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History · Eglin AFB

A history of Eglin AFB,
since 1935

Postcards, papers and photographs of Eglin AFB from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

1935established
6old images & papers
0recent photos
From Eglin AFB’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

In 1931, personnel of the Air Corps Tactical School, newly relocated to Maxwell Field, Alabama, sought a location for a bombing and gunnery range. They saw the potential of the sparsely populated forested areas surrounding Valparaiso and the vast expanse of the adjacent Gulf of Mexico.

Creation and World War IIPostwar1960sLate Cold War eraPost-Cold WarBase railroad

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1935Established
1950s6 items · A-26 Invader drops parafrag bombs at …Commons
1960–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Help out

Finish Eglin AFB’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewA-26 Invader drops parafrag bombs…, 1950: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Eglin AFB

See all 4 →
SRScott RasmussenBusinessBHBarry HillSportsRTRicky ThomasSportsPaul L. HertzPaul L. HertzNotable
By decade

Eglin AFB, decade by decade

1950s6 items
A-26 Invader drops parafrag bombs at Eglin AFB 1950CommonsA-26 Invader drops parafrag bombs at Eglin AFB 19501950B-26 Invaders bomb target at Eglin AFB 1950CommonsB-26 Invaders bomb target at Eglin AFB 19501950B-45A launches HVAR at Eglin AFB 1950CommonsB-45A launches HVAR at Eglin AFB 19501950B-45As drop bombs at Eglin AFB 1950CommonsB-45As drop bombs at Eglin AFB 19501950Army Air Forces Proving Ground - Eglin Field - 1946CommonsArmy Air Forces Proving Ground - Eglin Field - 19461956DARPA Phased Array 1959CommonsDARPA Phased Array 19591959
1960s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Eglin AFB is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Eglin AFB has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Camp Pinchot Historic District in Fort Walton Beach, 2.7 miles away.

Eglin AFB and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Eglin AFB. Tap a dot.
Camp Pinchot Historic DistrictMcKinley Climatic LaboratoryEglin Field Historic DistrictGulfview Hotel Historic DistrictCrestview Commercial Historic DistrictHerman Lodge No. 108 Free & Accepted Masons of Florida

Closest to Eglin AFB

Camp Pinchot Historic DistrictFort Walton Beach · District2.7miMcKinley Climatic LaboratoryValparaiso · Built 19442.8miEglin Field Historic DistrictValparaiso · District3.8miGulfview Hotel Historic DistrictFort Walton Beach · District5.4miCrestview Commercial Historic DistrictCrestview · District20.7mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Camp Pinchot Historic District’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Eglin AFB?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Eglin AFB’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as A-26 Invader drops parafrag bombs at Eglin AFB 1950 (1950) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Shalimar📜 Valparaiso📜 Cinco Bayou📜 Fort Walton Beach

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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