The Decatur County Historical Society, the Decatur County Airport Committee and the Decatur County Commission will officially dedicate the WWII airplane hangar Saturday, April 5 in a ceremony at 11 a.m.
Erected in 1942, the hangar was used for Air Foice training for men going into WWII. To support the increased need of training spaces in 1942, the facility was built in Bainbridge.
“There will be a dedication service that former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue will attend and some items from when the trainees inhabited the hangar during WWII will be on display,” Suzanne Brandt with Decatur County’s administration office, said.
Brandt said there would be a full ceremony dedicated to the hangar renovation project that has been underway since late 2012. In addition to Gov. Perdue’s arrival, Bainbridge native Alec Poitevint, who is a longtime official of the U.S. Republican Party and businessman, will speak about his family heritage. His family, the Lynn family, had a community in the area of the hangar called Lynn Station.
“In a small community we are what our history is,” Brandt said. “I think there is a special sense right now because we have military overseas and they should be recognized and honored — this is just another opportunity to say that we remember and don’t forget. We hold their service in high esteem.”
With 28,000 square feet of capacity, the hangar will host multiple airplanes of all sorts Saturday for the public to see. Brandt said yearbooks from those who trained at the facility and other items of memorabilia will be on display.
The public is invited to attend Saturday.