Beckley in Raleigh County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Aerial Gateway to Beckley
Photographed by Merle T. Cole
1. Aerial Gateway to Beckley Marker
The airfield once located here was the first major aviation facility in southern West Virginia. Known variously as Skelton Field (for the town of Skelton), Scott Field (for S.A. Scott, President of the New River Coal Company) and most commonly as Beckley-Mount Hope Airport, construction began here in 1933 on land leased from the New River Coal Company.
Herbert Sessler’s Beckley Air Transport operated this airport for many years. Although the airport saw little action during World War II, nearly 700 pilots were trained to fly here between 1937 and 1950. After World War II, the airport was recognized as too small for the new generation of commercial aircraft, and Raleigh County Memorial Airport opened in 1952 to handle the larger planes.
The Beckley Flying Club and Beckley Archery Club used the abandoned grounds for many years until Beckley Plaza, the city’s first major shopping center, was built on the old airport site in 1965.But if you look up, you can still feel the thrill of early aviators taking to the skies here nearly one hundred years ago.
[Captions:]
Left, the airfield in the 1940’s as seen from above and from Routes 19-21. Courtesy Tom Sopher. Runway below with Skelton Mining Camp at left. Courtesy Dan Sessler. Two local flight school graduates went on to become noted aviators—test pilot Howard “Tick” Lilly and USAF Col. William Banks.
Left, logo for the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The CAP was founded during World War II to aid the domestic war effort. The local squadron was initially commanded by Hulett Smith, future governor of West Virginia.
US Navy VC-45J Navigator in front of the Sessler hangar. Courtesy Dan Sessler.
Erected 2022
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Coal Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.
Location. 37° 48.668′ N, 81° 10.964′ W. Marker is in Beckley, West Virginia, in Raleigh County. It is on Industrial Drive just west of Lewis Ritchie Drive, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 444 Industrial Dr, Beckley WV 25801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Virginia’s New River Gorge. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies:
Photographed by Tom Sopher, December 16, 2022
2. Beckley-Mount Hope Airport
Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2022, by Merle T. Cole of Daniels, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 422 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 23, 2022, by Merle T. Cole of Daniels, West Virginia. 2. submitted on December 24, 2022, by Merle T. Cole of Daniels, West Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
