Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Descriptive Summary
Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Samuel Milner National Airport Research Papers,
1800-1981
RG 13
17 boxes.
English
Milner, Dr. Samuel, 1910-2000
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Although much of the material in this collection comes from other previously published sources, we have made no attempt to cite sources unless otherwise noted by Milner in his notes, therefore, the researcher should beware that any copyright responsibilities are their own.
Preferred Citation
Samuel Milner National Airport Research Papers, Collection # RG 13, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Acquisition Information
Gift of Dr. Samuel Milner in 1985.
Historical Information
What is now known as Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has changed in many ways over the years in both name and location since it first opened as Hoover Field in 1926. In 1928, a second airport, opposite Hoover Field, was opened called Washington Airport, and in 1933 the two combined to form Washington Hoover Airport (the present site of the Pentagon). In 1938, restrictions on federal development of airports were lifted, and President Roosevelt appropriated money for the creation of an up-to-date airport for the Washington area. National Airport opened in 1941, approximately one mile south of the 1920s sites, at its present location. In 1998, the airport's name was changed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Scope and Content
Record Group 13 contains materials gathered, notes taken, and personal research done by Dr. Samuel Milner for a history he hoped to publish on Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Reagan National Airport) while he was on the Historical Staff of the Federal Aviation Administration.
This collection covers the years 1800 1981, with the bulk dates falling between 1910 1941, and it measures 7.1 linear feet. The research in this collection focuses on the history of the property that is now Reagan National Airport, going back to colonial times. However, there are interviews and articles that deal with airplanes and early aviation, and the development and construction of Reagan National Airport as well.
Series 1, Research Notes, contain mostly handwritten transcripts of articles from local newspapers, including The Daily News, The Washington Herald, The Washington Post, and The Evening Star, and aviation magazines. There are also some photocopies of articles, especially in the folders with material dated after 1920. Series 2, Aviation and Airport Subject Files, has folders on various airport related topics from many sources including federal agencies and reports on hearings both Congressional and local. Milner interviewed several prominent people involved with Washington's early aviation era, and his notes and transcripts are contained in Series 5, Interview Notes and Transcripts. These interviews were done in both 1972-1973 and 1979-1981.
There are 71 photographs in
Series 6, Photographs; most of them are reproductions from various historical collections in the Washington area such as the National Archives and the Library of Congress. Series 7, Published Material, contains original and photocopied portions of pre published histories and reports on the airport and aviation in general. Included in this series is a report regarding purchasing of a stretch of what is then called Military Road to use for airport purposes; this report includes maps and photographs.
Arrangement
RG 13 is divided into seven series; the first three contain research notes on various topics written by Milner.
Series 1, Research Notes, are Milner's notes filed chronologically. Series 2, Aviation and Airport Subject Files and Series 3, Local History Materials from Various Sources are subject files on Reagan National Airport and local history, filed alphabetically by subject. Series 5, Interview Notes and Transcripts contains Milner's notes and transcripts of his interviews with various aviation personalities filed alphabetically by name of the interview subject. The folders in Series 7, Published Material, have quotes around original titles of the folders; these refer to folders containing photocopies of publications about a particular subject.
Folders containing photographs have an asterisk [*] after the file name. Folders with oversized materials have a double asterisk [**] to denote where material was removed and separation sheets added.
Adjunct Descriptive Data
Related Material
For more information on Reagan National Airport and other Washington-area airports, see RG 37, Metropolitan Washington Airports, and RG 189, Anderson National Airport Collection.
Index Terms
Subjects:
Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Washington-Hoover Airport
Airports.
Arlington County (Va.)
Contents List
Research Notes on National Airport and Predecessors
1800
1
1801
(1)
1
1801
(2)
1
1836
1
1850
1
1852
1
1854
1
1855
1
1856
1
1857
1
1858
1
1859
1
1860
1
1861
1
1862
1
1873-1885
1
1887-1889
1
1890
1
1891
1
1892
2
1893
2
1894
2
1895
(1)
2
1895
(2)
2
1896
2
1897
2
1898
2
1899
2
1900
2
1901
2
1902
2
1903
2
1904
3
1905
3
1906
3
1907
3
1908
3
1909
3
1910
3
1911
3
1912
3
1913
3
1914
3
1915
3
1916
4
1917
4
1918
4
1919
4
1920
4
1921
4
1922
4
1923
4
1924
4
1925
4
1926
4
1927
(1)
4
1927
(2)
4
1927
(3)
4
1927
(4)
5
1927
(5)
5
1927
(6)
5
1928
(1)
5
1928
(2)
5
1928
(3)
5
1928
(4)
5
1928
(5)
5
January-February 1929
5
March 1929
5
April 1929
6
May 1929
6
June 1929
6
July 1929
6
August-September 1929
6
October-December 1929
6
Airport Hearings,
1929
6
January-February 1930
6
March 1930
6
April-May 1930
6
June-July 1930
7
August-September 1930
7
October-November 1930
7
1931
7
1932
7
January 1933
7
February-May 1933
7
June-July 1933
7
August-September 1933
7
October-November 1933
7
Airport Hearings,
1933
7
January 1934
8
February-July 1934
8
September-December 1934
8
January 1935
8
March-April 1935
8
May-June 1935
8
July 1935
8
August-December 1935
8
Airport Hearings,
1935
(1)
8
Airport Hearings,
1935
(2)
8
January-February 1936
(1)
9
January-February 1936
(2)
9
March 1936
9
April-June 1936
9
July-December 1936
9
January-July 1937
9
July 1937
9
August 1937
9
September 1937
9
October-December 1937
10
January-March 1938
10
April-June 1938
10
July-September 1938
10
October 1938
10
November-December 1938
10
Airport Hearings,
1938
(1)
10
Airport Hearings,
1938
(2)
10
January-May 1939
10
June-September 1939
10
October-December 1939
10
January-March 1940
11
April-August 1940
11
September 1940
11
October-December 1940
11
January-May 1941
11
June 1941
11
July 1941
11
Miscellaneous Notes, Clippings, Maps
11
Aviation and Airport Subject Files
Airline Schedules,
1929
11
Airports, Miscellaneous,
1940-1976
11
Benning Race Track,
1875-1921
11
Biographies - Beachey, Lincoln,
1887-1929
11
Biographies - Bertrandias, Victor E.,
1894-1961
11
Biographies - Dulany, H. Rozier,
1858-1940
11
Biographies - Emil, Henry & the Berliner Helicopter,
1895-1940
12
Biographies - Fahy, Herb,
1900-1935
12
Biographies - Fokker, Anthony,
1920-1929
12
Biographies - Hambleton, John A.,
1918-1929
12
Biographies - Musick, Edwin C., 1935
1935-1938
12
Biographies - Parker, A.,
1895-1942
12
Biographies - Pickup, Christopher V.,
1917-1935
12
Biographies - Tipton, Col. William D.
1920-1957
12
Biographies - Wentworth, Ralph,
1920-1957
12
Biographies - Young, Clarence,
1889-1929
12
Bolling Field, Anacostia,
1891-1933
12
Boundary Cases,
1749-1921
12
Brick Manufacturing,
1901-1970s
12
College Park Airport,
1909-1976
12
Florida Airways - St. Petersburg,
1924-1927
12
Ford Tri Motor,
1926-1940
12
Hybla Valley & Thousand Acre Airport,
1900-1980
12
Impact Items,
1924-1935
12
Langley, Dr., Flying Machine,
1903
12
Navy Radio Towers,
1912-1941
12
North American Aerial Transportation Company,
1921
12
Pennsylvania Rapid Transit (PRT),
1926-1927
(1)
12
Pennsylvania Rapid Transit (PRT),
1926-1927
(2)
12
Ryan Airlines,
1921-1925
13
Summary of Congressional Bills,
1927-1938
13
Washington Hoover/National Airport,
1926-1941
13
Washington Hoover Airport,
1926-1944
(1)
13
Washington Hoover Airport,
1926-1944
(2)
13
Washington National Airport (WNA),
1940-1966
13
WNA, Brochure,
1941
13
WNA, Development, Articles,
1933
13
WNA, Engineering Articles, Pentagon,
1940-1980
13
WNA, Legal Jurisdiction Problem,
1926-1971
13
WNA, Military Engineers Articles,
1939-1941
13
WNA, Naming,
1940
13
Local History Materials from Various Sources
Alexandria County,
1789-1916
13
Arlington Farms,
1796-1953
13
Arlington History,
1773-1917
(1)
13
Arlington History,
1773-1917
(2)
14
Arlington Miscellaneous, to 1891
14
Civil War, Freedmen's Village,
1861-1890
14
East Potomac Park,
1870-1920
14
Garfield, James A.,
1870-1871
14
Housing Patent,
1669
14
Jackson City,
1836-1957
14
Long Bridge,
1809-1901
(1)
14
Long Bridge,
1809-1901
(2)
14
Luna Park,
1906-1913
(1)
14
Luna Park,
1906-1913
(2)
14
Luna Park, Photocopied Images,
1906
14
Miscellaneous Local History,
1606-1940
14
Noyes, Crosby S.,
1825-1908
14
Potomac,
1924
14
Potomac Fisheries,
1768-1921
14
Potomac Region History,
1589-1938
14
Potomac Yards,
1669-1980
14
Spanish at Occoquan,
1570-1907
14
Washington D.C. History,
1789-1875
15
Milner Manuscripts and Articles
A Pioneer Airline Shows Its Colors,
1975
15
Dulles Retrospective,
1982
15
Interview Notes and Transcripts
Boudwin, Joseph E.,
1980
15
Fahy, Herbert; Margaret Fahy Raynor,
1979
15
Funkhauser, Robert E.,
1973
15
Musser, Phyllis; Fredericksburg Potomac RR,
1979
15
Priester, Andre,
1981
15
Reiss, Stewart A.,
1973
15
Solomon, Samuel J.,
1972
15
Steinhauer, J. Earl,
1973-79
15
Miscellaneous Interviews,
1979
15
Photographs
Hoover Field*
15
Experimental Farm*
15
National Airport*
15
Oversize**
15
Published Material
"DC Area"
16
"Columbia Historical Society"
16
"DC-Virginia"
16
"Washington Family"
16
"Virginia" (1)
16
"Arlington Co."
16
"Virginia"
16
"Capt. John Smith"
16
"Custis-Lee, Alexandria, Analostan Island"
16
"Miscellaneous"
16
Voyages into Airy Regions, John F. R. Scott Jr.
17
Take Off at Mid-Century, Stuart Rochester
17
Turbulence Aloft, John R. M. Wilson
17
FAA Historical Fact Book: A Chronology,
1926-1971
17
Report, Proposal for Arlington's Purchase of Military Road,
1937
17
Report, Proposal for Arlington's Purchase of Military Road,
1937
, Photographs*
17
Report, Proposal for Arlington's Purchase of Military Road,
1937
, Maps**
17
Samuel Milner Obituary,
2000
17