The age of aviation came to Mineola on July 4, 1917, when a Curtis JN-4D "Jenny" biplane, piloted by a member of the U. S. Army Signal Corps, landed at this field. Called Massengale Meadow at the time, the site's flat terrain proved conducive to the establishment of one of the first airports in Texas. It was used by military aircraft during World War I and was the home of the Royal Flying Circus and other barnstormers in the 1920s. Expanded and improved over the years, it remains a privately-maintained public use airport. (1988)