RCPL received a generous donation of photographs taken during World War II at the Columbia Army Air Base, now the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. A selection of these photographs can be seen online at RCPL’s Local History Flickr page. Visit the Local History Room to view the complete collection.

Private William Hamson served at the Columbia Army Air Base near Columbia S.C. from 1942 to 1945. During this time, he was trained by the Army in aerial photography and outfitted with a camera and darkroom. The Walker Local History Room is proud to be the custodian of these images. If you have a collection of historically significant local photographs consider giving us the opportunity to make your collection available to the public. Below is a brief timeline of the history of the Columbia Army Air Base.

·         In 1941, with World War II raging in Europe, Congress established the Army Air Forces.  That same year, the War Department acquired the Lexington County Airport, a small airstrip which city and county officials had recently begun to build for airmail and commercial flights.

·         Columbia Army Air Base was established at this location by the War Department for training B-25 crews. Army and civilian engineers improved the site with runways, hangars, barracks, a church, officer’s quarters, and other facilities necessary for housing and training Army airmen.

·         In February, 1942, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a secret air retaliation mission was launched under the command of Jimmy Doolittle. Doolittle’s Raiders began their training at Columbia Army Air Base before being moved to Eglin Airfield in Florida, which had greater security. From Eglin they headed off for their daring mission to bomb Japan, becoming the first successful air attack of the United States Army during the War.

 Â·         Army airmen continued to train at Columbia Army Air Base throughout the War. The CAAB had bombing ranges at Lake Murray, Pontiac and Poorman's, located north of Charleston.  Airmen left Columbia to fly on bombing missions at warfronts across the globe.

·         When the war ended, the airbase was sold back to Lexington County and commercial flights were established. In 1947, Delta flew the first commercial flight from Lexington County Airport, as it was then called.

·         The site of the old airbase is now the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.