated Moore Air Base, to conform to the naming convention then in use at other contract flying schools. Moore Air Base was inactivated in 1961, and disposed of in 1963. Currently, it is Moore Field Airport (7R7) owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A sign on the fence still calls it Moore Air Base.
General view
Historical marker
Non-historic sign Delmita Gap Filler Annex TX, 26-38-52, 98-27-41. The building is in good condition, and the three concrete footings for the radar tower are extant. This unattended radar site was operational from 1960 to 1963, and was reported excess in 1965. It was identified as TM-189A (when it supported Zapata AFS), and also TM-191C (when it supported Rockport AFS).
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Radar tower footing Fort Ringgold Laundry TX, 26-22-36, 98-48-30. My next stop was a 19th century fort, last used by the Army during WWII. On the southeast side of Rio Grande City, I found the former Fort Ringgold. My interest was in that part of the fort gained by the Army Air Forces in 1941 for the use of Moore AAFld. This property was declared surplus in 1945 and transferred to the Corps of Engineers in 1946. The fort is now used by the Rio Grande City schools, but being a Saturday I found no school officials to help me in my search for the former fort laundry. Based on clues in a brief description, it may be the building now used as a school cafeteria--but more research is needed to verify this. Many of the fort's buildings still stand, including a house once inhabited by General Robert E. Lee. The parade ground is used for athletic fields, but the vintage flagpole still stands at one end.
General view
General view
General view
General view
Suspected former laundry building
Gate house
Flagpole Fronton Navy Space Surveillance Site TX. Time for another change of pace, so I headed north (west, actually) on US 83 in search of a Navy radar site. Many researchers are familiar with the Naval Space Surveillance System, but did you know there was once a smaller setup (one transmitter site and one receiver site) in south Texas? Thanks to historian Michael Binder, I knew the locations of these facilities. This complex dates back to about 1965, and I'm not sure how long it was operational, or if it was just a short-lived experiment. Near the small town of Fronton, and only one-half mile from the international border, I found the access road leading to the former transmitter site. Maps and aerial photos show what appear to be three buildings along the length of the transmitter property, but my search was stopped by signage marking this as a wildlife refuge. A 1980 topographic map labels this site "NRL Field Station," NRL standing for Naval Research Laboratory.
Access road
Access road
Non-historic sign Zapata Air Force Station TX (TM-189), 26-57-09, 99-16-32. Continuing on US 83, my next stop was just north of Zapata. This long-range radar site was only operational from 1957 to 1960. From outside the fence, it looked like many of the buildings were reasonably intact. The adjacent housing area was still in use as civilian housing. A few homes were empty and run down, but many were well-maintained and nicely-landscaped.
Gate
General view
View from gate
General view
View toward housing area Continuing north on US 83, I reached Laredo and then headed back to San Antonio via I-35. This day's drive covered 636 miles, in 12.5 hours.
Sunday, 4 May 2003
Oilton Radar Site TX (Z-242), ILC SGZM. With a standard 0600 start, I headed south on I-35. Passing through Laredo, then east on US 59, I made my way toward Oilton. I slowly drove the washboard road to the site. This installation had its start in 1972, as Oilton Missile Tracking Site. Consisting of one height-finder radar, it was redesignated Oilton Radar Site (Z-242) in 1982. The Air Force disposed of the site in 1989. Standing near the original site, is an active FAA radar facility.Sign in Oilton
Sign in Oilton
Height-finder radar tower
Height-finder radar tower Laredo Air Force Auxiliary Field No. 2 TX, 27-28, 99-14. From Oilton, I reversed course and headed back toward Laredo. This airfield was an auxiliary to Laredo AFB from 1953 to 1973. It is currently used as a testing facility, or proving ground.
Gate Fort McIntosh Family Housing Annex TX, 27-30-24, 99-31-23. Back in Laredo, I braved the confusing streets to find Fort McIntosh. This nineteenth-century Army fort is located along the international border. Fort McIntosh is listed in the cross-reference listing of a 1942 Army Air Forces station list. The Army declared the fort surplus in 1946. In 1956, a portion of the fort (43 buildings, 28 of them family housing units) transferred to the USAF. This housing area supported Laredo AFB until 1972.
Housing
Housing
Housing
Housing
Housing
Housing
Housing Laredo Air Force Base TX, 27-32-30, 99-28-00. Now Laredo International Airport (LRD) and an industrial park, it has many aviation and non-aviation uses. There were still some visible clues to its Air Force existence. I noticed several different types of hangars, the control tower, a water tower, fire station, parachute drying loft, visiting officers' quarters and other buildings remaining from USAF service. This location was home to a civilian airport in the 1930s, and Laredo Army Air Field activated here in 1942. Shut down after WWII, the airport was transferred to the City of Laredo. It was reactivated as Laredo AFB in 1952, serving until 1973.
General view
General view
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar and control tower
Control tower
Elevated water storage tank
Fire station
Parachute and dinghy building
Visiting officers quarters
Visiting officers quarters
Buildings Laredo Civilian War Worker Housing TX, 27-31-45, 99-28-14. Just across the road from the airport, I looked for traces of Laredo Army Air Field's WWII Lanham Act housing, but it is all gone now. In its place are apartments, restaurants, stores, and a small amount of unused land.
General view Laredo Air Force Station TX (Z-230), PIN 5346, ILC MVKH, 27-37-08, 99-23-12. This former radar site is northeast of the city on a dirt road. The facility now serves the county sheriff department as an impound lot. I found it gated and locked. I was able to glimpse a few of the structures from the southwest, at a high point on the public road. First known as Laredo Radar Annex, this site was operational in 1956. It was reactivated as Laredo Air Force Station (Z-230) in 1966, and used until approximately 1972.
Gate
Access road
Distant view From Laredo, I made my way to I-35 and headed back to San Antonio. This Sunday drive in the country covered 464 miles, in 9.5 hours.
Thursday, 15 May 2003
Hondo Air Base TX, PIN 2409, ILC KZKP. I spent the day in meetings on the west side of San Antonio. When the workday ended, I headed west to Hondo. First stop was the municipal airport. The USAF still uses the airport as an auxiliary field for Randolph AFB, and stores the ill-fated T-3 trainers here. Hondo AAFld was a busy navigator-training base in WWII, and was reactivated for pilot training in the Korean War. It served as the USAF's flight screening base for many years, using the T-41 trainer. Then came the short-lived T-3, and now the USAF uses the airport as a touch-and-go location. Several vintage buildings are still standing on the former base, though some had quite a bit of storm damage.Airfield showing runway supervisory unit
Airfield showing wind tetrahedron
T-3 aircraft
T-3 aircraft
Hangar
Buildings
Buildings
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Building Hondo Civilian War Worker Housing TX, aka Navigator Village, 29-20-55, 99-09-36. A Lanham Act housing area for civilian war workers was built adjacent to Hondo AAFld. The apartments have long since been removed, and the area redeveloped. A couple of buildings on the site may be vintage.
General view Hondo Housing Annex TX, 29-21-13, 99-09-13. Not far away, another housing area was built on the former AAFld property, this time in the 1950s. The small prefab homes are gone, and the area is now a trailer park.
General view Hondo Horizontal Lighting Site TX, 29-20-33, 99-09-43. South of the base, on a small hill, horizontal lighting was installed for flight safety.
General view of hill
Saturday, 17 May 2003
It was finally time to make a reattack on Harlingen AFB, Laguna Madre Field, and Brownsville AAB. However, armed with much more information than I had 9 years ago, I added several other locations to round out this all-day trek. Raymondville Naval Space Surveillance Site TX. My first challenge was to find the receiver site of the Texas Naval Space Surveillance fence, located near Raymondville 26-29-33, 97-30-14. I found the locked access gate, and signs indicating this is now a private hunting club. This is the companion to the transmitter site I found on 26 April 2003.Gate
Non-historic sign
Access road Harlingen Air Force Base TX, 1161, 26-13-30, 97-39-00. I sure wish I had the photos from my 1994 visit, because this place has changed a lot since then. I found no trace of the tarpaper-walled buildings I saw last time.
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Barracks Port Isabel Housing Annex TX, 26-09-05, 97-21-00. This housing supported the nearby Port Isabel Air Force Station. The homes are now empty, with "U.S. Govt., No Trespassing" signs still posted on the perimeter fence.
General view
General view
General view Laguna Madre Field TX, 26-09-55, 97-20-50. This was a sub-base of Harlingen AAFld during WWII. It is currently Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport (T31), although not open to the public. The fenced flightline and security gate were not there in 1994. Part of the access road is on former taxiways and parking ramp, which made it a fun drive. The security gate was a disappointment, so I settled for photographing the vintage hangar from a distance.
General view
Airfield
Hangar Port Isabel Air Force Station TX (TM-190), PIN 6864, 26-09-20, 97-20-16. Out of reach behind fences and gates is this long-range radar site located on the former cantonment area of Laguna Madre Field. The field transferred to the Navy after WWII, and they built dormitories and other buildings that the Air Force used for the radar site in the 1950s. The radar site was operational from 1959 to 1961.
Dormitory Laguna Madre Gunnery Range TX, 26-10-50, 97-20-35. On the east side of the airport this was a complex of several ground gunnery ranges. Some of them were the type called "Jeep ranges," having pathways for Jeeps to tow moving targets. The distinctive berms of these ranges still show in aerial photos, so I was curious to see them in person. Turns out the entire acreage of the ground gunnery range became part of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. So, For a $3.00 fee I was able to enter and see the eroded berms of some of the firing ranges.
Gunnery range berm
Gunnery range berm Brownsville Army Air Base TX, 25-54-30, 97-25-30. This is now Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport (BRO). Most buildings on the airport are post-war; one notable exception is the 1931 Pan Am building.
Hangars
Hangars
Control tower
Pan American Airways building Fort Brown TX, 25-53-25, 97-29-32. This is still known as Fort Brown, although military use ended after WWII. Now, it is home to a college, apartments, a hotel, and a golf course. A few vintage buildings are mixed in with new construction. This is the southernmost point I have visited in North America.
General view
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Historical marker
Historical marker Riviera Gap Filler Annex TX (TM-191A), 27-19-38, 97-44-36. Finding this property was easy thanks to advance recon by Jerry Alexander, as documented on the radomes.org web page. The only clues I could see from the public road were the cinder block construction of the building, and the distinctive vent hood on the wall. This site supported Rockport AFS from 1959 to 1963.
Building From there, U.S. 77 took me to I-37, then back to San Antonio. This was a long day--15 hours and 735 miles.
Monday, 26 May 2003
Nike BG-80C TX, 30-18-18, 97-50-24. I sought out the only operational Nike IFC in Texas that I had not yet seen. West of Austin, I found the former Nike site still in use by the Army.General view
Nike Hercules display missile
Sunday, 1 June 2003
Brooks AFB TX, PIN 1670, ILC CNBC. With a couple hours of free time, I decided to visit Brooks City-Base. That's the new name since it was conveyed to the Brooks Development Authority on 22 July 2002. It is now a technology and business center, with the USAF as the main tenant. The Brooks Air Force Base signs are mostly gone, and plastic banner-type signs advertising Brooks City-Base are posted on the perimeter fence. The gate is still guarded, and the historic Hangar 9 still stands.Hangar 9
Hangar 9
Hangar 9
Hangar 9 Palfrey Field TX, 29-22-00, 98-25-30. Not too far away, I found the location of one of Brooks Field's WWI auxiliaries. This piece of land is now home to a school, and part of the land is vacant.
General view Randolph Waste Annex TX, PIN 3413, ILC TZAS, 29-32-50, 98-15-45. While I was out, I drove to Schertz, just east of Randolph AFB, to find this property. It is part of the current Beck Landfill, on FM Road 78.
General view
Gate
Monday, 9 June 2003
Kelly Recreation Annex TX at 30-33-55, 98-20-36. This installation near Marble Falls was also known as the Flying K Recreation Area: highway signs still use this name, even though the facility closed many years ago. It was used as a local park after its service to Kelly AFB, but now sits unused behind a locked gate.Gate
Saturday, 14 June 2003
Schulenburg Gap Filler Annex TX (TM-192B), PIN 3669, 29-45-43, 96-55-50. Acquisition of this radar annex was authorized in January 1957, and the lease was terminated in December 1961. The site supported Killeen AFS, and was reportedly only operational during 1960.Building
Building
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Building and radar tower footings This Saturday drive covered 306 miles in 6 hours.
Sunday, 15 June 2003
Radio Beam Station TX, 29-07-55, 98-10-18. I went to Floresville to see this former NAVAID that supported Brooks Field during WWII. The 13-acre site is now an undeveloped field with a large tree at the site center, approximately where the radio station building stood.General view Randolph Communications Facility No. 2 (Receiver) TX, PIN 1223, 29-33-11, 98-18-00. This facility is now used as a public works compound. This 2.07-acre property was purchased in 1953, and disposed of in 1966.
General view
Gate Randolph Civilian War Worker Housing TX, 29-32-44, 98-17-09. The 3.65-acre property is now home to several businesses and a motel, the original housing having long since been removed. Acquired in 1942, this Lanham Act housing served Randolph's civilian work force during WWII. It was transferred from the National Housing Authority to the AAF or USAF sometime before 1949, and was reported excess in December 1953.
General view
General view Randolph Pistol Range TX, 29-32-31, 98-15-16. Finding the former range was tougher. This .52-acre property was leased from 1943 to 1948. Access was probably along the left side of this road, which is now heavily overgrown. That's as close as I got.
General view Randolph Driver Training Range TX. Also called Driver Training Course, this was a ribbon-shaped piece of land on Cibolo Creek, centered at 29-33-09, 98-17-00; and leased from 1943 to 1946. I don't know what type of driver training was conducted here, or why Randolph would lease a stretch of creek bed for such training.
General view
General view This was a 103-mile trip, taking 3 hours.
Sunday, 29 June 2003
Downtown San Antonio can be a crowded place. So, when I wanted to check out some addresses in the vicinity of the Riverwalk, I decided that first light on a weekend would be the best time. I exited I-37 at Commerce Street at 0630, in search of some places used in WWI by the Air Service, and in WWII by the Army Air Forces. Aeronautical Chart Regional Store TX, 29-24-45, 98-30-02. My first stop was 114 Camp Street, the address listed in a 1945 Army Air Forces directory. I found an older, empty building. On my first visit, I noticed the name Tobin on the rooftop water tower, but I didn't realize the significance. I returned on 2 November 2003 and photographed another view of the building and a closeup of the water tower sign. Edgar Tobin was a World War I ace, and in 1928 he founded Tobin Aerial Surveys. This was the premier aerial mapping company of the era, and during WWII they mapped the United States for the U.S. government. This connection may explain why this building held the military designation that it did.Building
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Rooftop water storage tank Aviation General Supply Depot Branch Warehouse TX, 29-24-20, 98-30-10. Not far away, I found the location of a WWI warehouse at 1903 South Flores. The warehouse was used by the Air Service from 1917 until 1918, when the function was moved to Kelly Field. This building is now used by Alfa Food Equipment.
Warehouse San Antonio Arsenal TX, 29-25-02, 98-29-45. Heading north on South Flores, I passed right by the former arsenal. I have found no indication of Air Service or Army Air Forces use of the arsenal property, but since it was along my path, I include it here. Much of the property is used by a large grocery store company, and part by the U.S. government. One portion, containing the former commander's residence, is a senior community center.
Building Aviation General Supply Depot Main Office TX, 29-25-29, 98-29-39. Farther west, I found the Municipal Plaza Building at 114 West Commerce. During WWI, this address was listed for the main office of the depot. Established at this location in 1917, the depot moved to Kelly Field in 1918.
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Saturday, 12 July 2003
This was another mixed bag of reattacks and new targets. I departed at 0600, heading southwest. Carrizo Springs Gap Filler Annex TX (TM-188A), 28-30-13, 99-49-58. My first stop was this former radar site. The building was reasonably intact and appeared unused. The three tower footings were still in place. This gap filler was operational from 1959 to 1963, supporting Eagle Pass AFS.Building
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Building Eagle Pass Army Air Field TX, 28-51-20, 100-30-40. Much had changed since my first visit. In 1994, there was little beneficial use of the former auxiliary field known as Bowles Airport (5T9). Since then, an airport terminal has been built, and the still-sleepy airfield has the grand name of Maverick County Memorial International Airport (5T9)! Several business and government agencies have set up shop on the grounds, with new construction and fences blocking access to some areas I explored in 1994. Some distinctive Air Force buildings and structures still stand, others are falling down. The large hangar at the south end of the ramp has burned down.
Non-historic terminal building
Building
Airfield parking ramp
Hangar
Elevated water storage tank
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Building
Hangar remains Eagle Pass Air Force Station TX (TM-188), 28-51-40, 100-31-41. This radar site was built on the Eagle Pass Army Air Field cantonment area in the late 1950s, and was operational from 1959 to 1963. The operations part of the property has suffered neglect, vandalism, and some demolition since my 1994 visit. By contrast, the housing area looks better than it did nine years ago, with most units occupied as private residences. The main access road to the airfield has been widened and repaved. The modernization here may relate to the North American Free Trade Agreement, better known as NAFTA.
Elevated water storage tank and gate house
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Elevated water storage tank and gate house
Building Comstock Gap Filler Annex TX (TM-187B), 29-51-30, 101-09-44. The access road was gated and locked, but I could see the gap filler building from the highway. This gap filler was in use from 1960 to 1963, supporting Ozona AFS.
Gate
General view
General view Del Rio International Airport TX, 29-22, 100-55. In the early 1970s, this airport was home to T-41 indoctrination training for Laughlin AFB. Now, it's a quiet little airport, despite its worldly title.
General view Val Verde County Airport TX, PIN 1202, 29-22-30, 100-49-25. This airport was leased in 1943 as an auxiliary to nearby Laughlin Field. It was declared surplus in 1945, but was reactivated in 1952, again as an auxiliary of Laughlin. In 1957 it transferred from Air Training Command to Strategic Air Command, and in 1958 it was redesignated Laughlin Service Annex. It was disposed of in 1959. Housing developments cover most of the former airport, but the runways are still visible in aerial photos, cutting across the pattern of residential roads. I was able to drive on two of the three former runways, in an undeveloped corner of the airfield.
Runway
Runway From Laughlin, I headed east toward San Antonio. I arrived home at 1800, covering 587 miles in 12 hours.
Sunday, 20 July 2003
Bergstrom Recreation Annex TX, ILC BJJA, 30-26-23, 98-01-59. This property on Canyon Lake was acquired for Bergstrom AFB prior to 1975, and was disposed of in 1993. After disposal, the property became the Lower Colorado River Authority's Camp Chautauqua, adjacent to Travis County's Pace Bend Park. The property is now gated, locked, and unused. Pace Bend Park personnel report the area has not been used in a few years, and the cabins and other buildings have been removed.General view
Base of former sign
Gate
Gate
Sunday, 27 July 2003
This was a day trip to Austin. The first and last stops were reattacks, with a few new finds in between. Bergstrom Air Force Base TX, PIN 1370, ILC BJHZ, 30-12, 97-40. This former base changed quite a bit since I was stationed there in the 1980s. Now Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), new construction has obliterated most of the Air Force buildings. One notable exception is the former Twelfth Air Force headquarters building, which is now a Hilton hotel. To the east of the Hilton, the former base education center is intact. So is the "new" Noncommissioned Officer Academy (NCOA), built in the early 1990s. I visited this school on the occasion of their final graduation in 1993--shortly before base closure. The "old" NCOA, where I worked 1985-89, was housed in two former dormitories. They have been demolished, and a rental car facility sits on that location.Twelfth Air Force headquarters
Education center
NCOA (new) Austin Nike Missile Maintenance Facility TX, 30-13-07, 97-45-45 (approximate). I next tried to find the former building at 4212 Willow Springs, in Austin. Well, that address no longer seems to exist. I found 4211, with an overgrown lot across the street. However, the neighboring building is numbered in the 4300s. So, I'm not sure if that lot was the place, or if the actual site may have been renumbered. This facility was leased in 1959, and declared excess in 1961.
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Empty lot Penn Field TX, 30-13-40, 97-45-36. A WWI airfield was located on Congress Avenue, and I've driven past it many times without knowing it was there. This was a civil, rather than a military, airfield. It was connected with the University of Texas and hosted an Air Service radio operator school in 1918 and 1919. Since about 2000, this industrial area has been undergoing a revitalization, and is now an attractive business complex. It was difficult to discern which buildings might have been original from the WWI era, although this elevated water storage tank may be.
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Building
Elevated water storage tank
Elevated water storage tank
Elevated water storage tank detail Plancor 265 TX, 30-23-20, 97-43-52. A WWII magnesium plant belonging to the Defense Plant Corporation was located in northwest Austin. International Minerals Chemicals Corporation operated the 388-acre plant, which provided magnesium for aircraft production. It is now the J.J. Pickle Research Campus of the University of Texas at Austin. From outside the gates, I could not discern any of the original plant buildings.
Gate Austin Municipal Airport TX, 30-18, 97-42. Since I started my day by visiting the "new" Austin airport, it seemed appropriate to end my day's business by visiting the "old" Austin airport. In WWII it was an auxiliary field for Bergstrom Field. It eventually became Robert Mueller Airport, and closed when Austin-Bergstrom International Airport opened. The control tower stands, as do the airport access roads with overhead signs, and the parking areas with their access gates and tollbooths. But the terminal building itself has been demolished.
Sign
Control tower
Hangar This was a 7.25-hour trip, covering 210 miles.
Saturday, 9 August 2003
Another full day of fun; 2 repeat visits and 7 new finds. Corpus Christi Air Defense Filter Center TX, 27-47-47, 97-25-29. Heading out at 0600, my first stop was 3105 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi. Leased space (4,000 square feet) in the Republic Building was home to an Air Defense Filter Center from 1955 to 1958. The building has changed hands several times since then. The windowless addition at the rear of the building may be from Air Force use.Building detail
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Building Rockport Outlying Field TX, 28-05-30, 97-03-00. From Corpus Christi, I made my way north to Rockport. The current Aransas County Airport (RKP) airport was a Navy outlying field during WWII, supporting Rodd Field Naval Air Station. A couple of vintage hangars remain, near a newer terminal building.
Hangar
Hangar
General view Rockport Air Force Station TX (TM-191), PIN 3299, 28-05-35, 97-02-47. Adjacent to the airport sat an Air Force radar site. It served from 1959 to 1963. I could see various buildings from outside the gates. From one access path I could see a set of four foundation blocks. The adjacent former family housing area still stands and the units are occupied.
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
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Antenna tower footing
Housing Aloe Army Air Field TX, 28-47, 97-06. This WWII airfield in Victoria is now an industrial park, and looked much as it did on my first visit in 1994. A highway now slices across the runways, and I could see part of a runway on the far side of the highway. Since then, I've learned of two additional points of interest at the airport.
General view
Airfield ramp
Maintenance building
Hangar
Gate with former runway beyond Victoria Air Force Station TX, 28-46-19, 97-05-11. In 1958, a portion of the former Aloe AAFld was leased for a radar site. The site was never built, and the lease was terminated in 1959. The land for the planned radar site now sits empty.
General view Aloe Civilian War Worker Housing TX, 28-46-00, 97-04-43. Adjacent to Aloe AAFld, along US Highway 59, sits a tract of land that was Lanham Act housing during WWII. The houses are long gone, but remnants of sidewalks can be seen off the U-shaped road that served this development.
Remains of sidewalk
Remains of road Foster Air Force Base TX, PIN 2127, 28-51-25, 96-55-05. Driving through Victoria to the east, I found the current Victoria Regional Airport (VCT). The former base looked much the same as it had in 1994. A few of the hangars showed damage--possibly from the recent hurricane. The control tower sits unused.
Hangars
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Barracks
Barracks
Barracks
Barracks
Dormitory
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Control tower
F-101 display aircraft Foster Civilian War Worker Housing TX, 28-50-15, 96-55-26. Since my earlier visit, I had learned of a Lanham Act housing project for Foster Field. It is indicated on WWII-era plans, but I cannot find any signatures in topographic maps or recent aerial photos (both vertical and oblique). The location is part of a larger overgrown area.
General view This trip covered 642 miles, in 13.5 hours.
Saturday, 11 September 2004
Randolph Air Force Base TX. Randolph was a busy base so I took these photos on a weekend, after getting permission from Public Affairs.Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
Chapel
Chapel
1930s hangar
1930s hangar
1930s hangar
B-29 hangar
B-29 hangar Updated March 29, 2025
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