The first African-American owned and operated airfield in Maryland, if not
the nation, was licensed in 1941. John W. Greene, Jr., a pioneer in black
aviation, was instrumental in developing the airfield originally called
Riverside Field. Occupied by the U.S. Navy during World War II, the
airfield reopened as Columbia Air Center, offering a flying school, charter
services and maintenance shop. The first African-American Civil Air Patrol
Squadron in the Washington, D.C. area was formed here. The site is located
within Patuxent River Park which is owned and operated by The
Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission. This site is currently used
for agricultural purposes and none of the buildings or runways that once
stood on the site are extant; interpretive signage tells the story of the
historic airport and provides a map of the airfield when it was in use.
