For 30 years, the hill southeast of the airport control tower at Perrin Air Force Base was always a busy place. This was where the Base Exchange (BX), the armed forces version of a general retail store, was located from 1941 until the base closed in 1971.
Now this hill is home to the new Perrin Air Force Base Historical Museum and at times it can still be a very busy place.
Over 300 people turned out October 2 to celebrate the official open house of the new spacious building that now houses the museum.
On Sunday, November 28 another good crowd was on hand for a follow-up open house scheduled to facilitate a documentary being filmed at the museum.
Perrin Air Force Base was the first basic flight training school in the U.S. to become operational following the attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. A little more than 90 days after the attack by the Empire of Japan on the U.S. Pacific Fleet had forced the U.S. into World War II, Grayson County Judge Jake Loy was in Washington D.C. to enlist support for a basic flight school.
Grayson Basic Flying School opened July 1, 1941. Six months later the base was renamed Perrin Field to honor Lt. Colonel Elmer Perrin, a native Texan who had been killed when his B-26 Marauder crashed.
The aircraft based at Perrin Field reveal just how quickly aviation changed in three decades. The first aircraft that operated out of Perrin were BT-13s that rumbled along at all of 130mph. The final aircraft based at Perrin were F-102s, technically built by the same company that designed the BT-13, but capable of exceeding 1,300mph.
At the peak of training operations in 1958-59, this was considered one of the busiest airports in the world.
On May 13, 1971, the final graduating class flew F102s over Denison and Sherman as a salute to their host cities. Perrin Air Force Base closed June 30, 1971 and its 1,875 acres was given to Grayson County and Grayson County Community College. The airport, now known as North Texas Regional Airport, is beginning to experience increased civilian aviation activity.
Ever since its humble beginning in the Silver Wings Building in 2000, Perrin Air Force Base Historical Museum and Perrin Field Historical Society have been dedicated to preserving the proud and voluminous history of Perrin Field.
The first seeds of a museum were actually planted when memorabilia was exhibited at bi-annual reunions of base personnel. As more exhibits and displays were collected, additional space was a necessity.
In 2004, the museum was relocated to a 4,800 square-foot building, but the Perrin Field Historical Society would eventually outgrow that location as well.
Director and curator emeritus John Elkins coordinated with Grayson County College Board of Directors and president for a land lease from within their jurisdictional area. It was approved and a 50-year contract with signed between the Perrin AFB Museum and Grayson County Community College In February 2010.
This past autumn, as a new 7,300 square-foot facility neared completion, curator Craig Summer, aided by tireless assistants Ginnie Ammons and Mary Day, began the daunting task of cataloguing inventory and then moving everything into the new Perrin Air Force Base Historical Museum building.
Visitors to the museum now will find everything from a wide array of uniforms to an eye-catching T-37.
Perrin Air Force Base Historical Museum hours are as follows: Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For all groups, such as public and private schools, home-schooled groups, organizations and/or weekend visitations of a dozen or more, please call 903-786-8741 during the hours and on the days indicated above to set up an appointment.
