07/13/2022
The Myrtle Beach International Airport, with its entrance on Harrelson Boulevard, is a familiar gem in Horry County. But, did you know that Myrtle Beach’s aviation history dates back to before the town existed?
Myrtle Beach’s first “airport” was a grass landing strip that opened in August 1928 near the current intersection of Seaboard Street and Mr. Joe White Avenue. One of John T. Woodside’s companies, Myrtle Beach Estates, built the makeshift runway to attract wealthy investors.
On March 12, 1938, the town of Myrtle Beach was incorporated. On October 16, 1939, Myrtle Beach Town Council resolved that the town was “in dire need of a modern municipal airport” and agreed to purchase 135 acres, $35 per acre, from Myrtle Beach Farms Company, Inc. Myrtle Beach’s first mayor, W.L. Harrelson, lead the effort. Two weeks later, Council named the soon-to-be-built airport “Harrelson Municipal Airport,” in recognition of Mayor Harrelson’s support of the project. (Note: The original airport name lives on in Harrelson Boulevard.)
The Myrtle Beach Army Air Field operated here from 1940-47 and grew out of Myrtle Beach’s plans to expand the municipal airport from two grass landing strips. As part of the National Defense program, federal funds were given to the town to lengthen and pave the runways. In 1940-41, the U.S. Army Air Corps trained civilian pilots for the Civil Air Service here in Myrtle Beach.
The original 1941 granite and bronze marker dedicating Myrtle Beach Municipal Airport still stands at Midway Park, at the corner of Kings Highway and 19th Avenue South. According to the marker, Ben Graham was mayor when the city’s airport first opened. Council members at the time were Albert Springs, R. L. Brown, Dr. W. A. Rourk, A. P. Shirley and T. B. Suber, and the dedication ceremony occurred November 22, 1941. Among those invited to attend was Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient, who was president of Great Eastern Airlines at the time.
In December 1941, just days before the Pearl Harbor attack, the Myrtle Beach Town Council agreed to give its new airport to the U.S. War Department to serve as an aerial gunnery and bombing range. The official vote occurred December 16, 1941, when Town Council sold the airport to the federal government for $3,500 and other considerations, which included additional runway improvements.
In March 1942, units of the United States Army Air Corps opened formal operations at what became the Myrtle Beach Bombing and Gunnery Training Range. It encompassed the Myrtle Beach airport. A “wooden city” was built, and locals referred to the site as “Splinter City.” In 1943, the facilities were used to house German prisoners of war, and the airfield was used as a stage for B-25 bombers deploying to Europe.
The airport was officially renamed the Myrtle Beach Bombing Range in May 1942. Observation squadrons, an aviation squadron and a fighter squadron trained here during World War II. The Myrtle Beach Army Air Field was deactivated after the war, and the airport was returned to the City of Myrtle Beach in 1947, the same year that the United States Air Force was established.
Seven years later, with the threat of communism and the Cold War, the City of Myrtle Beach offered to donate the municipal airport and associated real estate to the Air Force. April 1, 1954, marks the official opening of the “Myrtle Beach Air Force Base.” Colonel Robert G. Emmens was assigned to supervise construction in 1955, and the first officers and airman were assigned to the base in 1956. In 1957, our town became a city when the permanent population increased beyond 5,000.
The 354th Fighter Day Wing/Tactical Fighter Wing was based here from 1956-1993. During that period, the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base deployed squadrons in Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, with major service in Lebanon, Germany, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. Horry County assumed ownership of the “Myrtle Beach Jetport” on April 11, 1974.
As part of a federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base closed in 1993. Around 4,000 acres of the Air Force Base lands were distributed to the City of Myrtle Beach and other public entities, including Horry County and Horry-Georgetown Technical College. The Myrtle Beach Jetport was officially renamed “Myrtle Beach International Airport” in March 1995.
In 1994, the Governor of South Carolina established the Myrtle Beach Air Base Redevelopment Authority (ABRA) to oversee redevelopment and reuse of the base. The ABRA purchased the remaining property from the U.S. Air Force and sold parcels to developers. Proceeds from those sales were used to create an urban village, demolish outdated military buildings and pay for additional public infrastructure. Today, the Market Common district offers residential communities, shopping, restaurants, a movie theater, greenspace and much more.
The airport itself hosted the Myrtle Beach Bombing and Gunnery Range military facility for approximately seven years and the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base for another 38 years. In total, the airport served as a military base for some 45-plus years. Next year, Myrtle Beach will celebrate its 95th anniversary of our humble aviation beginnings, and it all started with a grassy landing strip!
