Naval Air Station Wildwood

Airport in Lower Township, New Jersey

Naval Air Station Wildwood

NAS Wildwood in the 1940s

* IATA: none
* ICAO: none

Summary
Airport type| Military
Owner| United States Navy
Location| Lower Township, New Jersey
Elevation AMSL| 23 ft / 7 m
Coordinates| 39°00′31″N 074°54′30″W﻿ / ﻿39.00861°N 74.90833°W﻿ / 39.00861; -74.90833
Map

Naval Air Station Wildwood

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Naval Air Station Wildwood

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Naval Air Station Wildwood

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Naval Air Station Wildwood was a United States Navy airport located in Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States,[1] about 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of the central business district of Wildwood, a city in the same county.[2] Former Hangar #1 now contains the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, whose collection focuses on World War II.

## History

[edit]

The airport started in 1941 as NAS Rio Grande, named for its location near Rio Grande, New Jersey. Due to confusion with Rio Grande, Texas, the name was changed to NAS Wildwood in 1943, in relation to Wildwood, New Jersey. Following the end of World War II, Naval Air Station Wildwood was deemed excess to U.S. Navy requirements. It was subsequently deeded to the local government for transition to a civilian airport which is still in operation today as Cape May Airport. The surviving portions of the historic airfield, including its runways and taxiways, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.[3]

## Historic district

[edit]

United States historic place

Naval Air Station Wildwood Historic District

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

New Jersey Register of Historic Places

Hangar No. 1

Area| 11 acres (4.5 ha)
NRHP reference No.| 13000945[3]
NJRHP No.| 4904[4]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| July 28, 2015
Designated NJRHP| August 28, 2013

The Naval Air Station Wildwood Historic District is an 11-acre (4.5 ha) historic district encompassing the airfield, bounded by Forrestal and Monterre Roads, and the runways and taxiways to the north and east. The district includes two contributing buildings and one contributing structure. It was added for its significance in military history from 1942 to 1945.[5]

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Cape May County, New Jersey

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Zoning Map" (PDF). Lower Township. Retrieved September 23, 2020. \- The zoning map shows the airport in the township boundaries.
2. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for WWD PDF, effective 2008-06-05
3. ^ a b "National Register Information System – (#13000945)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
4. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Cape May County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. December 22, 2021. p. 5.
5. ^ Berkey, Joan (June 2015). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Naval Air Station Wildwood Historic District". National Park Service. With accompanying 15 photos.

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Lower Township, New Jersey

Settlements|

* Cold Spring
* Diamond Beach
* Erma
* Miami Beach
* North Cape May (independent until 1945)
* Rio Grande (part)
* South Cape May (independent until 1945)
* Villas

Schools|

* Lower Township SD
* Lower Cape May Regional SD
* Lower Cape May Regional HS

NRHP listings|

* Battery 223
* Cape May Lighthouse
* Owen Coachman House
* Cold Spring Grange Hall
* Cold Spring Presbyterian Church
* Fire Control Tower No. 23
* Fishing Creek Schoolhouse
* George Hildreth House
* Naval Air Station Wildwood
* Octagonal Poultry House
* Jonathan Pyne House
* Rio Grande station

Other|

* Cape May Airport
* Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum
* Cape May–Lewes Ferry
* Cape May Point State Park (parts)
* Cape May Winery & Vineyard
* Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery
* Historic Cold Spring Village
* Sunset Beach
* Turdo Vineyards & Winery

This list is incomplete.
Some areas considered to be Rio Grande are in Lower Township though the census-designated place (CDP) itself is in Middle Township.
Cape Christian Academy formerly had campuses in Lower Township.
St. Raymond Catholic School merged into Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cape May which merged into what became Wildwood Catholic Academy.

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The Wildwoods

Communities|

* Diamond Beach (Lower Township)
* Wildwood Crest
* Wildwood
* West Wildwood
* North Wildwood

Areas|

* Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District

NRHP listings|

* J. Thompson Baker House
* Caribbean Motel
* Chateau Bleu Motel
* Crest Fishing Pier

Education|

* Wildwood City School District
* Wildwood HS
* North Wildwood School District
* Wildwood Crest School District
* Lower Township School District (for Diamond Beach)
* Lower Cape May Regional School District (for Diamond Beach)
* Wildwood Catholic Academy (former Wildwood Catholic HS)

This list is incomplete.
The former NAS Wildwood (now Cape May Airport) is in Lower Township.
Diamond Beach is zoned to Lower Township School District and Lower Cape May Regional School District.

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National Register of Historic Places in Cape May County, New Jersey

Landmarks|

* Cape May Historic District

Districts|

* Dennisville Historic District
* Marshallville Historic District
* Naval Air Station Wildwood Historic District
* Ocean City Residential Historic District
* South Tuckahoe Historic District

Places of
worship|

* Calvary Baptist Church
* Cold Spring Presbyterian Church
* New Asbury Methodist Episcopal Meeting House
* Saint Peter's-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church
* Woodbine Brotherhood Synagogue

Houses|

* J. Thompson Baker House
* Thomas Beesley Jr. House
* Thomas Beesley Sr. House
* Caribbean Motel
* Chateau Bleu Motel
* Owen Coachman House
* Joseph Falkinburg House
* Judge Nathaniel Foster House
* John Wesley Gandy House
* George Hildreth House
* John Holmes House
* Thomas Leaming House
* Henry Ludlam House
* Thomas Ludlam Jr. House
* Jonathan Pyne House
* Reeves-Iszard-Godfey House
* Rufwud Cottage
* William S. Townsend House
* Whilldin–Miller House

Buildings|

* Avalon Life Saving Station
* Battery 223
* Cold Spring Grange Hall
* Hangar No. 1-United States Naval Air Station Wildwood
* Fire Control Tower No. 23
* Fishing Creek Schoolhouse
* The Flanders Hotel
* Goshen School
* Marine National Bank
* Ocean City 34th Street Station
* Ocean City City Hall
* Ocean City Life-Saving Station
* Ocean City Tenth Street Station
* Octagonal Poultry House
* Old Cape May County Courthouse Building
* Rio Grande Station
* Tuckahoe Station
* U.S. Life-Saving Station No. 35

Structures|

* Brandywine Shoal Light
* Cape May Lighthouse
* Hereford Inlet Light
* TBM-3E Avenger Torpedo Bomber

Sites|

* John Corson Jr. House Site

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Cape May County, New Jersey and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

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