ButnerMuseum
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- Mar 19, 2016
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Hello everyone,
My name is Mike and I work with the Camp Butner Society, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to preserving and telling the story of Camp Butner, NC from 1942-1947 through our official Facebook page and our museum. Thousands of soldiers came through here for some of the best training on the east coast and we had a small dirt strip for the L4s assigned to train the aerial observers. The 78th Infantry, 89th Infantry and 35th Infantry all trained here to include all their assigned artillery regiments.
I have been recently researching the airstrip and had ventured into the woods in hopes of finding signs of its existence. The strip area is all grown over, but you can still see large rock piles from the clearing and leveling of the strip in 1942, a couple bits of foundations where buildings were and plenty of trash piles.
During my brief exploration, I did find a battery box with the batteries in one of these piles and hope to find more pieces in the future. As the spring brings new growth, it will soon be impassible and I will have to wait until the winter again.
Our 75th anniversary is coming up in 2017 and I was recently wondering if anyone knows of any L4s or J3s painted to look like an Army aircraft in central or eastern North Carolina or southern Virginia that we could potentially have visit for the celebration. There is an active dirt strip about 5 miles away, but we have plenty of open areas in the town for landing as well. It's not for another year and a half but wanted to see what's out there.
The society and museum has been the passion of a former National Guard soldier who worked in Butner and when he retired, he passed the torch to me (I am also in the NG) and we have been a 501c3 for almost 3 years now. The board and I feel our museum is the least we can do to honor the memories of all the soldiers, civilians and German and Italian POWs that called Camp Butner home and as we move forward hope that the 75th can be an amazing celebration. The photo here is the only known photo of one of the aircraft assigned to the camp. Unfortunately, the pilot had a bad day. Also is one of the battery I found.
I can be reached here or at [email protected]. Also, please feel free to visit our official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CampButnerSociety
Michael
My name is Mike and I work with the Camp Butner Society, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to preserving and telling the story of Camp Butner, NC from 1942-1947 through our official Facebook page and our museum. Thousands of soldiers came through here for some of the best training on the east coast and we had a small dirt strip for the L4s assigned to train the aerial observers. The 78th Infantry, 89th Infantry and 35th Infantry all trained here to include all their assigned artillery regiments.
I have been recently researching the airstrip and had ventured into the woods in hopes of finding signs of its existence. The strip area is all grown over, but you can still see large rock piles from the clearing and leveling of the strip in 1942, a couple bits of foundations where buildings were and plenty of trash piles.
During my brief exploration, I did find a battery box with the batteries in one of these piles and hope to find more pieces in the future. As the spring brings new growth, it will soon be impassible and I will have to wait until the winter again.
Our 75th anniversary is coming up in 2017 and I was recently wondering if anyone knows of any L4s or J3s painted to look like an Army aircraft in central or eastern North Carolina or southern Virginia that we could potentially have visit for the celebration. There is an active dirt strip about 5 miles away, but we have plenty of open areas in the town for landing as well. It's not for another year and a half but wanted to see what's out there.
The society and museum has been the passion of a former National Guard soldier who worked in Butner and when he retired, he passed the torch to me (I am also in the NG) and we have been a 501c3 for almost 3 years now. The board and I feel our museum is the least we can do to honor the memories of all the soldiers, civilians and German and Italian POWs that called Camp Butner home and as we move forward hope that the 75th can be an amazing celebration. The photo here is the only known photo of one of the aircraft assigned to the camp. Unfortunately, the pilot had a bad day. Also is one of the battery I found.
I can be reached here or at [email protected]. Also, please feel free to visit our official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CampButnerSociety
Michael
