Military History of Harrell Field 

Harrell Field is more than a municipal airport. Its history is tied directly to one of the most consequential military and industrial transformations in South Arkansas. 

What began in 1942 as a World War II contract primary flying school became part of the platform that helped secure and build Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot — a wartime and Cold War industrial complex whose legacy still shapes the region today. That history is one of the clearest reasons Harrell Field remains strategically relevant: the airport sits at the edge of a defense-industrial footprint that still matters at a national level. 

A US Army medical evacuation helicopter parked on a tarmac with soldiers standing by the open side door.

From Flying School to Wartime Asset

Community efforts to establish an airfield near Camden accelerated in early 1942. The site that became Harrell Field was secured that spring, construction moved quickly, and by August 1942 the field had been dedicated as Harrell Field in honor of Cal Harrell. Operated by civilian contractor Wiggins-Marden Aero Corp., the airfield became a contract primary flying school for Army Air Forces aviation cadets and one of the region’s major wartime training facilities. 

Shumaker And The Defense Buildout

Harrell Field’s military significance expanded in 1944 when the wartime flying-school mission ended and the site was turned over to support the development of Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot. During that transition, the former airfield and training complex became the logistics and operations base for building Shumaker. Hangars were converted into offices and drafting space, runways were used as parking and support areas, and thousands of workers were housed at the site during the peak of the depot’s construction surge. 

A white and black private jet parked on an airfield with ground crew nearby in a utility vehicle and on foot.
A US Army medical evacuation helicopter parked on a tarmac with soldiers standing by the open side door.

Why That History Still Matters

The airport’s military history is not simply a story from the past. The former Shumaker footprint evolved into today’s Highland Industrial Park and the broader East Camden defense-industrial base. Major contractors and suppliers tied to missiles, munitions, propulsion, and defense manufacturing now operate in and around that same regional footprint. That is why Harrell Field still matters operationally today: it remains the area’s direct aviation gateway for industrial teams, executive travel, suppliers, government visitors, and time-sensitive site access. 

Timeline Highlights

  • 1942 - Harrell Field established and opened as a WWII contract primary flying school operated by Wiggins-Marden Aero Corp.
  • 1943 - Three runways completed and training activity peaked.
  • 1944 - Flight training ended; the site transitioned into support of Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot development.
  • Postwar era - The field continued under civilian control as Camden Municipal Airport / Harrell Field.
  • Today - Harrell Field serves as the aviation access point for a nationally significant industrial and defense- manufacturing region. 
A white and black private jet parked on an airfield with ground crew nearby in a utility vehicle and on foot.