Suffield in Portage County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 31, 2018
1. Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar Marker
Side A
In March 1917, a month before U.S. entry into World War I, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company began construction of the hangar on land the firm purchased here in 1916. During World Wars I and II, the hangar was used for building and testing lighter-than-air craft for military uses, including intelligence-gathering and antisubmarine warfare. The first class of Navy airship pilots also trained at Wingfoot Lake. (Continued on other side)
Side B
(Continued from other side) In 1925, the company expanded into commercial aircraft with the production of the Pilgrim, the first of the iconic Goodyear blimps. In 1960, after 43 years of building military airships, Goodyear delivered its last blimp to the Navy. Known as the “Kitty Hawk of Lighter-Than-Air,” Wingfoot Lake, the oldest airship base in the country, remains active in the building and operation of Goodyear’s 21st-century fleet of airships. Goodyear blimps have provided aerial TV coverage of sports and entertainment events from coast to coast since the Rose Bowl parade in 1955.
Erected 2018 by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company; Ohio History Connection. (Marker Number 17-67.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space
this page online
Location. 41° 0.38′ N, 81° 21.806′ W. Marker is in Suffield, Ohio, in Portage County. Marker is on Wingfoot Lake Road, 0.9 miles west of Ohio Route 43, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mogadore OH 44260, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Ariel Bradley (approx. 3.3 miles away); Mogadore (approx. 3.3 miles away); Alaskan Totem Pole (approx. 5.4 miles away); The Soap Box Derby (approx. 5.4 miles away); Motorless Flight (approx. 5.8 miles away); Airdock (approx. 5.8 miles away); Akron Fulton Airport Champions Raceway (approx. 5.8 miles away); Karl Arnstein (approx. 5.8 miles away).
Also see . . . Welcome to the Blimp Hangar. (Submitted on August 31, 2018, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 31, 2018
2. Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar Marker
Side B
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 31, 2018
3. Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar Marker
Photo on marker
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 31, 2018
4. Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar Marker
Side A
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 31, 2018
5. Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar Marker
Side B
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 31, 2018
6. Goodyear Blimp
Blimp sitting outside the hangar
Credits. This page was last revised on September 2, 2018. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2018, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 631 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 31, 2018, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
