Gordonsville Municipal Airport
Gordonsville Municipal Airport is in Orange County, Virginia, and owned and managed by the Town of Gordonsville.
The airport was chartered in 1937 (see at right), but we have found documentation and charts to support GVE’s existence as early 1935. The town of Gordonsville first purchased the airport in 1937 as a currently operating airport/landing field (which proves the field was active prior to 1937). A bank purchased the airport/landing field from a farmer prior to the air strip being sold to the city. Three plantation owners were known to use the field before it was sold to the city. (Gordonsville, VA court house documents)
Gordonsville Municipal Airport can be found on some of the first sectional charts as early as 1935 and can be viewed at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum archives.
The below video was produced by the now defunct GAPS (Gordonsville Airport Preservation Society). GAPS spear-headed the renaissance of the Gordonsville Airport. This organization, though no longer official, was instrumental in bringing attention to the historical and economical value of the airport to the community.
Town Of Gordonsville Website
News posts:
Airport Layout Plan and AWOS
Gordonsville Town Council meets February 20, 2012 Consideration of airport layout plan update to include AWOS location. 1. Agenda Item 11b: Consideration of Airport Layout Plan Update to Include AWOS Location Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Town envisions future t-hangars and taxilanes, per page 2 drawing in attachment. “BACKGROUND:
Airport Charter:
Langley Hangar
This first picture at right is the a depiction of the Langley hangars before being dissasembled and re-constructed over different airports throughout Virginia including Gordonsville.
Circa 1933 and during the time the plantation owners were using the airport/airfield, local folklore claims that Marion DuPont Scott had an airplane which was hangared (the Dupont’s participation currently being researched)in the old re-constructed Langley air base hangar
that was brought to the field. These are pictures of the re-construction. The pictures were provided by the Whitmore family (Mr. Whitmore was the FBO, Fixed Based Operator 1945-mid 1970’s).
“…Under the leadership of Mr. Acree Mayor of Gordonsville (and Chief of the Gordonsville Volunteer Fire Company), the town participated in the mid-1930’s in establishing an airport. Involved also in the project was Barton Haxall Cameron, grandson and namesake of Barton Haxall 
of Rocklands. The airport, located on the Orange road about two miles from Gordonsville,
has been enlarged and improved during the intervening years. Partly because of the existence of this facility, National Air Mail Week was recognized in Gordonsville in 1938 by the issurance of a special cover displaying a view of the Gordon Inn and an appropriate inscription. (Thomas, William H. B. Gordonsville, Virginia; Historic Crossroads Town,. [Verona, Va.]: McClure, 1971. Print.)
We have purchased a 1935 Huntington sectional chart showing GVE located at its orginal site where it is currently in use. The current operating field is often confused with the old reliever field which several miles away to the south of Gordonsville Airport. This map shows both fields. (picture to be placed soon)
At right above is a contribution made by Burnie Herndon. He found copies of the orginal charter document for GVE stating it was orginally chartered in 1937. We know it was in operation prior to being chartered as it was purchased by the city of Gordonsville as an operational “air field.” We continue to look for newspaper articles or pictures to show it in operation prior to the charter of 1937 and the statement of purchase by the city as an active “air field.”i 