Foley, Alabama: A World War II Heritage City Built Around a Navy Airfield

Foley, Alabama, is an American World War II Heritage City, recognized for its role on the home front.

Barin Field

On December 5, 1942, less than a year after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy opened Barin Field in Foley, a training center for Navy pilots. It became a major facility and an auxiliary training center.

By 1943, Barin Field held the record for logging more flight hours than any other Navy training center — at a heavy price.

After looking into the accident rate, nationally syndicated columnist and radio personality Drew Pearson nicknamed the field "Bloody Barin."

A town overwhelmed

Foley had 846 residents in the 1940 census. The war changed that:

• 5,795 students trained at Barin Field in its first 24 months — many times the town's population.
• Trainees and staff filled nearly every vacant room in town, and as many as five families shared a single house.
• In 1943 the National Housing Administration built 72 concrete modular apartments in East Foley, where Riviera Utilities stands today.
• By 1945, 1,886 enlisted personnel and 165 officers were assigned to the field.

Prisoners of war

Foley also held Camp Foley, a prisoner-of-war camp with about 250 Axis prisoners. In this farming region, prisoners were often sent to work on local farms.

Remembering

In 1943, the Women's Club of Foley planted a live oak tree honoring the sacrifices of Barin Field's aviators and Foley's residents; a flagpole and stone marker were dedicated beside it in 1946. The oak, flagpole and marker stand today in Foley's Heritage Park, and with the Foley Veterans Memorial in Max Griffin Park, they keep the memory of the town's World War II service alive.

Learn more about American World War II Heritage Cities.

Sources

Based on "Foley, Alabama," American World War II Heritage City series, National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain.