THE HISTORY OF ATLANTA AIRPORT

Tracing the development of Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport from its beginnings as a dirt racetrack in 1909 to the world's busiest airport today.

The Early Years: 1909 - 1948	The Temporary Terminal: 1948 - 1961
The Jet Age: 1961 - 1980	Midfield: 1980 -

Select a particular page below, or CLICK HERE to start at the beginning and keep clicking NEXT PAGE until you reach the end.

1909-1948
The Atlanta Speedway
Location of Atlanta Speedway
The early years of Candler Field
Candler Field in the late '30s and early '40s
Candler Field in 1941
Atlanta Municipal Airport during 1946-1948

1948-1961
Atlanta's Temporary Terminal
More views of Atlanta's Temporary Terminal
Dobbs House and Uncle Remus
Location of Atlanta's Temporary Terminal
LIFE archives - Atlanta Municipal Airport 1949 (27 pages!)
1949 aerial view of temporary terminal
Atlanta Municipal Airport 1949
LIFE archives - Atlanta Municipal Airport 1956 (19 pages)
Atlanta's Temporary Terminal in COLOR
Air show at Atlanta Airport 1953
Atlanta Airport scenes from the 1950s
Expansion at the temporary terminal

1961-1980
Airport for the Jet Age
Terminal nearing completion (16 pages)
Opening Day, May 3, 1961
Atlanta Airport 1961
Aerial view of the 1961 terminal
Ticket lobby of the 1961 terminal
The phoenix and the mezzanine
Airlines at Atlanta in the early 1960s
The turquoise tower
Aerial views of ATL from the mid 1960s
Placomalk
Postcard views of Delta at Atlanta Airport
Delta DC-9 in 3-D
Delta's Jets advertisement from 1966
Hotels, motels, gas & water
Atlanta Airport at night
Air freighters
Atlanta airport scenes from the 1960s
Aerial view circa 1967
Arrival of the jumbo jets
William B. Hartsfield Airport in the early 1970s
Aerial photo from 1972
Map of terminal from 1972
Postcard views from 1976
Postcards from the mid 1970s
Scenes from Atlanta Airport 1978-1979
New airlines for Atlanta 1977-1980
New international flights 1978-1980
Eastern Airlines terminal map from 1979
Remote gates at the 1961 terminal
Delta gates 1980
Hartsfield Jepessen map from 1980
The 1961 terminal closes
Final days of the old terminal
Implosion of the 1961 tower
Remnants of the old terminal
Site of the 1961 terminal today

1980-
Atlanta's New Midfield Terminal
Eastern Airlines Welcomes You to Midfield
Opening Day
Postcard Views of Midfield
Atlanta Airport 1980-1981
Hal, the strange robot voice of ATL
ATL aerial views from the 1990s

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Updated April 21, 2011