Lake Maxinkuckee Its Intrigue
History & Genealogy

Culver, Marshall, Indiana

Culver Military Academy Airport

CULVER TO HAVE AIRPORT BACKED BY NORMAN PERRY Culver to have an air port! Norman Perry, of Indianapolis and owner of the finest "cottage" on Lake Maxinkuckee, has leased 80 acres of land from W. O. Osborn to be used for this purpose. The transaction is in the form of a five-year lease with option to buy. Mr. Perry wanted a location on which he could land his planes when flying up to his summer home and a thorough survey of this vicinity revealed that there are but a few places free from trees, telephone and electric wires, hills, and rocks. The distance was also considered and the Osborn tract selected as the best. This land is all clear now and gives a half mile run east and west, and a width of one-fourth of a mile.
Twenty acres of the field have been seeded and the balance is now covered with sod. The entire tract is to be rolled. An expert aviator has been here to assist in planning the field and declares that this location offers a better air port than that of Indianapolis. Arrangements have been made, it is understood, for guests of the Culver Military Academy to use this landing field also. Being but a mile from town and a short distance to the new cement-paved Road 10, which goes past the academy, the port will be very convenient for all possible users. Through courtesy of Mr. Perry other planes will be allowed to use the field also.
The News-Sentinel, Saturday, October 13, 1928

Formal approval of the location and building of an airport in Culver has been issued by state officials and it is expected work will begin in a few days. The airport will be located east of the Academy golf course and north of the Vonnegut orchards, with east access to Road 10. The Academy has offered to donate a lease of land to the town of Culver, and a steam shovel, necessary so the land could be controlled by a miniciplaity, as dictated by federal standards. Two runways are planned to be built

10 Jan 1934 Culver Citizen

Work on the airport project northeast of town began Monday with ten men employed in preliminary clearing of the land. In tearing down the old barn that must be removed to make way for the runways, it was found the structure was built of walnut and no nails were used, wooden pegs holding the beams and boards together, making the structure an old landmark.

17 January 1934
This was probably on what was the Dinsmore and Vories farms
,br.

CULVER DEEDED AIRPORT GROUND BY THE ACADEMY The Culver Town Board has accepted a deed from the Culver Educational Foundation of the land used for the airport, it was announced by the board after their recent meeting, and a project has been filed to complete the landing field.

The transaction was prompted by a ruling by federal authorities that no FERA projects would be approved on property of private institutions. The officials indicated that they looked with favor on the completion of the airport, but that the land must be owned by a municipality.
After accepting the deed with certain requirements for maintenance, the town dads signed a request for a federal project that will complete the airport and make it available to summer residents of Lake Maxinkuckee, visitors to the Academy and the general public. It has been stated that one of the major airlines has agreed to stop its transport planes on the local field upon request when the airport is completed.
The News-Sentinel, Thursday, February 20, 1936

Culver Citizen
1937 - January 6 – Thirty men are employed under WPA widening and improving the runways at the airport on Road 10 near the academy.

A letter stating that the aviation program had been discontinued was issued in 2007

After the disaterous and deadly crash of 10 August 2005 where the Culver Military Academy single engine piper warrior nose dives into lake Maxinkuckee the fate is finally known of this airport - by a legal notice posted in the 11 October 2007 issue of the Culver Citizen as follows:

Notice to the Public
SCO Engineers, LLC is submitting a NOI letter to notify the Indiana Department of Environmental Management of our intent to comply with the requirments under 327 IAC 15-5 to discharge storm water from construction activitites for the following project - Air Field Demolition Project, in the Northeast Quarter of Section 16 and NOrthwest corner of Section 14 , of Tonwship 32N, Range 1E, Union Townshop, Marshall County, Indiana. The Run-off from the project site will discharge fto the wilson ditch...

Last updated 15.11.2009

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