Bowman Field, Kentucky's oldest civil airport, was first used in 1919. An Army Air Corps Reserve unit was established there three years later, and the double hangars to the west housed the 325th Observation Squadron. The terminal building, erected in 1929, was used by airlines through 1947, and concrete runways were installed in 1938. The field has been operated by the Louisville and Jefferson County Air Board since 1928. The land was first owned by pioneer Col. John Floyd, later by German Baron von Zedwitz, and was confiscated as alien property during World War I. Local businessman and aviation enthusiast Abram H. Bowman founded a flying service with Robt. H. Gast on this site in 1920, and the City of Louisville purchased the property in 1928 for development as a municipal airport.
