An airport in Hanover?

March 1997
FOCUS ON HISTORY
by Barbara Barker

An airport in Hanover as late as 1958? Ah, yes, and at one time there were as many as 50 small planes kept there. Mr. W. Melvin Clark was the man who took his dream and “flew” with it.

I interviewed Mr. Clark in 1977 when making a film for the 250th Anniversary of our town. I got out the old tape as I was writing this, and Melvin Clark’s New England twang came over loud and clear. Son of George J.J. Clark, entrepreneur and founder of the National Fireworks, Melvin had a creative and courageous spirit. Born in 1902, he was intrigued with the early airplane, and as a young man hung around the airport in Quincy. He bought what was left of an old Kittyhawk and brought it to his home on Winter St. where he tinkered with it and put it together. In those days the body and wings were covered with an Irish linen type of canvas. This was covered with what was called “airplane dope” which caused the canvas to shrink tightly around the wing and body forms. Ten to twelve coats were applied until the surface was as tough as metal.

Mr Clark told the story about a day in 1927. He was running the plane up and down the field in back of his house, and then he just kind of “took off”. There was hardly enough room to land back on the field, but somehow he did. Then he called the Dennison Airport and told them what he had done, and said,” but I don’t have a license”.

“Why don’t’ you fly over and get it?” was the teasing reply.

“I’ll come right over” said Melvin. And fly over he did and received license number 17,540.

Shown in the picture on the March Historical Society calendar (on sale at the Library and the Stetson House) is the airport that was fashioned out of Melvin Clark’s back yard, field, and adjoining lands belonging to the Holbrooks, Robinson, and Greens. A high tension wire had to be moved, and even more difficult in those days (1929) was the leveling off of two hills and removal of many stones. There was a line of elms on Winter St. which were cut down and an orchard of apple trees that was removed to make room for low flying planes and 3 runways. The airport was located in the triangle between Winter, Myrtle and Center streets.

The picture was taken in 1958 when the airport had just been demolished. Today streets with the names of King Phillip Lane, Massasoit Lane, Samoset Drive, Pocahontas Lane and the like criss-cross the old runways. I wonder what the homeowners think when they dig down and hit some of the old tarmac.

When the airport began, there was one plane, one hanger, and 35 acres, but it expanded as more land was needed, and East Coast Airways, as it was officially called, housed private planes from Hanover, Marshfield, Rockland and Abington, and was listed as a commercial airport. Most people around here called it Clark’s Airport, and it was a thrill to go down to West Hanover and take a Sunday sightseeing ride.

Mr. Clark told of being the first Air Policeman in Hanover. It was his job on summer Sundays to keep sightseeing planes away from a nudist camp on the North River. He thought it was quite a joke, because it was pretty hard to control, until the Federal Aviation Inspector told him to “just take their number, and I’ll take their license.” Then there was no further need for an Air Policeman.

Mr. Clark became the first airmail pilot in Hanover, carrying mail from Hanover, to Brockton to Boston. He had his airmail pilot certificate dated May 19, 1938 . In the picture he is shown with postmaster Bart Downing, Eleanor Kimball’s father.

Mr. Clark never lost his love of flying and adventure. He spoke abouta flying to the World’s Fair in Chicago, and what a thrill it was to find his way there. He made three different trips across the country to California, Texas and Seattle, Washington. He was the first person to land a private plane in his father’s birthplace, Prince Edward Island. He spoke of scaring the cows down to one end of the field so he could land at the other end.

During the war he sold the airport land to his father, who needed the a space to store magnesium powder and other materials used in the manufacture of the munitions made at the National Fireworks. After the war Melvin Clark bought the land back from his father, and the airport continued for 10 more years.

With the coming of the larger planes and air traffic from South Weymouth, Mr. Clark didn’t enjoy competing for air space. Two large planes one in trouble and one mistaking Hanover for South Weymouth landed dangerously on the short runways. One was taken apart and towed to Otis, because it couldn’t take off on that length runway.

When the airport had closed and the land sold, Mr. Clark took his plane and one hanger and made a deal with the owner of the Plymouth airport. He could keep his plane there in his hanger, and when he sold his plane, he would leave the hanger. I wonder if it is still there.

Horse and wagon, stagecoach, train, trolley, airplane, but in Hanover today the automobile is king.

If you have any old pictures of earlier Hanover days, the Hanover Historical Society would be interested in borrowing and copying them for their files. Bring them to the Stetson House any Wednesday afternoon between 2 and 4 o’clock, or call me at 826-6254. Last year becomes tomorrow’s history. Help us preserve it.