Framingham Airports
Did you know that the town of Framingham once had 2 airports. Between 1920 and 1942, there were two airfields in Framingham. The field names were State Musterfield and Gould Airport.
State Musterfield - 1920 - 1931
- Airport was located between Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Fuller Middle School
- A heliport serving the Massachusetts State Police Headquarters.
- There is a monument at the State Police Headquarters for those that served in the First World War.
- The airport was for government use only.
- The most notable event happened in October, 1921, when it became the first landing point for Airmail in New England. (Washington DC -> Framingham)
- Airport was in service between 1920 and 1931.
- Airport stopped operating after the town tried to buy the land from the state.
Gould Airport - 1930 - 1942
- Located on Western Ave. near the location of the ADESA (Auto Auction Dealer)
- Located on Gould Farm
- Dedicated on November 8-9, 1930
- 10,000 people attended the dedication
- It was at the dedication where many people from Massachusetts got their first experience being in an airplane.
- 2,800-foot Runway (North and South)
- 1,500-foot Runway (East and West)
- The airfield was force to close in 1942 because of World War 2 as All civilian airfields within 25 miles of the coast were forced to cease operations.
- After the war, the town were in the plans to buy the land to make it a municipal airport, but were side-step when Teddy Gould sold the land to General Motors.
Last Aviation Death in Framingham
This Christmas marks the 80th anniversary of the last person to die at the Framingham Airport (Gould Airport). Lloyd George Wallace (age 21) died while flying his plane on December 25, 1936.
According to various news reports at the time:
On Christmas Morning Lloyd Wallace went out on his airplane and flew over his parent's house (21 Speen Street, Natick MA). He waved to his family and friends who were at the house. After spending a few hours flying around, he returned to the airport, drove to his parent's house and enjoyed a Christmas meal.
After dinner, he returned to his airplane for another flight. However, shortly after takeoff, the plane went into a tailspin at 100 feet in the air. The plane crashed to the ground near the airport. He was taken to the Framingham Union Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Further investigation found that the cause of the crash might have been low fuel. As the plane was going higher in altitude, gravity was preventing the low fuel from going into the engine.
Lloyd George Wallace was buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in Sherborn Massachusetts.