Preparations are being made steadily in the vicinity of Danville for the passage of airplanes carrying mail on the new air mail route, soon to be established between Washington and Atlanta. One of the "legs" of the flight is from Richmond to Greensboro, N. C., which will bring an airplane daily over this section of the country. Captain Smith and Captain Wildman, representatives of the government postal service, arrived yesterday at Yanceyville, N.C. for the purpose of continuing their survey of the ground and to make arrangements for an emergency landing field which, it is learned, will be made available.
The whole route has already been charted by the aviators from the air. They are now covering the flight territory and are making necessary surveys. They probably will remain in Yanceyville for two weeks. George A. Anderson, clerk of the court, has placed his automobile and services at the behest of the visitors. There is no chance of the airplane being seen in Danville. The routing shows that the planes will fly over South Boston and will thence make for Milton, N. C. passing directly over the old town and on to Yanceyville, thence to Ashland and from there on to Greensboro. A sixty-acre track is sought in the immediate vicinity of Yanceyville as an emergency landing field. Such fields as these are required at certain distances.
The government is prepared to pay $10 per acre per year for the use of the field, which would be -----for five years and on ---- placed an air beacon, a steel tower with a powerful upward beam directing the fliers at night. If this is done it is thought that the Appalachian Power Company will supply the current for the beacon. The airmen say that just as soon as the necessary ground survey has been made the air mail service will be put into operation._______________
The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, NC), April 19, 1928. Three beacon lights — one at Locust Hill — are under construction for mail airplanes that fly at night. 52 feet tall, 3 million candlepower. W. C. Yarbrough is manager of the Locust Hill beacon. The beacon was located on NC 65 at junction with what later became known as the Hodges Dairy Road (where Jimmy Hodges later built his house).
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For another aviation article relevant to Caswell County see Caswell Airpark. Actually, this article is relevant to the current article. Whether or not the airfield described above to provide an emergency landing site for postal carriers was completed near Yanceyville or not, the "air beacon, a steel tower with a powerful upward beam directing the fliers at night" was constructed on Foster Road. It eventually was moved to the Caswell Airpark in West Yanceyville where it remains today.
Others have reported that the flight pattern over Caswell County may still be in current use by military aircraft.
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Note that the Clerk of the Court, George A. Anderson, referred to in the newspaper article was George Andrew Anderson (1869-1945):
George A. Anderson was born into a family that has lived in Caswell County for over 200 years. He was reared on the family plantation at Anderson in the southern part of Caswell County. Anderson Township was named for his grandfather, Quinton Anderson, a merchant, legislator, and businessman who built large agricultural holdings. George A. Anderson was Caswell County Superintendent of Schools for seventeen years, a newspaper editor, and Clerk of Superior Court for eight years. His published books include a history of Caswell County in World War I and biographies of Caswell statesmen Bartlett Yancey and Bedford Brown. Anderson School was named for him. His father was Dr. John Q. Anderson who practiced medicine in Caswell County for fifty years.Permalink
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