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Eberts Air Field
Lonoke
County, Arkansas 
Eberts Air Field World War I
Training Site The Army Aviation Commission in
1917 accepted these 960 acres from Lonoke Citizens to
establish an aviators school. Approximately 2,500
enlisted men and officers were stationed here from 1918 to
1919. A thousand planes, sometimes known as "Flying
Coffins", were used in training but not a single fatal
accident occurred. World War I ended before the first
class graduated. Named in honor of West Point
graduate, M.M. Eberts, an early Arkansas Army aviator.
This sign is not entirely true. There were two
fatalities as noted in the below article.
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Killed in Plane Accident
Little Rock, Ark., July 12 - Lieut. T.J. Lenihan of San
Francisco, Cal., and Chaplain R.H. O'Dowd, of Brooklyn,
N.Y., assistant came morale officer at Camp Pike, were
instantly killed today when a plane piloted by Lieut.
Lenihan was struck by another machine from Eberts Field.
The second machine also fell but is occupants were not
injured. - Kokomo Daily Tribune, July 12, 1919.
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2 AIR BIRDS FALL TO DEATH
By the Associated Press
Little Rock, Ark., July 12 – Lieut. T. J. Lenihan of San
Francisco an aviator from Eberts Field and Chaplain R.
H. O’Dowd of Brooklyn, N. Y. assistant camp morale
officer at Camp Pike were killed today when an airplane
being piloted by Lieut. Lenihan was struck by another
machine from Ebert field. The second machine also fell
but its occupants were not injured. - Huntsville Daily
Times, July 13, 1919.
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July 12 - Lieutenant Thomas J. Lenihan
of Eberts Field, pilot, with Chaplain Dennis O'Dowd of
Camp Pike, a passenger, were killed when their airplane
collided with another plane as a squadron from Eberts
Field was flying over Little Rock.
By December 10, 1919 - Eberts Field, the
aviation training station at Lonoke, passed out of existence
and the 72 government buildings were sold for $80,000 to
Lynch Creekmore of Fort Smith, representing Lesser - Goldman
Cotton Company of St. Louis.
 
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