Hamilton Field History Museum

Rear Entrance to Building 500 (formerly Base HQ). Seen here from the northeast, facing what was once the intersection of 4th Street and Escolta Avenue (now Gann Way and Hamilton Parkway), Bldg. 500 is the architectural focal point of Hamilton Field and the hub of the former main base area. Flanked by Bldgs. 501, 502, 781 and 789, 500 was not only the headquarters for the base but also Fourth Air Force, Western Air Defense Force, 28th Air Division (Defense and SAGE), and the Western NORAD Region. Built in 1934 by the Meyers Construction Company of San Francisco, Building 500 is now home to the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, 500 Palm Drive, Novato. (Photo by Jim Davenport)

The Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1950. The C-46 began its military life in 1942, flying for the Air Transport and Troop Carrier Commands. The plane's first war action came in 1943, when it began carrying supplies over the Himalayas between India and China after the Japanese had cut off the Burma ground route. Later, C-46s dropped paratroops over Germany during the crossing of the Rhine River in 1945. More than 3,000 Commandos flew during WWII, hauling cargo and personnel; almost ...1,500 of them were C-46Ds. Here, a C-46D of the 349th Troop Carrier Group is seen during an open house at Hamilton AFB. At the time, Hamilton was under the brief control of the Continental Air Command (ConAC), a USAF major command that was briefly put in charge of the nation’s air defense. ConAC then had authority over the Air Defense Command (ADC) and all Air Force reserve units. In 1951, ADC was re-established as a major command, and Hamilton again became an ADC base, staying that way until 1973. See more

Palm Drive, 1969. Lining Hamilton’s main entrance road are Canary Island date palms, planted in 1933 during the first of two base-wide landscaping phases. While the base was being built, thousands of trees and shrubs, over 100 species, were donated by garden clubs all over California; the greenery had origins as far away as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Japan. After the second phase, during WWII, Hamilton would have a collection of plant life second only to the gr...ounds of the state capitol. In addition to date palms, other trees include the Mexican fan palm, oak, pine, poplar, coast redwood, cedar, spruce, and juniper; shrubbery includes bottlebrush, camellia, hydrangea, magnolia, oleander, pampas, privet, and pittosporum. Later referred to as a horticulturist’s dream, Hamilton at one time had the only known grove of giant sequoias located in a dry region at sea level. See more

High-altitude view of Hamilton and Central Marin, 1984. The former Air Force base, now under new management by the Sixth US Army, is seen here in its entirety. The runway, two of four active hangars, and all flight operation facilities were transferred to Army detachments from the Presidio, giving the place a new name: Hamilton Army Air Field. The units there at the time had less than 20 aircraft, mostly helicopters. Visible in the distance are San Rafael, Richmond, the Tiburon Peninsula, Oakland, the Marin Headlands, and San Francisco. (Photo by David Wallace)

The 1902nd AACS (Airways & Air Communications Service) Squadron: A unit of the Western AACS Region, which was HQ’d at Hamilton in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the 1902nd was responsible for providing air traffic assistance using RAPCON: Radar Approach Control. Working out of Hangar 7 and the Control Tower, the Squadron supported the safe and orderly flow of air traffic at and around Hamilton AFB. In addition to traffic duty, the WAACSR, a unit of the Military Air Transport Service, also handled message encryption and decryption. There were 28 AACS squadrons and detachments in the Region, which covered eight western states.

The Main Base Area from Reservoir Hill, 1993. In this view, looking southeast, are the old Warehouse District; Airmen’s Barracks 420, 422, and 442; Escolta Ave. (now Hamilton Parkway); Blockhouse Hill; and Hangar Row. Taken just before the big demolition of all of the non-historic buildings, this shot shows the central section of Hamilton still looking as it had for most of its active Air Force life. (Photo by David De Vries, Mesa Technical)

The GAR-3 Super Falcon guided air-to-air missile: Introduced by the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1958, the GAR-3 was the fourth in the Falcon family. It contained its own semi-active radar-homing guidance system for flying a proportional navigation course to its target. Super Falcons, like the earlier GAR-1, GAR-1D, and GAR-2A Falcons, were carried and launched by aircraft in the Century Series of supersonic all-weather interceptors. These planes included the F-102A, F-101B, and F-106, all of which (depicted here) flew at Hamilton.

Rick visits Hamilton Field, 1942. On a tour of air bases to inspect training operations, famed WWI fighter ace Eddie Rick Rickenbacker (center) shared his experiences with young Army flyers, giving advice and boosting morale. During the final months of the Great War, Capt. Rickenbacker commanded the 94th Hat-in-the-Ring Pursuit Squadron, the first American-trained air unit to go into combat. Rick was credited with shooting down at least 26 enemy planes while flying for the US Air Service. Also pictured are Col. Frank Hunter (left) and Col. Lotha Smith, Hamilton’s base commander.

The Base Service Station (Bldg. 970): Built in 1962, B-970 was the last of four general-use gas stations that had existed at Hamilton since the 1930s. Located on C Street at Main Gate Road, the station’s initial capacity was 8 fuel pumps, but it soon grew to a more accommodating 16-pump operation. Other automotive services there included oil changes, lube jobs, and recaps. After the Air Force left in the mid-‘70s, the Navy took over the place as a Naval Exchange (NEX) facility, which lasted until the early ‘90s. After more than twenty years of disuse, the former fuel stop was finally torn down in 2015. The C Street service station was Hamilton's longest-standing postwar building, and was the last former Air Force structure to be demolished.

Wings of Victory Air Show poster art, 1989. Third in the series of post-base-closure air shows at Hamilton, WOV ’89 carried on the original event formula: air and ground displays of both vintage and modern military aircraft and equipment. Among the vintage planes were the B-25, C-47, P-40, and T-6; the modern ones included the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Many of the same performers and attractions of the last two shows returned for this one: Bob Hoover, Julie Clark, Lefty Gardner, Jimmy Franklin & Johnny Kazian, Team America, and the Coors Lite Silver Bullet. Produced solely by the nonprofit Hamilton Field Association, without sponsorship by the Army, the ’89 show was the most successful one yet, pulling in more than $345,000. (Artwork by Nat Quick)

The 4727th WAF Squadron passing in review, Feb. 1952. The occasion was to welcome Gen. Walter Todd, new commander of the Western Air Defense Force, and to honor MSgt. Walter Apperson on his retirement after 30 years of service (both men pictured at far left). Even though retired, Apperson would stay on as base building inspector. Headquartered at Hamilton for 11 years, WADF oversaw the air defense of 11 western states. Among the base units that marched were Air Police, Motor Pool, Maintenance/Supply, Food Service, and the HQ squadrons of the 566th Air Base Group, 4702nd Defense Wing, 28th Air Division, and Fourth Air Force. The 573rd AF Band provided the music, and a group of F-89s saluted with a roaring flyover. (Note the nearly completed removal of wartime camouflage from Hangar 5 in the background.)

Very early view of the Main Base Area, Sept. 1932. After only a couple of months, excavation for the foundations of most of the buildings had been done. Roads were laid out; the main entrance road with two overhead bridges were done as well as the railroad spur from the Northwestern Pacific main line. In another couple of months, gas mains, water mains, power lines, sewer lines, and the grading of the runway and taxiway would all be complete. By the end of the year, buildings could be started; about 25 would eventually go into this section of Hamilton. They’ll include a headquarters, hospital, chapel, theater, NCO mess, main exchange, photo lab, and fire station. Note pile driver (left center) driving piles for the first of four Air Corps dormitories.

Pre-flight Checkout, 1967. An AFROTC cadet is strapped in for an orientation flight in a T-33 trainer at Hamilton AFB. Finalizing the checkout process is Capt. Joseph Krankel of the 84th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. More than 180 future Air Force officers from over fifty western colleges took part in the month-long summer training program that year. The instruction also included marksmanship, survival, and first-aid. For many of the cadets, it would be their only opportunity to see how an Air Force base operates before seeing active duty. Set up in 1916 by the National Defense Act, the Reserve Officer Training Corps became the USAF’s main source of commissioned officers. (Photo by A2C Travis Cart)

Control Tower, Hangar 7 & "Welcome" Sign, 1976. Possibly taken the day the base officially closed, this snapshot shows a good view of the official entrance to Hamilton AFB from the taxiway. It was the formal walkway (hence the painted "red carpet") for many visiting VIPs: politicians, officials, dignitaries, etc.; the sign displayed the name of the special guest. Built in late 1934 as Bldg. 365, Hangar 7's Base Operations tower, originally only three stories high, was raised up one story in around 1940. It was taken up again two more stories, to where it is now, in around 1950. During WWII, offices were added to the hangar and used as HQ for the West Coast Wing of the Air Transport Command's Pacific Division. (Photo by Margaret Peg Coady)