Perry Field / Perry Airport  

From One township Yesterdays (1934-1935): N. W. Rector recalls when there was water on the old Bond farm, about 1883. This is now the "airport," north of the W. O. Osborn farm

1922 map

CULVER TO HAVE AIRPORT BACKED BY NORMAN PERRY

Culver to have an airport!

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


The CItizen headlines read: "Culver To Have Airport West of Town

Backed by N. Perry

Indianapolis Man Lease 80 Acres From W. O. Osborn Forms Ideal Location "

The article read the same was dated 10 October 1928

1929 - Feb 6 - Public Sale On Account of converting a large part of my farm into an airport, I will offer at public sale, at my farm located a mile and a half south and west of Culver... W. O. Osborn

1929 - Dec 4 - Aiplaine Crashed At Airport Laast Thursday

The airplane which had brought E. R. Culver Jr., here from St. Louis crashed at the Perry Field last Thursday. The pilot had taken the plane up to warm ip up, but in landing on the snow covered field the under-rigging was torn away and a wing and part of the propeller smashed. The exact cause of the accident is not known. The plane was immediately dismantled and shipped back to St. Louis for repairs.

1930 - Apr 30 - Chamber of Commerce Investigates Signs

... D. W. Marks reported that he would soon have maps ready showing the roads leading to the airport along with its location. These will be sent to the various aviation organizations...

1930 - Jul 23 - Tri-motored Plane Bogs On Perry Airport Field

Workman are busy today putting planks under a tri-motored Fokker plane which bogged down on Perry Field, west of town, yesterday afternoon. The huge plane, beleived to be the largest ever to land here, got off the regular landing field and dropped down in the soft loam. The place belongs to Fisher Bros., automobile body tycoons, of Detriot. It brought visitors to the Culver Summer School.s

1933 - Jun 28 - Airplane Rides ~ ~ Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday ~ ~ From Culver Airport ~ ~Passenger Trips $1.00 ~ ~ Two airplances - - Expereinced Pilots ~ ~ V. M. Rassner--Lincoln Paige Janes Stewart--Travelaire ~ ~ See Culver From The Air.

1936 - Jul 8 - Cows Eat Fabric From Visiting Airplane

The cows on the W. O. Osborn famr evidently have a taste for aviation. LAst Wednesday evening an airplane from Columbus, Ind., with Floyd Simmen as the pilot, landed on the Osborn farm when he was the old directions to the former Perry airport.

When he cam back the next morning he found that the cows had eaten large holes in the fabric on the winds and body, requiring a trip to South Bend for airplane linen to patch the various gaps.

Aviators state that there is some flavor to the fabric that cows enjoy and that Simmen's experience is far from rare.

Airport area 1936