Sharpe Field — LLMpedia

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Sharpe Field is a former airfield near Dothan, Alabama, with historical ties to World War II, United States Army Air Forces, and postwar industrial use. The site has been referenced in regional planning involving Houston County, Alabama, Dothan Regional Airport, Alabama Department of Transportation, and federal agencies such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Defense. Over decades the property intersected with projects connected to Universal Oil Products, Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and contractors tied to the Cold War and Vietnam War eras.

History

The airfield was developed during the expansion of aviation infrastructure that followed events like the Attack on Pearl Harbor and initiatives by the Civil Aeronautics Administration and War Production Board. Early operations involved coordination with Army Air Corps Flying Training Command, Air Transport Command, Air Technical Service Command, and nearby bases including Maxwell Air Force Base, Craig Field (Alabama), Dothan Army Air Field, and Fort Novosel. Postwar surplus policies set by the Surplus Property Act of 1944 influenced disposition of similar properties. Ownership and zoning interactions drew interest from entities such as the Alabama Power Company, Federal Aviation Administration, Small Business Administration, and regional planners associated with the Southeastern Conference and Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the site encountered proposals involving aerospace firms including Northrop Corporation, General Dynamics, Martin-Marietta, and Bendix Corporation. Cold War-era contracts and logistics tied the location to supply chains including Pan American World Airways, Trans World Airlines, Federal Express, and defense contractors like Raytheon, General Electric, and Honeywell International Inc..

The airfield layout reflected contemporary standards promoted by the Civil Aeronautics Board and later by the Federal Aviation Administration. Runway and taxiway geometry, apron areas, and hangar placements paralleled designs at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Gadsden Municipal Airport, Maxwell Air Force Base, and Phenix City Airport. On-site infrastructure included a main runway, auxiliary landing strips, maintenance hangars, fuel farms compatible with JP-4 and Jet-A fuel handling, and paved ramp space similar to facilities at Pitt County Airport (Greenville) and Pensacola Naval Air Station.

Support buildings once housed avionics shops, machine shops, and administrative offices mirroring installations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Edwards Air Force Base, and Tinker Air Force Base. Utilities were connected to regional grids serviced by Alabama Power Company and telecommunication routes linked to Bell System and later AT&T. The layout incorporated drainage and stormwater measures influenced by projects at Mobile Regional Airport and Baldwin County Airport.

Military utilization saw coordination with units from Third Air Force, Ninth Air Force, Eighth Air Force, and reserve components from Air National Guard wings. Training sorties, ferrying operations, and logistics missions paralleled activity at Maxwell Air Force Base and Dothan Regional Airport. Aircraft types operating at the field historically included B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, C-47 Skytrain, P-51 Mustang, and later C-130 Hercules and F-4 Phantom II transits for testing or dispersal.

The site was involved in maintenance and modification work similar to programs at Ogden Air Logistics Complex, Kelly Air Force Base, and contractor depots like Lockheed Aircraft Service Company. Exercises, transient deployments, and emergency diversions linked the airfield to regional military infrastructure such as Fort Rucker, Naval Air Station Pensacola, and Eglin Air Force Base. Civilian contractors including Southern Airways and Delta Air Lines occasionally used the field for charter operations mirroring practices at Mobile Regional Airport and Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport.

Since decommissioning, the property entered phases of private ownership, industrial proposals, and municipal review involving Houston County Commission, City of Dothan Planning Department, and state agencies such as the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Redevelopment concepts referenced models like Enterprise Florida incentive programs, Base Realignment and Closure conversions, and brownfield redevelopment exemplified by sites in Mobile, Alabama and Birmingham, Alabama.

Potential adaptive reuse scenarios invoked partnerships with institutions such as Auburn University, University of Alabama, Alabama A&M University, and vocational programs at Wallace Community College. Economic development actors including the Dothan Chamber of Commerce, Alabama Development Office, private developers like Bechtel, Fluor Corporation, Jacobs Engineering Group, and logistics firms such as UPS and Amazon (company) were mentioned in planning studies.

Environmental assessments were conducted in line with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act procedures overseen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Concerns paralleled contamination patterns found at former military sites such as Lowry Air Force Base, Kelly Air Force Base, and Eglin Air Force Base with potential issues including petroleum hydrocarbon residues, trichloroethylene, polychlorinated biphenyls, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances linked to firefighting foams.

Remediation strategies mirrored practices used by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractors like AECOM and CH2M Hill involving soil vapor extraction, pump-and-treat systems, and monitored natural attenuation. Safety coordination engaged Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Homeland Security, and local emergency responders at Houston County Emergency Management Agency. Long-term stewardship models referenced cases at Rocketdyne, Hanford Site, and former bases enrolled in the Defense Environmental Restoration Program.

Category:Airfields in Alabama