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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, March 27, 2022, pg. 3 In the little settlement of Babcock along 25 ˝ Mile Road southwest of Albion, you’ll see a cornfield south of D Drive South with a small abandoned building on it. This was once the "Babcock Terminal" for the Midway Airport that was once active in the 1970s and 1980s. The airport was the brainchild of numerous community leaders, who had a landing strip built here in 1971 for the Albion Gliding and Soaring Explorer Scouts Post 173, under the direction of Scott Tuthill and John Sharp. The 2,600 ft. strip was built on land owned by Dick Weitzel and Gus Johnson. In 1972, the strip was certified by the Michigan Aviation Authority and was marked on aviation maps. There were yellow-painted tires placed at intervals to mark the boundaries of the runway, and a windsock was also placed. Prior to that time, Albion was the largest Michigan city of its size not to have a current airport. The airport had support from many organizations in town. In May, 1972, a 2,000-gallon fuel tank was buried on the site for use there. The following month, a 24 X 24-foot terminal was erected by members of the Albion Rotary Club. The structure was completed on June 15. Three days later the facility was dedicated as part of a "fly-in" event for around three dozen experimental aircraft that participated. It probably was the biggest thing to happen in Babcock during its history. In September 1972, Hayes-Albion Corporation donated $350,000 for the burying of electrical cable to the terminal. News releases at the time listed names of those involved in the development and promotion of this new facility. In addition to Johnson, Sharp, Tuthill, and Weitzel, names included Bill Adams,(who had been using the strip for his crop-dusting operations), Walt Gill, Stanley Morgan, Robert Tuck, the Halliburton Company, and the Explorer Scouts. The facility had several names. One was Midway Field. Another was the Albion-Homer Midway Airport at Babcock Corners, but locals called it "Babcock International Airport." Radio station WALM up the road however called it "Albion International Airport." A couple of small directions-to signs stating just "Airport" with an arrow were placed on Eaton St. in town for those heading south, which remained in place for many years even after the airport was closed. One special event held here occurred on September 29, 1973 as part of the Festival of the Forks, when airplane rides were given at a cost of $3 for adults, and $1.50 for children under six. Funds received were donated to the March of Dimes. After being used for a few decades, interest waned and the strip was closed and was reverted back to a cornfield. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a 1972 photograph of members of the Albion Rotary Club building the Terminal. Our second photo shows how this building looks like today. How many of our readers have memories of the Midway Airport?  1972 Photograph of Members of the Albion Rotary Club Building the Midway Terminal
 The Building Today
All text copyright, 2024 © all rights reserved Frank Passic
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