Texas City's Gulf Coast Airport
This site is dedicated in memory of John A. "Bud" Wagner
The information on this page will
be changed and updated as I learn more of the history of the airport, as I
am still in the process of researching this project. I have been met with
enthusism from everyone with whom I have discussed it. They have encouraged
me to "go with what I have so far" regarding the airport to ensure
its place in the history of Texas City.
So far in my research, recorded information
regarding the airport seems almost nonexistant. I have discovered, however,
that many Texas City residents remember it quite well. Their recollections
of dates of operation, number of planes, buildings, runways, etc., differ
greatly with each person's memory. Such is usually the case with oral history,
but the stories are always interesting and recalled by the tellers with great
fondness.
Texas City's Gulf Coast Airport was owned and operated by Arthur Jackson "Happy"
Wages. The airport was located on Loop 197 North, just east of Hwy. 146 North.
Happy and his wife, Beryl, had their home just east of the airport, within
easy walking distance.
The airport operated in the 1950's and 1960's, possibly opening in the mid
1940's. Although the Civil Air Patrol did meet at the airport during the 1950's,
most fliers were pleasure fliers. They were local and area residents who flew
after work and on weekends. Many owned their own planes, which were housed
in the airport's hanger. Other planes were simply tied down on the adjacent
land. Some mechanically minded fliers even constructed their own planes, testing
their worthiness on the airport's single runway, which ran north and south
across the land.
Interest in flying was high during the time of the airport's operation. Many
residents simply "hung out", enjoying the atmosphere while watching
planes take off and land, or chatting with pilots tinkering with their planes
in the hanger. Boys of all ages came by after school, on weekends and on sunny
summer days, dreaming of the day they would be old enough to learn to fly.
For a time, the local newspaper even had a classified ad heading for "airplanes
for sale".
Following Happy's death in December 1966, Beryl continued to operate the airport
until at least the winter of 1967. I have not been able to pinpoint the exact
date of closing as of yet.
Today, the land where airplanes took off and landed, where fliers gathered
to socialize and talk of their air adventures, is home to Somerset Place and
Green Meadows Apartments. This land is rich in memories and it is my hope
that my project will help to keep some of them alive.
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*All content is property of Beth Perez. Please credit me as your source if you copy any photos or articles.
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