Gunner's Trail, Gunnery Works - Lehigh Acres, Florida, USA
Posted by: 
BoomersOTR
N 26° 34.310 W 081° 41.515
17R E 431092 N 2939199
A historical marker located on the Gunner's Trail in Lehigh Acres, Florida.
Waymark Code: WM12HQV
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 06/01/2020
Views: 4
Located in the Wild Turkey Strand Preserve is the Gunner's Trail. This 1.8 mile, ADA accessible, trail preserves some historical remnants from the World War II training facility known as Buckingham Army Air Field Flexible Gunnery School. This training base was in operation from 1942-1945 and trained over 50,000 gunners for service in the war.
Located along the paved section of the trail are the remains of one of the gunnery turret bases and a historical marker describing the gunnery works.
Marker content as follows:
Gunnery Works
The large concrete features to your right are discarded gun turret bases, some of six discovered in the area. Protruding from the top of each base are bolts that most likely served to attach the turret - the protective rotating gun mount.
The turret bases appear to have been randomly dropped alongside the old limestone road, barely visible today beneath a layer of grass and soil. This road branched off a spur that connected to the main gunnery range road.
Look closely at the photograph, Do you see white “dots’? In early 1945, trainees used these fitted handheld turrets until the converted Jeep ranges for the B-29 program were operational. Military reports indicated that the area had been razed since 1958. Attempts to remove these heavy concrete structures were part of the cleanup efforts, and these were left behind. Note that one of the bases remains level with the ground, as if untouched.
Puzzling Pillars
Four large square-shaped pillars, approximately 16 feet in length, also were found in this area. Strewn at the base of the large earthen mound, they lie about 250 feet down the trail to the left in the pond. They appear to have been made from a coarse concrete mixture that was poured into a mold. Six bolts, arranged in sets of two, jut from one side of each pillar. Washers and nuts are still attached to the bolts. Can you guess how these pillars may have been used.
Marker Number: 0
Date: 0
County: Lee
Marker Type: Other
Sponsored or placed by: Lee County Parks and Recreation
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
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