Near St. Marks in Wakulla County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Fatal B-17 Crash On St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge

July 30, 1944

Photographed By Tim Fillmon, November 18, 2021

1. Fatal B-17 Crash On St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge July 30, 1944 Marker

Inscription. On July 30, 1944, thirteen B-17s from the 325th Bomber Squadron left Avon Park Army Airfield on a routine mock-bombing exercise over Tallahassee and Waycross, Georgia. Severe thunderstorms near Tallahassee caused the formation to separate as individual planes sought calmer air. One plane suffered structural failure and broke into sections that fell on St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. One crewmember parachuted to safety before the crash. Pvt. Marvin J. Magee, the sole survivor, wandered through thick swamps in the summer heat before finding Abel Strickland on his horse. Magee accepted a ride to Lighthouse Road, where he proceeded to the Coast Guard station at the St. Marks Lighthouse. Crash crews from Dale Mabry Army Airfield in Tallahassee and the Coast Guard Station combed the crash area and found the remains of the other crew members.

Killed in the crash were: 2nd Lt. Gordon E. Thrall, Manchester, CT. pilot; 2nd Lt. John W. Smidt, Wilmington, NC; 2nd Lt. Charles W. Dracopoulos, Newport, RI; Cpl. Arthur L. Davis, San Francisco, CA; Pvt. Horace W. Newton, Texarkana, TX; Pvt. William Gehman, Gibbstown, NJ; and Pvt. Albert C. Fries, Westmont, IL.

Erected 2020 by The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, The Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, and the Florida Department of State

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. (Marker Number F-1093.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Disasters • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is July 30, 1944.

Location. 30° 5.218′ N, 84° 9.94′ W. Marker is near St. Marks, Florida, in Wakulla County. Marker is on Lighthouse Road (County Road 59) 9 miles south of U.S. 98, on the left when traveling south. Marker is located just north of the lighthouse. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint Marks FL 32355, 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. St. Marks Lighthouse (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Old Store on the Wakulla River (approx. 5.2 miles away); Telltale Bones (approx. 5.2 miles away); Port Leon (approx. 5.2 miles away); San Marcos de Apalache (approx. 5.2 miles away); Bo Lynn's Grocery (approx. 5.2 miles away); a different marker also named San Marcos de Apalache (approx. 5.2 miles away); Princess Malee "Milly" Francis (approx. 5.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Marks.

Also see . . . Saint Marks Bomber Rediscovered. (Submitted on November 22, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)

Fatal B-17 Crash Marker looking south image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Tim Fillmon, November 18, 2021

2. Fatal B-17 Crash Marker looking south

Fatal B-17 Crash Marker looking north image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Tim Fillmon, November 18, 2021

3. Fatal B-17 Crash Marker looking north

Fire tower in background

Credits. This page was last revised on November 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 22, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 384 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 22, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.