Formerly Biggs Field. It is a powerful arm of the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command and was first used in March, 1916 by the U.S. Army First Aero Squadron en route to Columbus, New Mexico, following the Pancho Villa raid.

In 1925, it was officially named in honor of Lt. James B. Biggs, native El Pasoan. During World War II, it trained bombing crews who served their country with honor and distinction.

Organizer-Commander of the famous "Flying Tigers" of the China-Burma-India Theater in World War II. An outstanding air strategist, Chennault had retired from a pioneer flying career when, in 1937, he was asked by Gen. Chaing Kai-Shek to help China develop an air force to combat threatening raids by Japan.

Four years later, with World War II spreading, he received permission from the U.S. to seek a corps of American airmen to help train the Chinese. A total of 252 men -- 87 pilots and 165 ground personnel -- joined the "American Volunteer Group." Its popular name resulted from a misunderstanding of the sharks teeth painted on the noses of the aircraft.

The Tigers formed three squadrons -- "Adam and Eve," "Panda Bears," and "Hell's Angels" -- supported by the expert pilots of the China National Aviation Corps, a daring supply transport group. So effectively had Chennault studied Japanese air tactics that his tiny band officially destroyed 539 enemy aircraft while losing only 90 itself. During 1941-1942, they checked Japan's invasion of China, then joined regular units.

Jack Cornelius, also a native of Commerce and a close friend of Chennault's, was a member of the first pursuit squadron of the Tigers.

Donated to his countrymen by conservationist-philanthropist Joseph Sterling Bridwell (1885-1966), Missourian who moved to Texas in 1909. Drilling his first well in 1921 on W.T. Waggoner estate, in 1927 he formed Bridwell Oil Co., which ultimately produced 50 million barrels of petroleum. In 1932 he bought local ranch (with headquarters 5 mi. to NW), where he bred famous herd sire Larry Domino and other fine Herefords. A founder and president (1940), West Texas Chamber of Commerce, Bridwell gave nation the site for Sheppard Air Force Base. He and wife had 2 daughters.

In 1928 the San Antonio Airport Company purchased 2300 acres of land near the city and donated it to the United States Army Air Corps for development of a consolidated flight training facility. Called "the West Point of the Air", Randolph Field was dedicated June 20, 1930. One month later, construction was begun on an administration building, designated as Building 100. Because of the structure's exotic appearance, student flyers nicknamed it "The Taj Mahal" soon after its completion in October 1931. With its height and location, the building dominated Randolph Field and the surrounding countryside. It was also a prominent feature in several motion pictures filmed here. To many Americans, "The Taj Mahal" came to symbolized military aviation at a time when air power was becoming vital to military strength.

Building 100 was designed by San Antonio architect Atlee B. Ayres. Its unusual 170-foot tower conceals a 500,000-gallon water storage tank. A powerful beacon atop the tower can be seen by aircraft up to fifty miles away. The building also contains an 1100-seat movie theater. Its administrative offices now (1975) house the United States Air Force.

One of the most famous Texas towns. Name was given to Post Office at request of President T.R. Roosevelt after his 1905 wolf hunt with rancher Burk Burnett in this area. Townsite was laid out in 1907 by Joseph A. Kemp and Frank Kell, surveyors and promoters of Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railroad. First oil discovery was Chris Schmoker No. 1, in 1912. A 2200-barrel gusher was brought in on S.L. Fowler farm about a mile from this site, July 29, 1918, by a company formed by Fowler, his brother, W.D. Cline and J.I. Staley. In 3 months 200 wells had been completed in Burkburnett townsite -- a forest of derricks. Money and oil flowed freely. A bank capitalized at $25,000, got monthly revenue of $10,000 from a well drilled at its back door. The town's population jumped from 1500 to 15,000 in a year. Boom area was extended by finds on properties of Burk-Waggoner Company and by Kemp-Munger-Allen operations to the southwest. Town was made world famous in 1941 by the movie "Boomtown", filmed from a popular story entitled "Lady comes to Burkburnett". Economy is dependent on agriculture and oil. An important neighbor is Sheppard Air Force Base.

Certified by the State of Texas as a common school district in 1898, the Marine School No. 3 was housed in a small frame structure erected on land given by local resident Ike Vinchinor. May Manning was the school's first teacher. In 1902 a second room was added, and the school was known as Rosen Heights School No. 2 from that time until 1919.

A three-room brick structure was erected in 1919 and the name was changed to the Castleberry Common School District in honor of Zack and Fanny Castleberry, who provided well water to the school. The first parent-teacher association was organized in 1922, beginning a long tradition of cooperation and support between families and faculty members. The area grew rapidly in the next decade, and by 1932 another room was added to the schoolhouse. A new two-room frame building was added in 1934, and an additional one-room building was erected in 1936.

Matching bonds, Works Progress Administration projects, and other Federal programs enabled the district to expand as necessary, including the erection of a large main building in 1938. Air Force personnel, aircraft mechanics, and their children arrived at nearby Carswell Air Force Base during World War II, and the school district expanded to accommodate them.

In the 1950s local high school students were transferred to the Fort Worth Independent School District. When Fort Worth announced in 1956 its intent to charge tuition for the education of Castleberry students, the Castleberry School District became independent and added a high school to its facilities. By 1998 the Castleberry Independent School District served almost 3000 students in seven schools.

Supplemental Plate:
Character builder: Irma Marsh, teacher-principal; first superintendent of C. S. I. D., 1924 - 1972.

Astronaut Lieutenant Colonel Edward H. White II (born at Fort Sam Houston, Nov. 14, 1930) was the first American to walk in space, while tethered to his Gemini Spacecraft on June 3, 1965. Along with two companions, he died on Jan. 27, 1967, in a flash fire at the launch site while in training for the first moon flight aboard an Apollo spacecraft. The astronauts' flight heritage is tied closely to the pioneer flying schools of San Antonio. The father of astronaut White, Major General Edward H. White, learned to fly here at Hanger 9, as did Charles A. Lindbergh and many other pioneers. Hangar 9, one of over 30 of its type at Kelly and Brooks Fields, was the standard Hangar used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps to house the Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" at flying schools during World War I. Brooks Field was named for San Antonio native Sidney J. Brooks, killed at Kelly Field, Nov. 13, 1917. Construction on Brooks Field began Dec. 1, 1917. Colonel H. Conger Pratt was the first commander. Long a primary school for heavier-than-air craft, it has been used for many pioneer roles, including development of Aerospace medicine.

Organized in 1891, the First Baptist Church congregation met at the county jail until 1901, when a small church building was built at 13th Street and Avenue G. The church's first pastor was the Rev. J.R. Miller. The Baptist Women's Missionary Society and the Board of Deacons provided leadership during the congregation's early years. Charitable projects were funded by box suppers, ice cream parties, and quilting bees. The congregation called its first full-time pastor, the Rev. B.F. Dixon, in 1905. During his tenure the first parsonage was built and a baptistry was added to the church building. Membership increased in 1925 when Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) opened. Personnel from Lubbock Army Air Field (later Reese Air Force Base) and South Plains Army Air Field were welcomed to the church during World War II. By 1951 the congregation worshiped at the present location on Broadway and Avenue V. First Baptist Church outreach activities have included missions, radio and television programs, a deaf ministry, a child development center, Oriental and Spanish language ministries, and active involvement with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Six charter members established this congregation in 1868 and named it New Prospect Baptist Church. The founding members - Joseph and Melinda Jane Farmer, James and Sally Young, and Lawrence and E.A. Steel - called the Rev. J.C. Powers as their first pastor. They met in Grant's School, a one-room log cabin that also served as a community center.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Dearing gave the church an acre of land and then sold another acre to the church for the purpose of building a permanent house of worship in the White Settlement community in 1905. Three years later the name was changed to White Settlement Baptist Church. A lightning strike in May 1946 caused the church building to burn to the ground. Members met in an adjacent school facility while plans were made for a new building, which was completed in 1953.

The congregation maintained a fairly small membership until the 1940s and 1950s when nearby development of Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, Carswell Air Force Base and associated industries brought a surge in the area's population. During this time, White Settlement Baptist Church helped found a number of new congregations in the county and developed strong programs of education, mission and outreach to the community.

Known as the First Baptist Church of White Settlement since 1954, the congregation has played a significant role in the religious history of Tarrant County and continues to uphold the ideals and traditions of its founders.

This congregation was organized in the mid-1880s, growing out of brush arbor meetings at the Cedar Campground near Whitemound. The original church building at Whitemound was moved, in 1906, to Tom Bean, where it burned in 1924. Methodists worshiped in the Presbyterian Church until it was destroyed by a tornado a short time later. A new edifice was built, serving both denominations until 1972. In 1974, the sanctuary was moved here, and the heritage of the old Perrin Air Force Base Chapel was preserved when it was added to the facility.