Olympia Army Airfield

Olympia Army Airfield (1941-1945) - A U.S. Army Airfield established in 1941 as Olympia Army Airfield at Tumwater, Thurston County, Washington. The military discontinued operations in 1945. Pre World War II The Olympia airport was one of the oldest in the nation, constructed in 1911 at Bush Prairie. In 1928 the City of Olympia purchased the field and paved its runway. It functioned as a municipal airport until World War II. In the summer of 1941, the WPA completed a $240,000 upgrade for the airport that upgraded and paved two runways. World War II Immediately after the declaration of war, the Army took over the Olympia municipal airport. It began an extensive upgrade program that involved the purchase of more land by the town so that a third runway could be built and the two existing ones could be extended. The Army built hangers and other infrastructure. During the war, the Olympia Airport served as the 33d Army Air Force base, a satellite base of McChord Field. By 2 Mar 1945 Olympia Airport had been declared surplus by the War Department and was no longer used as an Army Airfield. The land was returned to the city and the surplus Army property was placed in the disposal process. In 1963 the Port of Olympia acquired the airport. Current Status Now Olympia Regional Airport. The Olympia Flight Museum and a historic hangar are located at the airport. Location: Tumwater, Thurston County, Washington. Maps & Images Lat: 46.972778 Long: -122.900833 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 210' GPS Locations: 46.972778, -122.900833 Olympia Army Airfield See Also: Washington WWII Army Airfields Sources: USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2093981 Links: Army Airfield_Airfield Wikipedia - Olympia Army Airfield Olympia Regional Airport Fortification ID: WA0244 - Olympia Army Airfield Visited: No