When Lewisburg Had An Airport

The Lewisburg Airport Hangar in 1948

From 1948-1979, Lewisburg, Union County Pa,  had an airport.  

It was located parallel to 192 (Buffalo Road) with the runway beginning at the corner of Airport Road and 192, and running towards "Brouse Grove", the area of trees in front of Playworld today.   The airport building would become The Coop, a teen center, in the 1980s, and later the site of Playworld.

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1948 - The Airport Opened

The Lewisburg Airport was first licensed in 1948,  "when the first air mail was dispatched from Lewisburg". 

Harold Derk, pilot and owner of a heavy construction business in Montandon, approached George Brouse, asking if he would consider making a landing strip on two of the fields Brouse owned in Lewisburg.  Brouse agreed, and Derk used his equipment to lay out the runway.

The landing strip measured 3,245 feet long and 500 feet wide, "running parallel to the highway', according to a 1950 article on the grand opening.

"On the grounds adjacent to the hangar is a 2,000 gallon capacity gasoline tank, affording regular service for planes."

 The Daily Item reported on October 1st 1948 that the Lewisburg Airport was open for business, and that final touches were being applied  to the cinder block hanger "measuring 50 by 96 feet, in one corner of which is located the office.  Storage of private planes has already been arranged by several pilots of the Lewisburg sector who have tried the field in recent weeks and found it satisfactory."

The hangar could house 5 planes.

George Brouse, Fred Brouse, Harold Derek

at the Lewisburg Airport 1950

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The Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting - 1950

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Although opened in 1948, the  Official Grand Opening was not held until July 30th 1950.

  The Lewisburg High School band played, their were parachute jumps, and demonstrations of the latest in small planes.  W.T. Rippe, President of Piper Aircraft, was the feature speaker that day.  

One of he surprise features of the day was a special souvenir "air mail cover markings on the occasion of the dedication" were made possible by Postmaster J. Frank Groover.

"The event was celebrated by a jump by world champion parachutist Bill Cooper, music by the Lewisburg High School Band, rides in a 'giant transport plane,'

a crop dusting & spraying exhibition, and that evening in the hangar by round & square dancing. The 'giant transport plane' was a DC-3 which could carry 18 passengers.”

A DC-13 At the Lewisburg Grand Opening in 1950

The plane could take up 18 passengers at a time

Groups attending the Grand Opening were welcomed to use the  Brouse picnic grove facilities.

The Daily Item reported that the Lewisburg airport was the only airport in Union County, but emergency landings could be made on basic landing trips at the Union County Sportsmen's Club in Weikert, and the Charles Beaver tract at Mifflinburg.

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"Recreational fliers used the Lewisburg Airport for flights to photograph

 Lewisburg and the surrounding areas from the aircraft.

 This aerial view of  Lewisburg shows Route 15 (top to bottom in the center).

 To the right,  stacks of wood lie at the Pennsylvania House property near the railroad  line. 

At the upper left, one can identify a three-story apartment building  that once was the West Ward School

Some of those known to use  the runway at Lewisburg included: Lester Reed, Dallas Hanlon, Warren Elze, Frank Hinish, Fred Kessler, and Dan Henry.

Fred Brouse on Left, Martin Reed on right - 1952

  "Frank Hinish, owner of Prowant’s Men’s Clothing store on Market Street in Lewisburg, would often relax by flying his plane during his lunch hour."

Jay Mathias of JPM Industries flew products to New York & Philadelphia out of the Lewisburg Airport.  Dallas Hanlon was often the pilot.”

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Flying Farmers

The May 1952 Flying Farmers picnic was held at the Lewisburg Airport.  45 adults and 20 children attended from as far away as Eno Valley near Ohio.  The group also visited the Lewisburg Penitentiary. (A list of those attended were listed in a news article about the event, included at the bottom at the age of this page, under read more)

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Marlyn Ernest Aikey

1912-1969

The first Chief Instructor & Business Manager at the Lewisburg Airport was Marlyn 'Barney' Aikey.  Uncle Barney (he was my grandmothers brother) attended the St Paul School of Instruction in New Hampshire in 1943, and then was sent on to another academy, before being appointed as a flight instructor during World War II.  (I've always been told that there is a photo of Uncle Barney with John Wayne and a plane, taken during the war.  I've never been able to find a copy of that.)

Dallas "Dal" Hanlon later, by 1951,  replaced Aikey.

"A solo flight of one-half hour duration cost $3.30.  The instructor cost another $5.50. That sum was then taxed at $0.18.”

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In 1951 and addition, including an apartment,  was built on to the original hangar.

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Annual Airshow

In June of 1953, The Lewisburg Airport held it's 4th annual air show.  The feature attraction was a 60 mile race, from Lewisburg to Selinsgrove to  Williamsport and back to Lewisburg. 10 planes were expected to compete in 53.  A variety of stunt flying demonstrations were also planned for the day.  

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1953, McCarthy Committee At Lewisburg Airport

Lewisburg Airport Used For

Media Covering Hiss Release

In 1954, Alger Hiss was released from the Federal Penitentiary, after serving 3.5 years of a 5 year sentence. The release was covered by a "tremendous battery of reporters, press photographers, and newsreel cameramen.....   The Lewisburg Airport, privately owned by Fred Brouse, and located on Route 95 Buffalo Road, was a scene of bustling activity.."

A Bell helicopter carried a Life magazine reporter who had been taking aerial shots of the release.  A Beaver single engine plane brought a reporter from the Sunday News in New York, and a Bonanza plane brought a NBC television man.  "Three of the planes from the Lewisburg airport were pressed into service for flying material back to the big cities."  Instructor Dallas Hamlin flew material to CBS in New York.  James Richard, of Bloomsburg, flew pictures for Life Magazine, to New York.

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Santa Arrived By Plane

In December of 1957, Lewisburg School Children gathered at the Lewisburg Airport, where Santa was to stop after picking up candy at Purity Candy.

1959 Aerial View - Before the second hangar

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A Second Hangar

At some point later,  (after the 1959 aerial photo, and before the 1970 aerial photo) a second hanger was built to the west of the first building.  This second building was taller, with an 18 foot ceiling.  The hangar had special overhead doors with  posts that supported the doors moving on rollers, allowing an aircraft with a 40’ wingspan & a higher tail section to pass in & out of the hangar. Mechanics Jess Hackenberg and Joseph Lahout both used this second hanger.

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The Jumping Bucknellions

In October of 1960, a Parachute Club from Bucknell University had an exhibition at the Lewisburg Airport. They also exhibited at the Penn Valley airport north of Selinsgrove. 

1965 Topographic Map Showing the Lewisburg Airport

Governor William Scranton arrived at the Lewisburg Airport in 1964, in a Beechcraft H-18

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The  Largest Plane

In May 1961, a c-47 twin engine transport transport carrying 4 persons arrived in Lewisburg Airport.  The plane was named the Armstrong, and flew to Lewisburg without a flight plan after there was no communication with Williamsport airport.

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Fly-In Program

In August of 1966, more than 300 attended a fly in breakfast at the Lewisburg Airport, sponsored by the New Columbia Squadron 1103, Civil Air Patrol.

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Jimmy Hoffa's Birthday Plane, abt 1969

For Jimmy Hoffa's birthday, his 3rd wife, Josephine, would rent a plant to fly over the Lewisburg Penitentiary, with a banner reading "Birthday Greetings Jimmy Hoffa".  The pilot would then commence sky writing - spreading a "J.R.H. and a large heart" across the sky.   

Hoffa was incarcerated at Lewisburg from 1967-1971.

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1970 Aerial View of the Lewisburg Airport

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The Smallest Airport

In January of 1975, the Lewisburg airport was the smallest in the area.  Air traffic had been light in 1974, and there was no maintenance shop at the airport in 1975.

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Plowed Under

April 9th 1975 was the last day the airport existed. "A moment of drama on the facility's last day occurred when a two passenger plane made an unauthorized landing on Tuesday night".  It managed take-off as the first of three tractors was turning over sod at the edge of the field."

  On Thursday April 10th, the runway was plowed under.  The land was leased to Charles Dock of Dockview Dairy, for farming.  The land had not been plowed for 27 years, and was "judged quite a challenge for the farm equipment".

In 1979, Brouse Enterprises sold 1 acre of runway land to the Northumberland County Industrial Development Authority, which sold it to D & R Realty.  

The Coop - Teen Center

Later, SUN Orthopedic occupied the site that had been the beginning of the runway.

Keiser’s Plumbing & Heating & Keiser’s Sporting Good (called Out ‘N’ About) rented half of Hangar #1 when it no longer housed aircraft.

Mifflinburg Bank razed Hangar #2 for its Lewisburg branch, which opened in 1991

The Lewisburg Airport In 2003

It was torn down later the same year.

“Dale Miller had promised not to cut down the stand of oak trees in front of Playworld.  The   oaks were called Brouse’s Grove, where the Brouse family would hold picnics & family reunions."  It was also later referred to as the Airport Picnic Grove.

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READ MORE

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Montandon was being considered as the location for an airport in 1945.

1946

1966 Crash kills 4 near Lewisburg Airport

The Lewisburg area experienced other notable aerial events not necessarily associated with theLewisburg Airport. Paul Herman was reputed to have flown under the old Lewisburg steel bridge in asingle engine aircraft in the 1940s. Drew Machamer and John Bernhart buzzed Lewisburg with an oldWorld War II fighter; both were disciplined by the military for doing so. Machamer has since beenresponsible for having a World War II B-25 bomber fly over Lewisburg at the beginning of the annualLewisburg Veterans Parade. The aircraft is owned by the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum of Reading, PA. 

Hearings ... on Sundry Legislation Affecting the Naval and Military Establishments. (n.d.). United States: U.S. Government Printing Office.

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The Brouses eventually owned 5 aircraft.

Several other people used the runway, including, Lester Reed, Dallas Hanlon, Warren Elze, Frank Hinish, Fred Kessler, and Dan Henry.  Frank Hinish, owner of Prowant’s Men’s Clothing store on Market Street in Lewisburg, would often relax by flying his plane during his lunch hour.

Fred Brouse reports that Lester Reed was a 'corker of a pilot.' Reed liked to do stunts & loops with the aircraft.  Fred denies ever trying aerobatics himself, at least not voluntarily.

Agnes Brouse stands with her son George F. Brouse (left) and  her grandson Fred W. Brouse (right) before being taken for a  plane ride.

 Fred’s grandmother, Agnes Brouse, at aged 72 took her first airplane ride from the Lewisburg Airport.  Her pilot was Joseph Diblin, who flew a Piper Super Cruiser PA-12, which held 3 passengers.  Fred reported that Grandma enjoyed the ride.

Fred Brouse once flew to Hiawatha, Kansas, using a radio beam, and during the flight almost fell asleep. He ended up 50 miles from where he was supposed to be. His friend Harold Derk certainly never let him forget that flight.

Over the years, Fred flew to Danville, Williamsport, Reading, Scranton-Clark Summit, Ohio, Kansas, and Sioux Falls, ND.

In 1988, Brouse Enterprises sold land to the Buffalo Valley Telephone Company.

Later in 1988, the Telephone Company sold 7 acres to St. John’s United Church of Christ, and its church building now sits on that site.