Plattsburgh Air Force Base
airport in near Plattsburgh, New York
Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km2) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burlington, Vermont, in the town of Plattsburgh, New York.
The base closed on 25 September 1995, pursuant to the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990 (10 U.S.C. Sec. 2687 note) and the recommendations of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission. It is now a civilian airport and industrial complex, operated by the Plattsburgh Air Base Development Authority. The airfield is now known as Plattsburgh International Airport.
Geography
The former air base is bordered by the city of Plattsburgh and the Saranac River to the north and the Salmon River to the south. It lies on the western shore of Lake Champlain on the New York-Vermont border.
History
Military presence before the base
Plattsburgh was the third oldest military post in the United States. The U.S. has maintained a military presence at the site of the now-closed base since 30 December 1814.
In particular:
On 30 December 1814, the Federal Government purchased 200 acres for the construction of the "Plattsburgh Barracks".
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Plattsburgh Air Force Base” is airport in near Plattsburgh, New York. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Plattsburgh, Force and Base, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “airport in near Plattsburgh, New York” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7202540. VIAF identifies the subject as 131532781. The Library of Congress control number is n99011879. Authority coordinates are 44.654, -73.466. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1995, 1990 and 1814.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Plattsburgh Air Force Base”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Plattsburgh Air Force Base primary sources, Plattsburgh Air Force Base archive and Plattsburgh research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Plattsburgh Air Force Base”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Plattsburgh Air Force Base” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.