Bryan in Williams County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Bryan's Air Mail Field

By Christopher Light, November 2, 2007

1. Bryan's Air Mail Field Marker

Inscription. Here, on September 6, 1918, Bryans’ Air Mail Field began oeprations as one of Ohio’s first official airfields ith the arrival of a survey flight to establish air mail service between New York and Chicago. Scheduled servcie began on July 1, 1919, and stretched west to San Francisco on September 8, 1920, completing the 2,666 mile U.S. transcontinental air mail route. Flying the Curtiss JN-4H “Jenny.” R-4. Standard JR-1B, and later the De Havilland DH-4, aviators pioneered cross continental flight in open cockpit biplanes without radios or electronic navigational aids and reduced coast to coast mail delivery from 87 hours by rail to 33 hours by air.

Air Mail Field was relocated 1.5 morth of this site on July 1, 1924, in preprartion for overnight mail service and the first scheduled night flights through Bryan, July 1, 1925. By May 1926,more efficient air mail planes began to overfly Bryan and Air Mail Field was reduced to serving as an emergency landign site. On September 1, 1927, the Post Office Department relinquished control of the transcontinental route to private contractors and Bryan’s role in air mail service officially ended. Air Mail Field and the aeropost flights became a part of aviation’s heritage, having performed vital roles in the advancement of air commerce as well as charting a course for the future

By Christopher Light, November 2, 2007

2. Side 2

of global air transportation.

Erected 2002 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Miller Aviation Heritage Fund, The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 3-86.)

Marker series. This marker is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection, and the Postal Mail and Philately marker series.

Location. 41° 29′ N, 84° 33.06′ W. Marker is in Bryan, Ohio, in Williams County. Marker is at the intersection of North Main Street (U.S. 127) and East Foster Street on North Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bryan OH 43506, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Rail Speed Record (approx. ¼ mile away); Richard E. Schreder (approx. 2.4 miles away); Casimir Pulaski (approx. 2.9 miles away); Stryker (approx. 6.7 miles away); Stryker's Railroad Heritage (approx. 7.1 miles away); Stryker Depot (approx. 7.1 miles away); Paul Allman Siple (approx. 7.6 miles away); Evansport (approx. 9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bryan.

Categories. • 20th Century • Air & Space • Communications • Notable Events •

Close up of the photo on the marker image. Click for full size.

By Christopher Light, November 2, 2007

3. Close up of the photo on the marker

By Christopher Light, November 2, 2007

4. Bryan's Air Mail Field Marker

The old air field is still a field image. Click for full size.

By Christopher Light, November 2, 2007

5. The old air field is still a field

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on November 6, 2007, by Christopher Light of Valparaiso, Indiana. This page has been viewed 2,087 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 6, 2007, by Christopher Light of Valparaiso, Indiana. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.