Fort Worth City Council members approved zoning on Oct. 13 to preserve the remaining portion of Taliaferro Field No. 1, a World War I airstrip. The site is a .39-acre area on the western end of the 2700 block of Muscogee Drive, nearly 2 miles from Hicks Field. It sits in a fenced area in a housing development southwest of Bonds Ranch Road and North Saginaw Boulevard. The airstrip was one of three Fort Worth airstrips established in early 1917, after the United States entered the war.
According to a city staff report, the site was first recorded in 2002 during a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project. A 2023 historical survey designated it a highly significant endangered landmark. Council members added a highly significant endangered overlay to the existing one-family residential zoning, following a recommendation from the Historic and Cultural Landmark Commission.
Jim Hodgson, executive director of the Fort Worth Aviation Museum, said he was pleased the site will be protected and developed into a neighborhood park to inspire young people. He said the museum had led efforts for years to preserve the site. Jerre Tracy, executive director of Historic Fort Worth, said she is happy the airfield will be preserved, comparing it to the city's actions to protect other endangered sites, including the TXU North Main power plant.