Swampy's Florida

Swampy’s Rob Smith, Jr. is a member of Orlando Remembered that places displays around Orlando. Each depicts the display location’s history. This newest display is in a congested development called Baldwin Park. The development land was once Orlando’s original airport, Orlando Municipal Airport, and military base, Orlando Air Base, for the Army-Air Corps.

The municipal airport land became the military base at the start of U.S. Involvement with the war in Europe that would be known as World War II. After the war the land was split north and south. The southern part, south of Colonial Drive, went back to being the Orlando Municipal Airport, being renamed Herndon Airport. The north part stayed with the, soon to be formed, Air Force.

The base stayed active as an air base until just before transforming into the Orlando Naval Training Center in 1968. Boot camp for those coming into the Navy was a main thrust if the base.

The Navy shuttered the base officially in 1999. Not long after the land was basically given to developers from Chicago who created a Chicago themed mixed-use development on the former military site.

This display has a terrific time line that goes through most of this, along with photos and a few artifacts.

Should note here that Rob was born near this display, at 1313 Meeting Place, when it was still the Army Air Force Base.