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Community Corner

Soaring Through Life

The pilot of the first plane to land in Douglasville was Hugh Watson–a barnstormer, which means he flew from town to town performing stunts and providing rides in his flying machine for anyone who had $10 and was brave enough to climb aboard.

My Papa Blanton loved his family and friends, loved his Bible, and loved to tell stories concerning his youth. After begging him to tell me about the olden days, he would launch into tales regarding growing up at the turn of the century telling me about courting young ladies at ice cream socials and explaining the proper way to prepare a turtle stew for a gathering of men. He seemed to enjoy watching my nose crinkle up in disgust regarding the details concerning de-shelling that poor sweet turtle. Then one afternoon he told me a new tale about seeing his very first airplane as it flew low over his father’s fields and eventually landed. 

I was mesmerized by the story. 

Can you imagine a time when a plane was an oddity–a cause for excitement?

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After the Wright Brothers completed their flight in in 1903, towns and cities all across the United States experienced their first airplane sighting including Douglasville. Since there were no flight plans or rules and procedures in those days I'd like to think the pilot flew in and circled a few times waggling his wings a bit to say hello to the folks on the ground before landing on a grassy field at a nearby farm. Finding a spot to land wouldn’t have been difficult since there were plenty of fields brimming with crops and cotton or dotted with grazing livestock on the edge of town in every direction and as far as the eye could see.  

It’s very probably the pilot of the first plane to land in Douglasville was Hugh Watson–a barnstormer, which means he flew from town to town performing stunts and providing rides in his flying machine for anyone who had $10 and was brave enough to climb aboard.

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Hugh Watson wouldn’t have been just any barnstorming pilot who happened to land in Douglasville. He would have been coming home to visit family and friends since he was born and bred here, and I’m sure he would have wanted to show off his aviation skills. Fannie Mae Davis writes that when Major Watson landed in Douglasville it was the first time many citizens had seen an airplane.

Born in Douglasville in 1894, Watson, like many young men during the early years of the twentieth century became completely entranced by the Wright Brothers and other early stories of aviation. Watson knew by the time he was 15 he wanted to be an aviator, and he knew in order to follow his chosen path he would have to leave home.   

During World War I he served in the U.S. Army Air Service, forerunner of the U.S. Air Force, where he earned the title of aviator and made many cross-country flights. Several sources confirm Watson was an instructor and at the end of the war he had achieved the rank of lieutenant.  

After the war like many military pilots Watson returned to barnstorming and flew from town to town doing stunts and giving people rides. He helped Cecil B. DeMille, the famous Hollywood director, with some aerial stunts and participated in a flying circus that traveled all the way to Japan and China.  

In 1921, along with his brother, Parks, Hugh Watson established Grisard Field in Cincinnati, Ohio named for Lt. John K. Grisard, the only Cincinnati pilot killed during World War I. The brothers purchased war surplus aircraft and used the field to provide pilot training for Army aerial reservist and local citizens, deliver mail, and ferry passengers.  They also sold aircraft, and from time to time Watson took assignments to cover major events with aerial footage for newsreel companies. The April, 1927 edition of Popular Mechanics contains an ad placed by Major Watson where he indicates he taught a new method of aviation and advises he was a flying instructor during the war and had been “a leading commercial aviator for the past ten years.” 

Several sources indicate the field also became a very popular place on the weekends for spectators to watch the planes and interact with the pilots. It wasn’t long before the field was referred to as Watson Field. 

By 1925 Watson had become involved with surveying air routes for commercial air lines and helped to pioneer air mail service between many U.S. cities. 

Fannie Mae Davis indicates Hugh Watson was the first pilot to land at the old Municipal Airport in Atlanta–a spot that had previously been known as Candler Field Race Track, and today is known as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. While she doesn’t give any information beyond that one detail, I checked into the Atlanta airport's history a bit and discovered the very first plane to land at Candler Field was in fact a mail plane on September 15, 1926, belonging to Florida Airways, an airline owned by Eddie Rickenbacker who was a World War I flying hero and contemporary of Watson’s. Yes, the pilot of that mail plane could indeed have been Hugh Watson! This site details the early history of Hartsfield-Jackson and indicates a crowd of 15,000 people showed up to see the mail delivered that day.

Apparently Watson also taught aviation from Candler Field for a time because Davis indicates he spent a year in the hospital suffering from numerous injuries after the plane crash landed in Atlanta with a student pilot at the controls.

A scholarly paper published online by Stephen G. Craft explains how Watson formed Grisard Field Company with T. Higby Embry and John Paul Riddle. Embry had the money to buy planes, but he had no knowledge of flying. Riddle taught him how to fly. Hugh Watson later remembered Embry ‘took to the air just like a duck goes to the nearest pond’.  Embry and Riddle eventually formed what is today Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. An article referred to at this site from The Enquirer dated September, 1928 states, “Credit for starting the commercial flying era in Cincinnati must be given to [Watson, Embry, and Riddle].” 

Following World War II, Cincinnati officials bought Watson Airport from Hugh and Parker Watson reportedly for $2 million. They renamed the field Blue Ash Airport. Today it serves as a base for charter, corporate and general aviation much like Charlie Brown Field east of Douglasville.

Major Hugh Watson was one of only three Georgians who received their wings prior to 1916 giving them the right to belong to the Early Birds Organization, a group dedicated to the history of early pilots of gliders, gas balloons, or airplanes prior to December 17, 1916. Major Watson was also a member of the Day Line Pilots which includes aviators who received their wings prior to 1918.

American Legion Post 530 in Ohio is named for Major Watson. Their website indicates his widow provided financial assistance and support for the post.

The United States Congress elevated Hugh Watson’s military rank to Major in 1936 for his pioneer work in aviation. 

Major Hugh Watson returned to Georgia after he sold the airfield, but soon after suffered a heart attack and died January 22, 1955. He was buried with full military honors in the Douglasville City Cemetery.

While we could mourn the fact that Major Watson died soon after he retired–a time when folks think they have finally reached the point when they can do as they wish and finally have the money to pursue their dreams–Hugh Watson had already lived his dreams along the way.  

His life sends an important message. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Do what it takes to live your dreams now.

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