Hillsborough Army Airfield is a former World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

 airfield which was located about 7 miles north of Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

.

History

Hillsborough was built by the United States Army Air Force about 1943 and its primary mission was to be an auxiliary airfield for both Drew

Tampa International Airport

Tampa International Airport is a major public airport located six nautical miles west of the central business district of Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority...

 and MacDill Army Airfields. It was assigned to the Third Air Force

Third Air Force

The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....

. Hillsborough Army Airfield had three runways (NE/SW, NW/SE & E/W) of about 5,200' in length and several hangars along the west side of the airfield. The base normally had about 28 airplanes at the field at one time. The base closed in early 1945.

At some point after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Hillsborough was reused as a civilian airport, known as Henderson Airport, however it was closed in the late 1950s. The University of South Florida

University of South Florida

The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...

 campus began construction in 1957 on a site adjacent to the north side of Henderson Airport, and the Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of Blackstone Group. One of the parks is in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the other is in Tampa, Florida...

 theme park was opened in 1959 just south of the airport.

Today the airfield is all but unrecognizable in the urbanized area of Tampa, however the center of the airport, with two cris-crossing runways in an X shape, is visible from satellite images. The Tampa Bay regional headquarters of the Florida Department of Transportation

Florida Department of Transportation

The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...

building is located on the site of the northeastern runway. Coordinates of the airport center, at the runway crossing, are 28.04744,-82.418361.