Abandoned Airport at Geneva

[JackInFlorida]

I went to check out the abandoned Osceola Airport outside of Geneva and found it to be the Seminole County Gun and Archery Association range. I have actually been there with my Scout troop a few years ago but didn't realize it was an abandoned air field then.

I remember when we were there that there is also a training center, for the sheriff, or homeland security or something. Maybe between the two they are using the entire air field?

Anyone know if there are any of the old structures still on the property that are accessible? The SCGAA has no trespassing signs, I don't know if it is due to private property or only for safety.

Jack

 

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[JackInFlorida]

Follow up:

In looking at an overhead view, I can see that the gun range is not actually on the airport property, it is off to the side. I sure wish I had a printout while I was there . . .

Anyone that has been on the airport property?

 

[FISHEYE]

the abandoned airfield in geneva is now the dump,if you find it on the google sat photos you can still see the runways which are now roads,its all fenced in now an theres no tresspassing signs all over.it is patrolled by buzzards,crows,seagulls and several packs of wild hogs.i have some old sat photos on printed paper from 30 yrs ago before it was made into the dump,too big to scan.i may just get some pics of them so you can see what it looked like.

 

[FISHEYE]

also several years ago,the airfield and land south of it was a training area.a friend lived near there i used to go there alot to see the unidentified flying objects flying around.i know alot more but wont talk about it here.be glad to tell you in person about it.if you arent one of THEM.

 

[JackInFlorida]

Thanks FISHEYE,

I won't spend any more time thinking about getting in there.

Jack

 

[Bridge End Farm]

I was surprized to see your post of my home stomping grounds on here. I grew up out there only a few hundred yards or so, after it was abandon it was a race track for many years. My dad and I hunted it before it was closed to the public in the late 70s. As others have said it is a dump now for the county. There are none of the buiding left from the WW II era. Most of the areas not used to get to the dumping sites are now totally covered with palmettoes, etc. Due to destruction of county equipment, (vandals) it is very hard and not allowed to go anywhere off the dumping path. There used to be 2 big shell pits out there that I tryed to get to once to fish at about 2 years ago and was met by a deputy within 15 minutes. He mentioned the vandalism and told me politely that if I wasn't dumping I was trespassing. The employees monitor the area closely and are always driving around.
The town of geneva has a lot of history and you might get some home owners there to let you swing on a few places they haven't stuck a home on yet. Lake Geneva was a very popular swimming spot in the 20s for example

 

[billinstuart]

I grew up in Titusville, and usedta go drag racing at Geneva..they used carbon arc spotlights to light the strip, had a guy with flags to start.

Of more interest may be south Lake Harney. In the 1800's, a river ferry went from Jacksonville down the St. Johns to Lake Harney. The passengers then boarded a narrow gauge railway over to Sand Point (Titusville) and continued by shallow draft boats all the way to Stuart. At the south end of Lake Harney you can still see the old railroad bed, as it runs along the highway on the north side, near the old Alderman(?) property.

 

[Bridge End Farm]

Are you talking about the southeast or southwest side

 

[billinstuart]

Southeast side.

 

[Bridge End Farm]

Yes then I know where your talking about , good blue gill fishing where the tracks crossed. lol Part of the old Farmington Management Hunting area. Seminole County now owns the southwest side (old osceola fish camp & Tillis Ranch) They bought it recently and it's locked down too like the dump right now. I heard they plan to make it a natural walking park. A part of that state wide Florida trail they been slowly working on which is getting on down the road here in the northwest part of the state. You can walk for miles without seeing anything but woods. I ran that area along the St Johns, deep creek, etc all over as a small boy and teen till I left for the service. I been told most of the land on the south east side is now part of a hunting lease and is posted everywhere. My friends say you can't even camp like the old days along the water without being asked to leave by law enforcement due to tresspassing.
Last time I was home which was around a year ago most of the old places like the train depot, houses etc you couldn't even tell from the natural growth. If you didn't know it was there you'd never know.

 

[billinstuart]

I wouldn't be surprised if Geneva wasn't built around that railroad. There are thousands of miles of abandoned rail lines all over the south.

 

[Bridge End Farm]

I do know the tracks did run from the where it cross the river to Geneva, I used to ride my motorcycle down what was left of the old road of it. In the seventies it was very accessible you could even drive a truck down it. I never have seen any rails, it cross in Geneva by the main store heading to Oviedo. The split was down by what was called Jones corner where the rail also headed to Sanford. I think Geneva was formed by the good water it had and still has. Most of the water in the area is iron but Geneva has good clean water. To this day down where I grew up you you have to use a good filter system to make the water clean and clear. The old timers still take milk jugs to Geneva to fill with water for thier cooking and drinking.

 

[JMB-78]

As a local historian of this region , I had wanted to provide some clarification upon this site. The airport you are all in reference too was called the Osceola Naval Outer Landing Field. The property in which the Landing Field use to reside is now used as the Seminole County Landfill and " was not " on the property of the Seminole County Gun & Archery Association Range.

The Osceola Naval Outer Landing Field was established in the year of 1943 and served as an auxillary gunnery field for the Sanford NAS , which initially trained bomber crews and had later switched to training fighter crews. This airfield had consisted of 4 paved ( 4,100 foot runways ) as well as taxiways. The Osceola Naval Outer Landing Field was short-lived and declared ( surplus ) as of 1946. It is not known to this day if the airfield was ever ( re-used ) for civilian aviation.

Following the airfield's demise , it remained abandoned and forgotten well up until 1960. Starting in 1961 , the airfield's grounds were turned into drag racing strips. Drag races generally took place here every Saturday on these grounds and these races ran all the way to 1967. In 1968 , the SCAA held regional sports races on the airfield property up until the year of 1978.

The airfield's ground eventually became acquired by the county and later became the home of the Seminole County Landfill. Out of the 4 paved runways & taxiways , only a small portion of one them remains while the others have been removed or have been grown over. The old structures and naval buildings are long since gone , leveled or removed , and not a trace remains. You would have never even guessed that they were there. Their is hardly any historical data or recorded information that remains today on the Osceola NOLF. Sadly there is nothing left here of value. A forgotten icon of the past.

 

[JMB-78]

The ferry service that your likely in reference to was Cook's Ferry , which was owned and operated by Samuel Cook (1816-1881) It was the first transportation service in the region at that time. Cook's Ferry was located on the banks of the St. John's River within what is now the Lake Harney Wilderness Area in the former ghosttown community of Osceola and where the E-Branch Railroad Network use to crossover from Osceola to Pennichaw & then to Maytown. The Network then ran from Maytown to Aurantia , then to La Grange (Mims) before it reached Titusville. Their was no railroad bed on the ( South End ) of Lake Harney it was way further to the north of the lake , I think you are confusing it with the ( Old Mims-Titusville Road ) that runs adjacent to S.R. 46 fans out to the left ( with all the palm trees growing on it ) and cuts through Morgan Alderman Road and keeps on going out into the Buck Lake Conservation Area. That was the old Mims-Titusville Road Network that dates back to 1917 and was no longer in use by 1946 when S.R. 46 took over. You are correct that road network did proceed closely by the Alderman & Raulerson Cove Properties.

 

[Honest Samuel]

The local government should kill many but not all the wild pigs and give them to local soup kitchens to feed the poor. Other wise, the land will be over run with these pigs.

 

[detectorcowboy]

I remember that airport when i was a kid damn that was along time ago.

 

[A2coins]

Great post I wish I could get that kind of info on Ann Arbor lol

 

[Flipperfla]

Here are some pix of where the RR Bridge was. The depthfinder shot shows the pilings. The wreck remains are on the east shore.

 

[EagleEye1]

The wreck remains are on the east shore. View attachment 1883668 View attachment 1883669 View attachment 1883670 View attachment 1883671

Familiar with this area, but wreck remains?